Arab Parliament Calls for International Covenant to Criminalize Religious Defamation

The President of the Arab Parliament, Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Yamahi, called for the launch of an international parliamentary covenant to criminalize religious defamation, emphasizing that enhancing dialogue between religions cannot be achieved without a firm confrontation of the phenomenon of insulting symbols and religious sanctities that are sometimes committed under the guise of freedom of expression, but in reality, fuel hatred and threaten social and international peace.

This came during the speech delivered by Al Yamahi at the second parliamentary conference on interfaith dialogue, organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in cooperation with the Italian Parliament in the capital, Rome.

The President of the Arab Parliament affirmed that all religions call for coexistence and prohibit hatred, pointing out that the danger lies in exploiting religion for political and racial purposes, and in the extremist behaviors that fuel the discourse of enmity.

Al Yamahi emphasized the importance of the role of parliamentarians in enacting legislation to protect freedom of belief and criminalize hate speech, in addition to supporting educational and media initiatives that promote a culture of tolerance, and utilizing parliamentary diplomacy to build international partnerships that consolidate understanding among peoples.

He concluded his speech by affirming that interfaith dialogue is not an intellectual luxury, but a humanitarian necessity to achieve stability, calling for courageous positions that elevate human dignity, regardless of one's religion or belief.