The United Nations

[Shammu]

Dozens of nations dominated by Islam are pressing the United Nations to adopt an anti-"defamation" plan that would make Christians criminals under international law, according to a United States organization that has launched a campaign to defend freedom of religion worldwide.

That is the goal of islam, dominate the world, which will never happen.

"Around the world, Christians are being increasingly targeted, and even persecuted, for their religious beliefs. Now, one of the largest organizations in the United Nations is pushing to make a bad situation even worse by promoting anti-Christian bigotry," the American Center for Law & Justice said yesterday in announcing its petition drive.

No matter how bad it get we need to remember..........

John 15:18-19 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

"Furthermore, 'defamation of religion' replaces the existing objective criterion of limitations on speech where there is an intent to incite hatred or violence against religious believers with a subjective criterion that considers whether the religion or its believers feel offended by the speech," the group continued.

Interestingly, in nations following Islam, the present practice is to use such laws to protect Islam and to attack religious minorities with penalties up to and including execution, the brief noted.

That is no surprise, islam is a religion of hate.

The U.S. State Department also has found the proposal unpalatable.

"This resolution is incomplete inasmuch as it fails to address the situation of all religions," said the statement from Leonard Leo. "We believe that such inclusive language would have furthered the objective of promoting religious freedom. We also believe that any resolution on this topic must include mention of the need to change educational systems that promote hatred of other religions, as well as the problem of state-sponsored media that negatively targets any one religion."

Least the United States can still stand up to bullies of the islamic world.

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

These last few articles and hard facts from around the world indicate this world is becoming more evil and intolerant of ALMIGHTY GOD by the minute. The number of Christian martyrs is escalating rapidly, and the world stage appears to be just about ready for the Tribulation Period.

Evil is getting RIPE to the bursting point in many parts of the world. "RIPE" is a poor choice of words. "Rotting Stench" would be a more appropriate description of EVIL, and it does get worse by the day. INCREASINGLY, Christians will be hated, persecuted, beaten, imprisoned, and killed. As these times grow worse, the time for CHRIST to RAPTURE us HOME is growing nearer.

Love In Christ,
Tom

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NASB
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 NASB
Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O  DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

[Shammu]

South African reported to be new UN rights chief

By JOHN HEILPRIN, Associated Press Writer Fri Jul 18, 6:23 PM ET

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations chief told rights advocates Friday that his choice to be the next U.N. human rights commissioner is a South African judge who was the first black woman to serve on her country's High Court, the director of Human Rights Watch said.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he had selected Navanethem Pillay for the job, but he had not yet taken official action, said Kenneth Roth, who was among a dozen representatives from human rights groups who met with Ban.

"Ban described her as the presumptive nominee," Roth said.

Ban's office is expected to announce her appointment early next week, said U.N. and diplomatic officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the appointment had not yet been announced.

Pillay, who is now an appeals chamber judge with the International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands, must be approved by U.N. General Assembly.

Some nations, such as the U.S., have expressed reservations about Pillay, including how she might handle next year's follow-up to the 2001 U.N. racism conference in South Africa, which drew controversy due to anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli stands.

Some rights groups have questioned whether Pillay could be an effective, outspoken champion of human rights, officials said.

One diplomat expressed skepticism that Pillay would be confirmed, but others said her nomination was not expected to meet any significant opposition in the General Assembly.

Pillay would succeed Louise Arbour, a former Supreme Court judge in Canada, as human rights commissioner, one of the most high-profile positions at the United Nations.

Arbour, who was chief prosecutor for the U.N. tribunals for war crimes in Yugoslavia and Rwanda, helped raise the rights job's profile through her outspokenness and by nearly doubling her office's budget to almost $100 million. Her office and the 47-nation U.N. Human Rights Council, which addresses human rights violations, are based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Roth said Pillay's challenge "will be to speak out publicly in the face of severe abuse, and to ensure that her office addresses even powerful governments, whether the United States on its abusive counterterrorism policies or her own South Africa for its callous defense of (President Robert) Mugabe's repression in Zimbabwe."

The General Assembly has not been officially notified of her selection, officials said. Ban was expected to consult with all the groups representing various regions of the world in the 192-nation General Assembly.

The assembly previously elected Pillay as a judge to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, where she served for eight years, including four years as president.

Pillay, who holds a degree from Harvard Law School, was the first woman to start a law practice in the South African province of Natal, opening an office in 1967, according to the International Criminal Court, which provided background information.

