The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which turned 60 years old in December of 2008, guarantees everyone the right to freedom of expression, even on sensitive religious subjects. Shockingly, instead of working to uphold this right, in recent years the United Nations has passed resolutions “combating defamation of religions” that urge U.N. member states to limit free speech out of respect for religious beliefs.
Capitalizing on concerns about discrimination and “Islamaphobia” in the post-9/11 climate, a political coalition of Islamic states called the Organization of the Islamic Conference has effectively hijacked the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, squelched dissenting voices, and declared its intentions to criminalize blasphemy under international law.
In his former capacity as a U.N. representative for the Center for Inquiry, Austin Dacey has been at the frontlines of this struggle at the Human Rights Council. In this talk, he shares insights from his behind-the-scenes experience and explains what is at stake for the future of human rights and international law.
Austin Dacey is a philosopher whose writings have appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times, USA Today, and Science. In 2008 he released The Secular Conscience: Why Belief Belongs in Public Life, a book that “lifted quite a few eyebrows” according to the New York Times.
Doors open at 6:30 and the speech is scheduled for 7:10pm.
There will be a Q&A after the speech.
This event is brought to you by the Agnostic & Atheist Student Association and is made possible by the efforts of the Secular Student Alliance.
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