Free Speech, Religion and the United Nations: The Political Struggle to Define International Free Speech Norms

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Abstract

This book explores the political struggle to interpret and define the meaning, the scope and the implications of human rights norms in general and freedom of expression in particular.

From the Rushdie affair and the Danish cartoon affair to the Charlie Hebdo massacre and draconian legislation against blasphemy worldwide, the tensions between free speech ideals and religious sensitivities have polarized global public opinion and the international community of states, triggering fierce political power struggles in the corridors of the UN. Inspired by theories of norm diffusion in International Relations, Skorini investigates how the struggle to define the limits of free speech vis-à-vis religion unfolds within the UN system. Revealing how human rights terminology is used and misused, the book also considers how the human rights vision paradoxically contains the potential to justify human rights violations in practice. The author explains how states exercise power within the field of international human rights politics and how non-democratic states strategically apply mainstream human rights language and secular human rights law in order to justify authoritarian religious censorship norms both nationally and internationally.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationLondon
PublisherRoutledge
Number of pages276
ISBN (Print)9780367785017
Publication statusPublished - 21 Mar 2021

Keywords

  • Free speech
  • Blashemy
  • Censorship
  • United Nations
  • International relations

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