The two other top contenders for the job were Hina Jilani of Pakistan, a special U.N. envoy on human rights, and Juan Mendez of Argentina, a special U.N. envoy on genocide.

South African reported to be new UN rights chief

[Soldier4Christ]

U.N. didn't notice $10 million disappearing
Official confesses world body 'arguably a bit slow to recognize' relief scam

As much as $10 million of United Nations relief funds designated for Burma in the wake of Cyclone Nargis have been siphoned off by "private money exchangers" and the military government, according to a U.N. official.

The U.N. called for an initial $200 million in emergency aid in response to the storm, which killed more than 140,000 people, but not all the promised funds are reaching the intended destination, admitted John Holmes, under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs and the U.N. emergency relief coordinator, at a news conference at the agency's New York headquarters.

The funds are being siphoned through an exchange-rate scam that forces the U.N. to buy the Burmese currency, the kyat, at above the market rate.

Holmes confessed, "We were arguably a bit slow to recognize ... how serious a problem this has become for us."

The U.S. government has made a $39 million contribution to the relief effort and is expected to give more.

Much of the initial aid consisted of goods supplied directly to the victims of the cyclone, but Holmes estimated as much as $10 million dollars has been lost.

The Burma government requires the purchase of a "foreign exchange certificate" effectively taking between 15 percent to 25 percent of every dollar spent on aid to the cyclone victims.

"It's a very complicated system," said the U.N. coordinator, who recently toured Burma, where he cited "significant progress" in the relief effort.

The official rate for the kyat is 1,100 per dollar, but the U.N. rate is about 880, according to the Inner City Press, a newssite that broke the exchange scandal.

Holmes said the U.N. was initially, "not aware of the extent of the loss," but insisted to WND that access to the people of Burma was worth the cover charge the Burma government required for entry into the country.

"Our priority is to get aid to the people," Holmes said. "This has to be a needs-based operation and not based on politics."

Although many governments have responded to the worldwide appeal for international aid to the cyclone victims, private individuals and organizations have been the biggest contributors and may be the biggest losers.

The Bill and Melinda Gates charity donated an estimated $3 million for relief in Burma "so they can go in there and help as quickly as possible," Gates told the Associated Press in an interview in May.

After the initial appeal for aid in May raised most of the $200 million requested, another appeal for an additional $280 million was made. The "extraordinary exchange losses" were not mentioned in the appeal.

Holmes said the U.N. did not bring up the issue of the exchange rate losses in the appeal, because officials "were not aware of the extent of the loss."

"No reason not to be transparent about this, we haven't tried to conceal it," Holmes said.

The Burma government was initially reluctant to accept international aid and workers from the U.N. and non-governmental organizations, but conceded due to the enormity of the disaster. An estimated 2.4 million people are affected.

There are approximately 100 foreign relief workers in Burma, Holmes said.

"Unfortunately, members of the international press are not allowed to enter Burma," he added.

The Burma government has not responded to calls to exclude foreign relief aid from the foreign exchange certificate requirement. But Holmes rejected setting currency exchange conditions to the flow of international aid in Burma or in future relief aid efforts.

Yesterday, President Bush signed the Tom Lantos Block Burmese Jade Act of 2008, a sanction against the import of Burmese precious gems.

Bush has aggressively criticized Burma on human rights, but Russia and China have expressly blocked efforts to approve resolutions through the U.N. Security Council.

First Lady Laura Bush has publicly called for the unconditional release of Nobel laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for 12 years.

Bush said in a ceremony at the Oval Office in the presence of Tom Lantos' widow, "I'm going to sign a piece of legislation and a joint resolution that will continue some sanctions, propose new sanctions, and extend the import restrictions. On the Burmese regime, our message is: The United States believes in democracy and freedom."

[Soldier4Christ]

And this is the people that Obama wants us to give more money to mis-appropriate while we go poor doing so. A man wise enough to be the President. 

[Barbara]

Personally, I don't understand why the UN is still in New York?? Why doesn't someone build a little hut for them on some volcanic island somewhere, where they can't do anyone else in the world any harm. They sure as heck aren't doing anyone any good!!

Think of all the money that America would save by dismantling the U.N. They should move on and set up shop in Babylon:'(

Found this interesting from Chuck Missler, he's discussing Babylon and the UN:

"We have corroborated from more than one of our research associates, a project tht's highly classified. This project is taking all the fibre optic cables of Europe, and the intention is to connect it to all the fibre optics that are coming out from Asia into a master communication hub - this is sensitive information, that's why I have to tip-toe here a little bit.

