The Domestic Politics of International Religious Defamation

What is it about?

This article analyzes how states voted on a series of resolutions in the UN General Assembly calling for a ban on religious defamation. Some saw this as an Islamic issue, and although the resolutions originated from the OIC many backers were non-Muslim states like Belarus. Others saw it as an example of North-South tensions, but this overlooks the distinct religious nature of the debates. I argued it relates to domestic religious politics, specifically regimes' restrictions on religion. States that extensively restrict religion domestically will act on contentious international religious issues to gain religious support and justify their actions. The UN resolutions on religious defamation are one such resolution. My quantitative analysis found that non-democratic states with extensive restrictions on religion were very likely to support the resolutions.

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Why is it important?

This study adds to work on the role of religion in politics, specifically the expanding research program into how ties between religion and state affect international relations. It also expands our understanding of how states interact with international institutions.

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