[thechat] King Preaches Abstinence to Parading Maidens

[Martin Burns]

On Tue, 17 Sep 2002, Tara Cleveland wrote:

> In fact, according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
> (http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html) it is not a privilege it is a
> right. The clause below is also found in the European Convention on Human
> Rights (http://www.echr.coe.int/Convention/webConvenENG.pdf), which the UK
> Human Rights Act (http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/19980042.htm) is
> based upon (and uses as it's underlying text). So sorry, Chris, it's a
> right, not a privilege, even in the UK.
>
> "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."

Aye. Great in theory. But I don't see it enacted in national law,
certainly not in the UK (the country whose home secretary this week
announced that he expected immigrants to speak exclusively English
even while at home)

Cheers
Martin>

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"Names, once they are in common use, quickly
 become mere sounds, their etymology being
 buried, like so many of the earth's marvels,
 beneath the dust of habit." - Salman Rushdie