We, the US, are building right now in Baghdad, Iran, the largest embassy on the planet earth - 21 buildings on 104 acres. It will be on riverside parkland in the fortified "Green Zone," just east of al-Samoud, a former palace of Saddam hussein. The size of the project will approximate the size of Vatican City. There's presently a staff of 5,500 in this embassy. It will be totally self-contained: water, power, etc. It can be totally isolated for a substantial period of time. Obviously and embassy has very, very advanced communications facilities required to service it.

So you would think, that if you have a major project to connect all the communications of Europe with all the communications of Asia, being paid for by the US, you'd think it would go through Baghdad right? Wrong. It's going to converge in Babylon, it will be the communication hub, so it's following some other master plan I presume. You dont' invest that kind of money on something casual. This is part of somebody's plan.

I had heard a rumor that the UN was going to move to Babylon. And one of the things we try to do is to steer clear of what's called an 'urban legend' because there are many weird stories that go around. So I thought that this move was just one of these 'strange echoes'. Until I started to encounter some Think Tank study papers which said NY is anxious to get the UN out, for lots of reasons - it's an administrative nightmare with all the immunities and all that stuff; from the UN's point of veiw they have no way to expand, they feel it's essential to have more room so there's an agitation, apparently, to find another sight.

For people who are anti-UN (don't all put your hands up), getting them out of our country would be cheered by the people because of the continuing malfeasance of the leadership. There's no organization I know of that is more rife with scandels and embezzelment and fraud, etc., etc. Not only that - they have an unblemished record of failure in everything they touch!

Well, suppose you say, 'OK, we've gotta move it somewhere. Where are ya gonna move it?' If you understand the dynamics here you know that they cant' move into the EU because in a very real sense, the UN and the EU are rivals for world influence. So where would you move it? Well you stand back and you say, '...what is the biggest crisis facing the secular planet earth over the next 30-40 years? Oil. So why not plant the UN right in the middle of the oil patch? It would make all the sense in the world. By doing so you could establish a permanent peace keeping force that will stablize that region after the withdrawal of American troops - that would be acceptable even to our detractors.

Now, I don't have any evidence of a serious plan to do this yet. But I find it provocative, at least, that people in the Think Tank world are discussing the pros and cons of this very issue - taking for granted that they're going to have to move sooner or later...

[nChrist]

WOW!

Babylon sounds like an appropriate place for the U.N. The timing is perfect! Regardless, I vote YES - MOVE IT!

[Soldier4Christ]

U.N. grants status to homosexual-rights groups
Opponents fear loss of sovereignty, ties to pedophilia advocates

The U.N. recently accorded two homosexual-rights groups "consultative status," raising opposition from pro-family advocates who see the move as a weakening of national sovereignty that could result in lowering the age of consent for homosexual sex.

U.N. watchdogs also cite homosexual-rights groups' historical alignment with organizations advocating pedophilia.

The U.N.'s Economic and Social Council, the organ facilitating international cooperation on standards-making and problem-solving in economic and social issues, has accepted COC Netherlands and the State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transexuals and Bisexuals of Spain.

This "means we can join the efforts at the U.N. to address human rights violations against people with an alternative sexual orientation or gender identity," said Björn van Roozendaal, COC Netherlands international advocacy officer.

But members of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute accuse homosexual groups of attempting to weaken sovereignty and impose "gay rights" through a "well-coordinated" international stealth campaign tainted by associations with pro-pedophilia groups.

The pro-homosexual lobby consistently has attempted to advance through the U.N. since 1993, when an umbrella homosexual advocacy group, the International Lesbian Gay Association, or ILGA, achieved U.N. consultative status.

But after revelations that several ILGA members were pedophile organizations, the late Republican Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina led a campaign to suspend ILGA's U.N. status.

Four pro-pedophile groups were associated with ILGA.

    * The American NAMBLA, the North American Man-Boy Love Association, advocates for intergenerational "consensual sexual relations."
    * The Dutch-based MARTINJN works "for acceptance of pedophilia and adult-child love relationships."
    * U.S.-based Project TRUTH
    * The German Verein für Sexuelle Gleichberechtigung, or Association for Sexual Equality.

In 1994, the U.N. took the unusual step of suspending ILGA membership. ILGA then, by a vote of 214-30, voted out all of its pro-pedophile groups, except for VSG. The German group, however, later was suspended for its vocal support of NAMBLA.

