A “Defamation of Religion” Ban? Philosopher AC Grayling Takes on the PC Speech Police at the United Nations

Today in the Guardian:

Facts speak for themselves. Omid Reza Mir Sayafi, 29, a journalist and blogger, has taken his own life in Evin prison in Iran, where he was serving a two-year sentence for “insulting Ayatollahs Khomeini and Khamenei”, and awaiting further trial for “insulting sacred values”, which would have meant more years in prison. He was a sensitive man, who blogged mainly about music and the arts, and imprisonment was a hellish experience for him; he was reported to be profoundly depressed and anxious.

Safayi is yet another victim of religion. If the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has its way, it will become impossible to make such a remark.

At the United Nations Council on Human Rights in Geneva, the OIC is trying again to have “defamation of religion” banned. The aim is a universal gag on free speech, blocking the right of anyone to criticise the too frequently negative effects of religion on individuals and society.