E/CN.4/2005/61/Add.1 Page 75 Coulter allegedly remarked that “[b]eing nice to people is, in fact, one of the incidental tenets of Christianity (as opposed to other religions whose tenets are more along the lines of ‘kill everyone who doesn’t smell bad and doesn’t answer to the name Mohammed).” In the same article, a reference was also made to “[The Prophet] Muhammad’s many specific instructions to kill non-believers whenever possible.” It was reported that Ms. Coulter had made a number of similar comments regarding Islam and Muslims in the past. 297. On 1 April 2004, 630 WMAL-AM radio talk show host Michael Graham in Washington D. reportedly said: “I don’t wanna say we should kill ‘em all [Muslims], but unless there’s reform [within Islam], there aren’t a lot of other solutions that work in the ground struggle for survival.” 298. On 22 April 2004, radio host Jay Severin reportedly said during his talk show on 96.9 FM Talk – WTKK that he “believe[s] that Muslims in this country are a fifth column.… The vast majority of Muslims in this country are very obviously loyal, not to the United States, but to their religion. And I'm worried that when the time comes for them to stand up and be counted, the reason they are here is to take over our culture and eventually take over our country.” Mr. Severin allegedly further declared, in reply to a caller speaking of Muslims in the United States, “[y]ou think we should befriend them; I think we should kill them.” 299. On 14 June 2004, the Editor-In-Chief of U.S. News & World Report, Mortimer B. Zuckerman, reportedly stated in an editorial in that week’s issue that “Wherever there is violence, there are Muslim radicals” and that “Islam is the core reason the terrorists give for their killing. Murder is their religion.” Furthermore, Mr. Zuckerman remarked that “Europe is threatened by mass migration from neighbouring Islamic lands, young men bringing with them their radical faith and not much else.” 300. By letter dated 3 August 2004, the Government of the United States of America responded that the First Amendment of the United States Constitution provides that “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech”. This principle, which for more than 200 years has been a cornerstone of democracy in the United States, also finds expression in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It finds further expression, inter alia, in article 18 (1) and article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). 301. The United States stressed that no nation can develop politically or economically without the ability of its citizens to openly and freely express their opinions without a free print and broadcast media. 302. With respect to article 20 of the ICCPR, the Government noted that the language was susceptible to an expansive interpretation that could run contrary to the vigorous protection of the freedom of expression under the First Amendment of the Constitution. For this reason, the United States had made the following formal reservation to article 20 at the time it became party to the ICCPR: “That Article 20 does not authorize or require legislation or other action by the United States that would restrict the right of free speech and association protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States.”

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