The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) hosted a seminar entitled "Criminalizing Defamation of Religion in National Legislation," at the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Hall, on Monday, May 1, 2006. The seminar, which was organized by the Institute of Training and Judicial Studies (ITJS) in cooperation with the University of Durham, drew participation from an elite group of legal consultants and university professors.

The seminar which was addressed by Professor Ian Leigh, Co-director of the Human Rights Centre at Durham University, focused on four points related to crimes of sacrilege in German legislation; banning of sacrilege in Sharia law; international commitment to promulgating laws penalizing sacrilege in the national legislation and the position of the European constitutions and criminal justice systems with regards to affronts to religions.

Program