Petition against religious conversion

Subject: UN Declaration of Human Rights & Religous Proselytization
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A small community of friends developed a recommendation to the UN
Commission on Human Rights to seek an amendment to its Declaration of
Human Rights document in order to discourage religious proselytization.
Currently the following petition on that subject can be accessed by
going to

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/petition-sign.cgi?unchr900

I have signed it. I hope that you will be kind enough to consider
signing it. I would also be much obliged if you will circulate it to as
many as possible.

C. Alex Alexander, M.D.
email:calexo@hotmail.com
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Message reproduced from the online Petition for perusal:

To: UN High Commission for Human Rights

PETITION TO THE UN COMMISSION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE UNITED NATIONS
GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO ELIMINATE PROSELYTIZATION IN THE INTEREST OF
PROMOTING WORLD PEACE AND HARMONY, AND RESPECTFUL COEXISTENCE OF ALL
RELIGIONS.

Addressed to: Hon. Soli Sorabjee, Chairman, UN Sub-Commission on
Promotion and Protection of Human Rights., Hon. Louise Arbour, UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights., Hon. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General,
United Nations and Heads of States of all Secular Nations.

We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about inter-religious
conflicts fomented by the proselytizing activities of certain Christian
and Islamic sects, who appear to be locked in a race to convert the
entire world's population into their respective monotheistic faiths. We
believe that the large majority of Muslims and Christians do not harbor
such grand aspirations and are opposed to the proselytizing schemes of
their organized religions.

We represent a variety of religious backgrounds. We are troubled by the
likelihood of major clashes of civilizations resulting from the
exclusive truth claims of monotheistic religions. We also anticipate
such conflicts will weaken the social fabric of many countries by
pitting religions against one another and destroying indigenous
cultures. Further, we are firmly convinced that we should act now to
prevent all inter-religious conflicts and the occurrence of greater
misery, death and destruction than what we have witnessed thus far in
the course of human history, most brought about by the evils of
proselytization. Therefore we are hereby appealing to the United
Nations as a whole and the UN Commission for Human Rights in particular
to adopt an amendment to Article 18 of the UN Declaration of Human
Rights by expanding it through the addition of a second sentence
(capitalized):

"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion;
this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and
freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or
private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice,
worship and observance. NO INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANIZATION MAY SEEK TO
CONVERT AN INDIVIDUAL OR A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS, INCLUDING MINORS OR
INDIVIDUALS OF LIMITED COGNITIVE ABILITIES, FORMALLY OR INFORMALLY,
FROM ONE RELIGION TO ANOTHER THROUGH OFFERING FINANCIAL OR OTHER
MATERIAL INCENTIVES; THROUGH PHYSICAL, MENTAL, OR EMOTIONAL COERCION;
OR THROUGH THREATS OR INTIMIDATION OF ANY KIND."

In the interests of preserving world peace and harmony, and for
avoidance of religiously motivated conflict, we, the undersigned,
respectfully request that the above amendment be adopted in its
entirety by both the UN High Commission for Human Rights and the United
Nations General Assembly. We also request heads of all secular nations
and their citizenry to lend their whole-hearted support to this
petition.
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