Germany's Human Rights Envoys Say Religious Caricatures 'Admissible,' Must Be Tolerated

Criticism of religions, including in the form of caricatures, is admissible and should be tolerated, Germany's commissioners for global freedom of religion and human rights said on Wednesday

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2020) Criticism of religions, including in the form of caricatures, is admissible and should be tolerated, Germany's commissioners for global freedom of religion and human rights said on Wednesday.

"I hold the view that religious insults are not good, but they are protected by freedom of speech. They must be tolerated. If you ask representatives of Christian churches in Germany, they will be able to tell you a lot about how they have to tolerate this in various forms. But, nevertheless, I do not think it is good to offend the religious feelings of others," commissioner for global freedom of religion Markus Gruebel said, commenting on the controversy around Charlie Hebdo cartoons of the prophet Muhammad.

Human rights commissioner Baerbel Kofler agreed that criticism of religions and beliefs was admissible.

"This is part of freedom, the freedom to criticize something. Even satire, when it comes to caricatures, for example, should be possible," she noted, adding that such criticism and satire is often a matter of taste, but "criticism is admissible and possible.

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The remarks were made as the two presented the German government's report on freedom of religion and belief worldwide. Gruebel said that in recent years, the situation with freedom of conscience "has worsened, and more and more people are being persecuted on the basis of their religion or beliefs," with all religious denominations affected.

The report was authored by Gruebel with the participation of the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Development. It reflects the situation in 30 countries, but the commissioner singled out four of them, where he deems the situation to be most concerning.

"In China, religious groups are being subjected to systematic and massive state repressions. The situation is particularly difficult for Muslim Uighurs and Tibetan Buddhists, " he said.

The official pointed to the destruction of mosques and Christian churches, as well as Christian symbols, in China. He also called for a EU-China dialogue on religious freedoms and human rights.

The other three countries of concerns are Iraq, Nigeria and Sudan.