Four years after cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be with him) set off violent protests across the Muslim world, Islamic nations are mounting a campaign for an international treaty to protect religious symbols and beliefs from mockery – essentially a ban on blasphemy that would put them on a collision course with free speech laws in the West. It is reported that Algeria and Pakistan have taken the lead in lobbying to bring the proposal to a vote in the UN General Assembly.
If ratified in countries that enshrine freedom of expression as a fundamental right, such a treaty would require them to limit free speech if it risks seriously offending religious believers.