Following the revelations and suspension of ILGA's NGO consultative status, NAMBLA issued statements detailing its working relationship with ILGA and claimed to have helped draft ILGA's constitution.

In 2003, IGLA petitioned to have its consultative status reinstated but was denied by a vote of 29 to 17.

Cameroon, China, Cuba, Iran, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Senegal, Sudan, the U.S. and Zimbabwe cast votes against ILGA, while France, Germany and Romania voted for the organization.

Following the vote, a U.N. communiqué stated, "The vote in favor of not granting status to that NGO would reaffirm the will and commitment of the international community to protect children."

In 2006, however, the U.N. granted consultative status to a gay-rights Danish group associated with ILGA-Europe.

Well-coordinated campaign

Responding to the newly granted status given the Spanish and Dutch group, Boris Dittrich, advocacy director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Program at Human Rights Watch, said "This vote ensures that two more voices will be raised to defend basic human rights at the U.N."

But critics see a reason for concern in what has been called "well-coordinated international campaign."

As director of government relation for Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute – which advocates for "the preservation of international law by discrediting socially radical policies at the United Nations and other international institutions" – Samantha Singson has worked on pro-life, pro-family international policy for over eight years.

Singson told WND there is a great concern for screening LGBT, or "lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual," groups for any ties to pedophilia.

"These nominations are getting a lot more scrutiny, because of the past affiliations," she said.

Responding to the concern, Scott Long, director of the LGBT rights program for Human Rights Watch, wrote in a statement to WND, "ILGA has made clear that it supports the right of all children to be free of abuse, including sexual abuse."

But it's clear that none of the pedophile groups consider sex with a minor "abuse." On the NAMBLA website, the association calls itself a "voice testifying to the benevolent aspects of man/boy love."

Brend Varma, the human rights spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general, told WND that Ban Ki-Moon will always advocate that "we believe in human rights for all people; specific policies towards sexual orientation throughout the world is a matter for the member states."

Yet it's not clear that "all people" includes all ages. In Canada, Israel, the UK and Australia, homosexual activists consistently have pushed for lowering age of consent laws, to align the homosexual age for consensual sex with that of heterosexuals.

International advocacy coupled with local activism could pressure governments to lower the age.

Piero Tozzi observed that the UK is particularly active in pushing for the inclusion of LGBT non-governmental organizations into the U.N. system.

In an interview with WND, Tozzi said the representatives from Egypt, Poland and Malta have been "very prepared" in defending their opposition to LGBT activism under the guise of "non-discrimination."

Human Rights Watch's Long criticized the Egyptian delegation for asking, "Is your organization forcing people to adopt a particular lifestyle that will lead to the eventual extinction of the human race?"

Long called the question "ridiculous."

Singson said "non-discrimination" and "in the spirit of inclusion" have become "code terms for sneaking in pro-LGBT language into important international human rights documents."

"There is a tendency for LGBT advocates to change terms like 'husband' and 'wife' to the ambiguous 'partner,'" she said.

"We've even had lively debates about the term 'family' vs. 'families,' a term that could include same-sex arrangements, she added.

"There's a crisis in human rights," said Singson. "Countries agree to universal rights, but they get something entirely different when they agree to recognize these groups."

[HisDaughter]

Found this interesting from Chuck Missler, he's discussing Babylon and the UN:

"We have corroborated from more than one of our research associates, a project tht's highly classified. This project is taking all the fibre optic cables of Europe, and the intention is to connect it to all the fibre optics that are coming out from Asia into a master communication hub - this is sensitive information, that's why I have to tip-toe here a little bit.

We, the US, are building right now in Baghdad, Iran, the largest embassy on the planet earth - 21 buildings on 104 acres. It will be on riverside parkland in the fortified "Green Zone," just east of al-Samoud, a former palace of Saddam hussein. The size of the project will approximate the size of Vatican City. There's presently a staff of 5,500 in this embassy. It will be totally self-contained: water, power, etc. It can be totally isolated for a substantial period of time. Obviously and embassy has very, very advanced communications facilities required to service it.

So you would think, that if you have a major project to connect all the communications of Europe with all the communications of Asia, being paid for by the US, you'd think it would go through Baghdad right? Wrong. It's going to converge in Babylon, it will be the communication hub, so it's following some other master plan I presume. You dont' invest that kind of money on something casual. This is part of somebody's plan.

