IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 763 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United Nations 
resolutions on the ‘‘defamation of religions’’ are incompatible with the 
fundamental freedoms of individuals to freely exercise and peacefully 
express their religious beliefs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 22, 2009 
Mr. POE of Texas (for himself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, 
and Mr. INGLIS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the United Nations resolutions on the ‘‘defamation of 
religions’’ are incompatible with the fundamental free-
doms of individuals to freely exercise and peacefully ex-
press their religious beliefs. 
Whereas since 1999, the United Nations has annually passed 
a resolution on the ‘‘defamation of religions’’ in the 
Human Rights Council (previously the Commission on 
Human Rights) and in the General Assembly; 
Whereas unlike traditional defamation laws, which punish 
false statements of fact that harm individual persons, 
measures prohibiting the ‘‘defamation of religions’’ pun-
ish the peaceful criticism of ideas; 
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•HRES 763 IH 
Whereas United Nations resolutions on the ‘‘defamation of 
religions’’ contradict United States Constitutional protec-
tions of free speech and the free exercise of religion; 
Whereas the concept of ‘‘defamation of religions’’ is fun-
damentally inconsistent with the principles outlined in 
the United Nations’ founding documents, including the 
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirms 
the protection of persons, rather than ideas; 
Whereas Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights recognizes that ‘‘Everyone has the right to free-
dom of thought, conscience and religion; this right in-
cludes freedom to change his religion or belief, and free-
dom, either alone or in community with others and in 
public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in 
teaching, practice, worship and observance’’; 
Whereas Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights recognizes that ‘‘Everyone has the right to free-
dom of opinion and expression; this right includes free-
dom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, 
receive and impart information and ideas through any 
media and regardless of frontiers’’; 
Whereas the sponsor of these United Nations resolutions, the 
Organization of the Islamic Conference, has indicated 
that it is seeking to create a legally binding mechanism 
to combat the ‘‘defamation of religions’’; 
Whereas such resolutions provide international support for 
domestic anti-blasphemy laws in some countries; 
Whereas domestic anti-blasphemy laws are often used by gov-
ernments to punish the peaceful expression of disfavored 
religious beliefs and ideas; 
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•HRES 763 IH 
Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Human 
Rights has confirmed that there is no international con-
sensus on the concept of ‘‘defamation of religions’’, and 
multiple United Nations Special Rapporteurs have ac-
knowledged that the difficulties in providing an objective 
definition of the term ‘‘defamation of religions’’ at the 
international level make the whole concept open to abuse; 
Whereas the United States Constitution does not guarantee, 
and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights does not 
recognize, the right to have one’s beliefs protected from 
challenge or criticism, or the right not to be offended; 
Whereas existing legal instruments already address discrimi-
nation, personal defamation, and incitement to violence in 
ways that are more carefully focused to address those 
specific problems without unduly threatening the rights 
of speech and religious free exercise; and 
Whereas legal efforts alone cannot foster an environment of 
respect and religious freedom, and education and public 
diplomacy are vital tools in the protection of a peaceful 
and robust exchange of ideas and beliefs: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) underscores the value of respectful speech 
and civil dialogue, at the same time that it affirms 
that the freedoms of speech and religious free exer-
cise are integral to the health of free societies and 
the dignity of the human person; 
(2) strongly urges the Secretary of State to 
make every effort to defeat the passage of future 
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•HRES 763 IH 
resolutions on the ‘‘defamation of religions’’ at the 
United Nations, and other resolutions or inter-
national instruments that would threaten the free 
and peaceful exchange of ideas, beliefs, and truth 
claims; 
(3) calls on the United Nations to abandon all 
efforts to adopt or affirm the flawed concept of ‘‘def-
amation of religions’’; and 
(4) urges fellow Member States of the United 
Nations to focus on protecting the fundamental free-
dom of individuals to peacefully express their reli-
gious beliefs, and to avoid supporting resolutions 
that threaten the freedom of expression. 
Æ 
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