A Common Statement from Civil Society on the Concept of the “Defamation of Religions” United Nations resolutions on the `defamation of religions' are incompatible with the fundamental freedoms of individuals to freely exercise and peacefully express their thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. Unlike traditional defamation laws, which punish false statements of fact that harm individual persons, measures prohibiting the `defamation of religions' punish the peaceful criticism of ideas. Additionally, the concept of `defamation of religions' is fundamentally inconsistent with the universal principles outlined in the United Nations' founding documents, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirms the protection of the rights of individuals, rather than ideas. Such resolutions provide international support for domestic laws against blasphemy and “injury to religious feelings”, which are often abused by governments to punish the peaceful expression of disfavored political or religious beliefs and ideas. Moreover, existing international legal instruments already address discrimination, personal defamation, and incitement in ways that are more carefully focused to confront those specific problems without unduly threatening the rights of freedom of expression and the freedom of thought, conscience and religion. It is vitally important for governments to combat violence motivated by bias and hatred and to encourage respectful speech and civil dialogue, while at the same time affirming that freedom of expression and freedom of thought, conscience and religion are integral to the health of free societies and the dignity of the human person. Finally, legal efforts alone cannot foster an environment of respect and religious freedom. Education and public diplomacy are vital tools in the protection of a peaceful and robust exchange of ideas and beliefs. Signed: International Religious Liberty Association American Islamic Congress Indonesia Legal Resource Center, Indonesia Becket Fund for Religious Liberty United Sikhs Institute for Global Engagement Humanist Academy, Scotland Freedom House BCV Centre for the Study of Islam and Other Faiths, Australia Vigilance, Inc. Simon Wiesenthal Center Sidmennt, the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association International Christian Concern Unione degli Atei e degli Agnositici Razionalisti, (UAAR), Italy International Quranic Center Higgins Counterterrorism Research Center U.S. Copts Association European Humanist Federation International Center for Religion & Diplomacy LibForAll Foundation Humanistisch-Vrijzinnige Vereniging, Belgium Center for Political Studies, Denmark American Ethical Union Dutch Platform on International Freedom of Religion or Belief The Humanist Society of Scotland, Scotland Vienna Akademikerbund, Austria Polish Humanist Association, Poland Stichting Magenta/Magenta Foundation TIFA Foundation, Indonesia International Civil Liberties Alliance Rapid Response Group, Uzbekistan Center for Security Policy Media Rights Agenda, Nigeria Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention Rationalist Association, UK International Humanist and Ethical Union ACT! for America Women’s Rights Organization Against Discrimination (AKDER), Turkey Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia Center for Inquiry Center for Islamic Pluralism, Washington D.C./London/Koln The Association of Christian Schools Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute Bürgerbewegung Pax Europa, Germany and Austria American Center for Law and Justice Anti-Defamation League The Center for Economic and Social Justice Christian Copts of California Dachverband Freier Weltanschauungsgemeinschaften Deutschlands, Germany Committee for the Freedom of Prisoners of Conscience in Uzbekistan Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights GeoStrategic Analysis of Potomac, Maryland Prometheus Society, Slovakia American Humanist Association The Phyllis Chesler Organization Baptist World Alliance Open Doors International Humanist Association of Ireland Bahá'í International Community Forum for Civic Responsibility Vapaa-ajattelijain Liitto ry/The Union of Freethinkers of Finland, Finland The Rutherford Institute Foundation for the Defense of Democracies American Textbook Council David Horowitz Freedom Center The Legal Project of the Middle East Forum UN Watch The Investigative Project on Terrorism Church of Scientology of Amsterdam Jubilee Campaign Bund Freireligiöser Gemeinden Deutschlands, Germany Religious Freedom Coalition Os Guinness, Author International Al Hewar Almasry Center for Copts Human Rights in Egypt Islam and Civil Society Project of the Witherspoon Institute CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, South Africa SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, Russia Mission Europa, Austria The Westminster Institute CNP Action, Inc. Endowment for Middle East Truth American Jewish Congress B’nai B’rith International Barnabus Aid Democracy Coalition Project National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the U.S. Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands, Germany Dalit Freedom Network Open Doors USA International Society for Krishna Consciousness Christian Solidarity Worldwide Advocates International National Secular Society, UK Traditional Values Coalition Human Rights Without Frontiers Concerned Women for America UVV Unie Vrijzinnige Verenigingen, Belgium Oxford Center for Religion and Public Life American Congress for Truth Centre d’Action Laïque, Belgium ChinaAid American Islamic Forum for Democracy British Humanist Association