I had heard a rumor that the UN was going to move to Babylon. And one of the things we try to do is to steer clear of what's called an 'urban legend' because there are many weird stories that go around. So I thought that this move was just one of these 'strange echoes'. Until I started to encounter some Think Tank study papers which said NY is anxious to get the UN out, for lots of reasons - it's an administrative nightmare with all the immunities and all that stuff; from the UN's point of veiw they have no way to expand, they feel it's essential to have more room so there's an agitation, apparently, to find another sight.

For people who are anti-UN (don't all put your hands up), getting them out of our country would be cheered by the people because of the continuing malfeasance of the leadership. There's no organization I know of that is more rife with scandels and embezzelment and fraud, etc., etc. Not only that - they have an unblemished record of failure in everything they touch!

Well, suppose you say, 'OK, we've gotta move it somewhere. Where are ya gonna move it?' If you understand the dynamics here you know that they cant' move into the EU because in a very real sense, the UN and the EU are rivals for world influence. So where would you move it? Well you stand back and you say, '...what is the biggest crisis facing the secular planet earth over the next 30-40 years? Oil. So why not plant the UN right in the middle of the oil patch? It would make all the sense in the world. By doing so you could establish a permanent peace keeping force that will stablize that region after the withdrawal of American troops - that would be acceptable even to our detractors.

Now, I don't have any evidence of a serious plan to do this yet. But I find it provocative, at least, that people in the Think Tank world are discussing the pros and cons of this very issue - taking for granted that they're going to have to move sooner or later...

Wow.  I totally missed this.  Very interesting and it will be interesting to see what develops.

[Soldier4Christ]

We, the US, are building right now in Baghdad, Iran, the largest embassy on the planet earth - 21 buildings on 104 acres. It will be on riverside parkland in the fortified "Green Zone," just east of al-Samoud, a former palace of Saddam hussein.

I imagine that everybody has already recognized the understandable typo here. Baghdad is in Iraq not Iran. This is important though as we see the association better between Iraq and end times prophecy in the Bible.

This is actually old news. It has been on the table in the UN for quite some time now to move the UN headquarters somewhere. A number of different locations, from Montreal, Geneva, Brazil and yes even Babylon, has been proposed since before 911. The World Health Organization (WHO), a United Nations agency, is setting up their headquarters in Baghdad starting in June of this year. A lot of the fibre optics spoken of in this article was for this organization. This does not mean this article is wrong or right. It simply means if it is right they are doing this as a cover up of those actions.

One of the reasons that the UN was proposing a move was the fact that the current building housing their headquarters is in bad need of some very important structural repairs and general all over renovation. The cost of this is going to be tremendous and they thought it might be more economical to just build a new building. As of July this year the word is that they have approved the renovations for the current headquarters building.

Again this doesn't preempt the information in this article. All this means is that the UN is not planning on moving just yet. I am sure that they will want to insure that Iraq is a bit more stable before they make such a move as that.

[Barbara]

Thanks for that input Pastor Roger. Interesting info about the WHO, very interesting.

Missler was discussing this possibility, knowing that they UN wasn't moving just yet, but was fascinated because of the destiny of the total destruction of Babylon writtenabout in Isaiah 13 & 14; Jeremiah 50 & 51; and Revelation 17 & 18. I suppose he was wondering what would be in that area in 'the end of days' that would precipitate this destruction. Could it be the UN will relocate there? It's a good question, but only time will tell. But it is interesting.

Isaiah and Jeremiah talk about a time when many nations are attacking Babylon. Israel at that time is in the land, according to Isaiah and Jeremiah. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah say Babylon will be destroyed, 'like Sodom and Gomorrah', which was sudden and catastrophic. And once it's destroyed, according to scripture, it will never be inhabited, (right now it is inhabited),  in fact the bricks will never be reused (Saddam reused bricks found by archeologists to rebuild a number of buildings before the war). So we know this will be in a time to come.

Missler says Babylon fell in 539 B.C., but it took 3 days for the people to know they had been taken over by a foreign entity because it happened  without a battle. But it was not destroyed physically like Sodom and Gomorrah.

Zecharia 5 talks about the 'woman' who is 'wickedness' that will be transported to her base in Shinar (the plain that Babylon sits on).

Missler thinks that 'a system' is destined to go back to where it all started in order to receive the judgement that has been declared by God for it. Babylon was originally the seat of a "Godless Cofederacy run by the first world dictator, Nimrod (who's name means 'we will rebel), and how interesting it is that it might be associated then with the final world dictator."

