[Buddha-l] Return of blasphemy?

[Joy Vriens]

During the Second Global Conference on World's Religions After 9/11 
(http://gcwr2011.org/index.htm) at The Palais des congrès de Montréal on 
September 7, 2011, His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, was joined by 
world-famous author Deepak Chopra, Professors Tariq Ramadan, Robert 
Thurman, Steven T. Katz and Gregory Baum who spoke on the theme "Peace 
Through Religion".
The conference included:

    A keynote address by the Dalai Lama
    Talks given by the other participants
    Panel discussions on the importance of inter-faith education and
    co-operative action
    Discussion of a proposed Universal Declaration of Human Rights by
    The World's Religions,

The proposed Declaration can be downloaded here : 
http://gcwr2011.org/pdf/UDHRWR_en.pdf
Fears have been expressed in France (*http://tinyurl.com/3bl7vwm* 
<http://www.agoravox.fr/actualites/religions/article/des-religieux-dalai-lama-compris-100802> 
and *http://tinyurl.com/3bqpawk*), that some articles of the Declaration 
may be interpreted as a wish for the return of the notion of blasphemy.
More specifically article 12, (4) and (5).

    ARTICLE 12
    (1) Everyone has the right to privacy. This right includes the right
    not to be subjected to arbitrary interference with one's privacy; of
    one's own, or of one's family, home or correspondence.
    (2) Everyone has the right to one's good name.
    (3) It is the duty of everyone to protect the privacy and reputation
    of everyone else.
    *(4) Everyone has the right not to have one's religion denigrated in
    the media or the academia.
    (5) It is the  duty of the follower  of every  religion to ensure
    that  no  religion is denigrated in the media or the academia.*

The Resolutions (http://gcwr2011.org/resolutions.htm) taken by the 
Second Global Conference contain some more potentially problematic ideas 
were they ever to be implemented and made into laws.

    "Resolved that a course in World's Religions should be taught
    wherever the confessional study of religion is carried out -- in a
    seminary, or yeshiva, or madrasah, or Hindu Matha or Buddhist
    Monastery -- *provided that it has been approved by the apex body of
    that religion*."
    Resolved that *violating the sanctity of the scripture of any
    religion*, amounts to violating the sanctity of the scriptures of
    all religions.
    Resolved that the religions of the world should come together to
    formulate a Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the World's
    Religions, which would embody their vision of human flourishing, and
    which would supplement the UN Declaration.

It all depends on the definitions and on how the resolutions, rights and 
duties would be implemented.  E.g. what does it mean to have "the right 
not to have one's religion denigrated in the media or the academia" ? 
What constitutes a case of denigration of one's religion? How would that 
right be proprely defended? What ought to be understood by "the  duty of 
the follower  of every  religion to ensure that  no  religion is 
denigrated in the media or the academia"? How would it be implemented, 
how would we know a follower has done his/her "duty" in defending 
his/her religion?
As for the resolutions, what exactly is the "apex body" of a religion 
(dis)approving and controling(?) courses and the way of teaching its 
religion  "wherever the confessional study of religion is carried out "? 
E.g. what would be the "apex body" of Buddhism? What form of control 
would it have to carry out its mission and with what authority? What 
exactly is to be understood by "violating the sanctity of the scripture 
of a religion". One may have a vague idea as long as this concerns 
scriptures that are revelations by divine beings, but how about Buddhist 
scriptures and their sanctity?

And what is the Dalai-Lama doing in this mess?

Joy