Free Speech, Religion and the United Nations

Heini í Skorini holds a PhD in International Relations from King's College London, UK. He is Assistant Professor in the Faculty of History and Social Sciences at the University of the Faroe Islands (Denmark). He teaches international relations, human rights, and religion and politics, both internationally and in a local context. His research interests include religion and society, religion and politics, human rights, freedom of expression, human reasoning in relation to science, religion and political controversy.

"Heini Skorini’s outstanding work exposes the manipulation of human rights language by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in aid of its agenda. This is scholarship at its best, grounded in careful research of primary sources and a firm grasp of the relevant theoretical and ethical debates and literatures. Ultimately, the book constitutes a forceful defence of the universalist principles which underpin human rights." - Katerina Dalacoura, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK."This timely and important book provides a bird’s eye view of the political struggle to interpret and define the meaning of human rights and freedom of expression. Empirically and conceptually rich, Skorini explores the ‘double-edged sword’ of the UN human rights regime, in both promoting human rights and justifying oppressive policies, as well as the strategic framing of diverse actors that makes this paradoxical outcome possible. The book represents an original contribution to the literature on norms, and is a must read for those who wish to understand how norms travel, are contested, and are unavoidably political in their application." - K.M. Fierke, University of St. Andrews, UK."This book gives a unique insight into the ongoing battle of ideas and values as it is played out at the UN. Through interviews with Muslim diplomats, we are introduced to the value judgements and strategies that inform the OIC's attempt to curtail free speech. The book is insightful, and gives a thought provoking glimpse into how one religious actor challenges the liberal-democratic norms hegemony and questions its claim to universality. The book is topical and timely, and I suspect it will remain so for years." - Anne Stensvold, University of Oslo, Norway."Heini Skorini’s highly original investigation is a major contribution to research on the contestation of norms in International Relations. This timely book reveals the profound global implications associated with discourses on human rights when these come to be defined in communitarian as opposed to cosmopolitan terms." - Vivienne Jabri, King’s College London, UK."Skorini offers a lucid and detailed accounting of the struggle to define the contours of free expression as played out in the corridors of the United Nations. His exclusive personal interviews with key actors enriches the text and helps shape a comprehensive study that accounts for the roles played not only by intergovernmental institutions and states, but individual actors as well. The book is a valuable addition to the existing literature addressing defamation of religion, and offers important insights into one critical and still unresolved fault line in contemporary international human rights." - Robert C. Blitt, University of Tennessee College of Law, USA.

• 1 Introduction 2 Theoretical Literature Review 3 OIC’s Discourse on Freedom of Expression and Religion Prior to 1999 4 Mapping OIC’s Discourse on Freedom of Expression vis-à-vis Religion: Defamation of Religions as a Human Rights Violation 5 Defeating OIC’s Free Speech Agenda: Internal and External Factors Which Have Enabled and Constrained OIC’s Agency in the UN 6 Conclusion: Human Rights Language as a Double-Edged Sword: Empowering the Individual or Empowering the State