"In order to fulfill a literal view of the numerouse passages (of Scripture), Babylon would have to re-emerge as a major centroid of power to receive the judgment described."

Could it be the headquarters for the UN and a world dictator? Not sure but interesting to ponder.

[Shammu]

Queer issues take a global stage at the United Nations

By Emily Geminder

29 July 2008

Of the more than 3,000 non-governmental organizations holding consultative status to the United Nations, only a handful address gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex issues. This week saw an incremental but significant step towards change: two groups, COC Netherlands and the State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals of Spain (FELGTB), gained admittance to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The Council brings together civil society groups to advise the General Assembly on promoting economic and social development and essentially grants groups access to the floor of international decision making.

The victory, said Boris Dittrich, Advocacy Director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, did not come easily. “In January, the status of the two
organizations came up for review at the NGO committee at the United Nations headquarters,” he told MediaGlobal. “Two of the board members of COC Netherlands were called onstage, and they had to answer questions from member states about the activities of their NGO. Some of the questions were very impertinent,” The questions, Dittrich noted, were largely coming from the delegates of Egypt, Pakistan, and Qatar. “They were asking questions like, ‘Do you denounce pedophilia?’ and ‘What do you think about sex with minors?’ Those kinds of questions are obviously not asked of other organizations. It was quite embarrassing to witness.”

The two organizations, along with one other, were blocked from entrance in February by votes from Burundi, China, Egypt, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, and Sudan. Delegations from supportive governments and civil society groups called the ruling blatantly discriminatory. Following an exhaustive campaign, the votes were overturned for the Dutch and Spanish groups this week.

Paula Ettelbrick, Executive Director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission called the decision a substantial step towards achieving international representation. “For many years, LGBTI NGOs have been struggling to obtain consultative status at the United Nations so that the voice of LGBTI people around the world can be more visible, and so that our efforts to advance human rights are enhanced by involvement throughout the united Nations,” she told MediaGlobal.

The impact of United Nations policy bears far-reaching implications for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex individuals everywhere, and the community’s marginalization within the international framework has come under increasing scrutiny. According to South Africa based Gender Dynamix, Africa’s first transgender rights organization, discrimination against individuals who do not conform to conventional gender expression places them at high risk for HIV infection, compounding the impotence of national and global policies that fail to take sexual and gender minorities into account. Caroline Joan Bowley of Gender Dynamix told MediaGlobal, “Due to the fact that transgender people do not have access to formal state medical services in South Africa they are often forced to seek other means to raise the finances required for their transition and surgery. This sometimes results in transwomen becoming sex workers. They are therefore at high risk of exposure to HIV/AIDS and many other sexually transmitted diseases.”

Discrimination in all sectors of life, from limited employment opportunities to lack of access to housing and education, forces a disproportionate percentage of the male-to-female transgender community becoming involved in sex work. Biological females who do not conform to conventional modes of femininity find themselves at particular risk of sexual violence at the hands of men who justify their actions as providing corrective “cures” for non-conforming behavior. In many cases, violence also comes from the police, who take advantage of laws that may criminalize sex work, non-heterosexual sex, or both, to harass and intimidate the transgender population.

Meanwhile, the silence shrouding the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex community in many countries has directly translated into a silence regarding HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. A recent study by the United Nations foundation for AIDS relief found that men who have sex with men have been particularly failed by government policies, with only one in 20 men who have sex with men having access to prevention, treatment, and care services. The lack of access is compounded by the criminalization of homosexual sex in many countries, which forces sex underground and keeps many from seeking treatment. The blatantly homophobic stance of some governments translates into imprisonment, marginalization, violence, and even death for those who do not conform to conventional modes of gender expression or sexual orientation.

In Uganda, a recent protest of the government’s HIV/AIDS policy, which effectively excludes sexual and gender minorities, led to the arrest of three activists. On Thursday, protesters staged a demonstration outside the Ugandan mission to the United Nations, calling on the Ugandan government to reform its HIV/AIDS policy and release those imprisoned. On the issue of the government’s policy, Kihumuro Apuuli, Director General of the Uganda AIDS Commission, stated that, “gays are one of the drivers of HIV in Uganda, but because of meager resources we cannot direct our programs at them at this time.”

