Indonesia ti Write to UN to Support Anti-Religious Blashemy Proposal

New York (ANTARA) - Indonesia has proposed that an initiative to prevent religious blasphemy be enacted by the UN and used internationally. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said here on Friday that he would send an official letter to the UN regarding the proposed protocol. "After the protocol has indeed been formulated and discussed, God willing, I will send an official letter to the UN Secretary General, the UN General Assembly with regard to it," he told Indonesian newsmen at a press conference prior to his departure home after attending the UN General Assembly meeting and other events here. He said Indonesia would submit the proposal as part of efforts to prevent a recurrence of religious blasphemy, including the spread of anti-Islam films such as the one that recently sparked anger and violence in various countries. The proposal to ban religious blasphemy is expected to be binding and therefore must be adhered to and implemented by all countries in the world. President Yudhoyono said he is aware its formulation would not be easy in view of the differences in 193 UN member countries over freedom of speech. Even US President Barack Obama, in his speech at the General Assembly on Tuesday, said that his government would not be able to ban the video or statements that denigrate a religion because the law in his country respects the people's right to freedom of speech. "Well, here is where the fight is. Therefore, I could not set a target but I would work in earnest and assign the minister of foreign affairs and ambassadors to the US and to the UN (to fight for it,)" he said. "I imagine that it would not be easy but we must do it. Create what Indonesia's concrete proposal would be like," he said. To Indonesia, he said, denigrating a religion is not a form of freedom of speech because it violates Article 29 of the Declaration of Universal Human Rights, also found in Article 28 of the Indonesian constitution, which states that one's right and freedom is limited to moral values and public order. "In view of that, I say that freedom is not absolute. Moreover, we live in a global village and therefore have to be considerate, respect each other and be sensitive towards values or faiths followed by others," he said. President Yudhoyono made the call for a law to prevent religious blasphemy in his speech before the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. He made his proposal following the spread of the "Innocence of Muslims" video made by a US citizen that insults Prophet Muhammad. The video has been the cause of anger in the Moslem world and violent incidents in various countries. Several weeks ago angry citizens attacked a UN consulate in Benghazi, Libya, causing the death of US ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other US diplomats in that country. On Thursday a number of inter-faith leaders in the US and Indonesia, joined together in the Interfaith Mission for Peace and Understanding, issued a joint statement condemning the making of the film and the violence in various parts of the world, including the attack that killed US ambassador Christopher Stevens in Libya.(*)