Roy Speckhardt [Executive Director, American Humanist Association]: "The American Humanist Association (AHA), along with more than 100 other organizations, has joined in a statement opposing the "defamation of religion" resolution before the United Nations that is being promoted by the 56-member Organization of the Islamic Conference.

While AHA is greatly concerned about acts of violence, hatred and discrimination against persons of Islamic faith, indeed, persons of all faiths and of no faith, the concept of defamation of religion is "incompatible with the fundamental freedoms of individuals to freely exercise and peacefully exercise their thoughts, ideas and beliefs."

As an example of the overly broad scope of the resolution, if the United States were to make defamation of religion a crime, our employees could be prosecuted for running our current holiday oriented bus and train ads that read, "NO GOD?…NO PROBLEM!" for alleged defamation of theistic religions.

Internationally, our concern is the harmful impact adoption of such a UN resolution would have on the freedom of persons within the sponsoring nations. The resolution undergirds "laws in some countries that prohibit blasphemy and are used to oppress religious or political beliefs that are out of favor with the government," according to the statement."