In response to his statement, Kaytee Riek of Health GAP (Global Access Project), one of the organizers of the demonstration, told MediaGlobal, “The gay community is not driving the AIDS epidemic. Stigma is driving the epidemic. And those sort of remarks only add to the stigma.”

While the protest hoped to give voice to those who have been marginalized, it could not be ignored that the voice was coming from outside the halls of power rather than from within. The recent gain of consultative status in the United Nations may be a step towards a more formal solidification of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex rights in the international community, but Dittrich says it is far from adequate. He advocates the creation of a United Nations Special Rapporteur to investigate discrimination against the community and monitor progress worldwide. “This person would then report directly to the Human Rights Council,” he said. “Many countries in the human rights council don’t see LGBTI issues as human rights, so that could be a beginning.”

Queer issues take a global stage at the United Nations
~~~~~~~

Talk about non-accountability and non-responsibility for ones own actions!!

[nChrist]

We know what causes AIDS and HIV, so it's difficult or impossible to twist or hide this news from people with any common sense. We also need to remember that same-sex acts were a FELONY in ALL states just a few short years ago. In fact, many of these laws are still on the books in some states. The last I heard, the illness and fatality rate for these dreaded diseases are still on the rise. It would seem to be obvious that efforts to normalize this behavior will result in ever increasing numbers of those ill and dying. However, the obvious and common sense aren't allowed in this area, or it's at least politically incorrect. In the meantime, the suffering and dying will continue to escalate. It appears that the only cure for these dreaded diseases is THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST!

[Shammu]

Religious ‘Defamation’ on Agenda at UN Rights Session
Monday, September 08, 2008
By Patrick Goodenough, International Editor

The United Nations’ Human Rights Council kicks off a new session in Geneva on Monday, and a controversial push by Islamic states to outlaw religious “defamation” is high on the agenda.
 
In recent months, debate has swirled over efforts to limit freedom of expression in the context of religious discussion. That debate is now moving beyond a small group of concerned non-governmental and legal organizations to a wider audience.
 
The drive is spearheaded by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which has already succeeded in getting several resolutions on the issue passed, both at the U.N.’s human rights watchdog and at the General Assembly. Now it is pressing for more resolutions, including one at the General Assembly’s annual session in New York, which begins next Tuesday.
 
More than 84,000 signatories have endorsed a petition opposing the new resolution organized by the Washington-based American Center for Law and Justice.
 
During the Geneva Human Rights Council session, which runs from Sept. 8-26, the 47-member HRC will hear a report on the subject, compiled by a special investigator mandated to probe “contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.”
 
Critics of the OIC campaign say existing human rights instruments adequately protect individuals from incitement to violence based on religion, and they argue that a religion cannot be defamed.
 
They say the Islamic states promote the idea of religious defamation because international law recognizes that freedom of expression may be limited to protect reputations.
 
What the OIC actually is opposing is a range of social phenomena to which its objects.
 
According to a study drawn up by the U.N.’s new high commissioner for human rights ahead of the HRC session, these include “stereotyping and negative portrayal of religions, in particular Islam, [and] the association of Islam with violence and terrorism” after 9/11, as well as “ridicule,” “insults” and “Islamophobia.”
 
(Examples cited in OIC documents include newspaper cartoons caricaturing Mohammed, and a Dutch lawmaker’s documentary released earlier this year, linking the Koran to terrorism.)
 
The new commissioner – South African jurist Navanethem Pillay, who began her four-year term on Sept. 1 – was asked in an earlier resolution to compile a study on existing relevant legislation and submit it to this month’s council session.
 
Pillay concluded the document by saying clarity was needed over where the line should be drawn between freedom of expression and incitement to religious hatred.
 
She therefore is convening a two-day consultation by legal experts next month looking at links between articles in international human rights treaties that deal with freedom of expression and those that prohibits incitement to violence based on religion.
 
Some NGOs also have submitted papers ahead of the HRC session, spelling out opposition to the Islamic bloc’s drive to outlaw religious “defamation.”
 
In one joint submission, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, an Arab organization, and Article 19, a free speech advocacy group, argued that religions cannot be said to have a reputation of their own, and thus cannot be “defamed.”
 
Noting that OIC resolution texts claim that respect for religions is essential for the exercise of religious freedom, they disputed this.
 
“It is perfectly possible to disagree, even vehemently, with a particular religious tenet, while respecting the right of others to believe it,” they said. “Indeed, such disagreement is inherent in the conflicting beliefs of different religions.”
 
A key criticism of the defamation of religion push is that Islamic governments are trying to enshrine in international law elements of controversial blasphemy legislation in place in their own countries, which most often target non-Muslim minorities or apostates from Islam.
 
“Blasphemy laws in many countries are used to prevent any criticism of religions, religious leaders and religious institutions, in clear breach of international guarantees of freedom of expression,” said the Cairo Institute and Article 19.
 
Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society in Britain, warned that if the OIC proposals gain legal credence, they will lead to prosecutions for blasphemy around the world and “the Islamist desire to stop all open discussion of Islam will have been achieved.”
 
‘Contemporary challenges’
 
This year the U.N. marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which was adopted on Dec. 10, 1948.
 
In another submission to the HRC, three NGOs – the International Humanist and Ethical Union, the Association for World Education and the Association of World Citizens – said it was now critical to stress the need for, and discuss threats to, the agreed universal standards contained in the landmark declaration.
 
They reiterated long-held concerns about a document adopted by OIC member states in 1990, the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam, which says all human rights and freedoms must be subject to Islamic law (shari’a).
 
On the 59th anniversary of the UDHR, last December, Pakistan’s ambassador to the U.N. said in a statement on behalf of the OIC that the bloc was busy drawing up a new Islamic Charter on Human Rights, in accordance with the provisions of the Cairo Declaration.
 
The envoy, Masood Khan, claimed the Cairo Declaration was “not an alternative, competing worldview on human rights” but “complements” the UDHR “as it addresses religious and cultural specificity of the Muslim countries.”
 
Khan also said the UDHR was a “living” document that should take into account “contemporary challenges.” He listed among these “the rising tide of defamation of religions and Islamophobia,” “attempts to equate Islam with terrorism” and “stereotyping and demonization of Muslims.”
 
A major OIC report released at a summit in Senegal last March called for “a binding legal instrument to fight the menace of Islamophobia in the context of freedom of religion and elimination of religious intolerance.”
 
“The Islamophobes remain free to carry on their assaults due to absence of legal measures necessary for misusing or abusing the right to freedom of expression,” the report said, urging Islamic states to keep “the pressure on the international community at the multilateral forums and bilateral agendas.”
 
Founded in 1969, the OIC is made up of 56 predominantly Islamic countries mostly in North Africa and Asia, but also with one each from Latin America (Guyana) and Europe (Albania). The Bush administration early this year for the first time appointed a U.S. envoy to the bloc, which has its headquarters in Saudi Arabia.

Religious ‘Defamation’ on Agenda at UN Rights Session

[Shammu]

Top UN Human Rights Official Pledges to Tackle Discrimination
By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
08 September 2008
   

In her first speech since assuming the post of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has urged nations to do more to tackle discrimination and inequality, which she said are the root causes of some of the worst forms of human-rights violations.  Pillay spoke at the opening of the ninth regular session of the U.N. Human Rights Council. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from the conference site in Geneva.

In her statement, Navi Pillay drew upon her personal experience as a member of a non-white minority in apartheid South Africa to highlight the pain and abuse that can result from discrimination. She told delegates attending the U.N. Human Rights Council of the human-rights abuses she confronted because of racial and gender discrimination.

"I grew up as a second-class citizen with no legal recourse. In my lifetime, however, I had the privilege to witness a complete transformation. Today, south Africa has one of the strongest constitutions in the world," said Pillay. "While the country struggles, as many countries do to turn legal rights into reality, watching the course of change over the span of a single decade and through a relatively peaceful evolution leads me to believe that solutions are possible."

The new High Commissioner is 67-years old. She is of Tamil descent and the daughter of a bus driver from a poor Indian section of Durban. 

Drawing again upon her own experience, she recalled how she suffered as a girl of color growing up in Durban. She told the Council that gender discrimination was a root cause of violence against women and must be eliminated. She added that gender equality will contribute to development and security, as well as human rights.

"Genocide is the ultimate form of discrimination. We must all do everything in our power to prevent it," she said. "What I learned as a judge on the Rwanda Tribunal about the way in which a society can be shattered, and the way in which one human being can abuse another, will haunt me forever." 

Pillay will preside over the work of the U.N. Council over the next three weeks. During this conference, the Council will follow up on previous special sessions that dealt with the situations in Darfur, Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza and on the global food crisis.

It also will discuss the human-rights situations in Burundi, Liberia and Somalia, and explore the issue of children and armed conflict.

Top UN Human Rights Official Pledges to Tackle Discrimination