UN bans human rights activist who spoke out against Islamic antisemitism

The UN once again allows itself to be used by the forces of Islamic supremacism and enemies of free speech, silencing a man who dared to speak out against the pandemic Jew-hatred found in Islamic publications. "UN sanctions human-rights activist: Canadian diplomat linked to controversy," by Steven Edwards for Canwest News Service, May 8:
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations human-rights office on Friday banned for a month an accredited human-rights activist who was at the centre of a recent controversy involving Canada's top diplomat in Geneva.
David Littman of the World Union for Progressive Judaism said he is convinced his protest over the incident involving Canada's Ambassador Marius Grinius provided impetus for the UN to move against him.
In a March 6 debate in the UN Human Rights Council, Grinius used his position as chair to prevent Littman from completing a statement describing bias in Islamic books against Israel and Jews. The office of Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said Grinius had acted on advice from the UN secretariat, but added the ambassador had been wrong to cut Littman short.
Insiders said a number of UN officials were embarrassed over the matter, which contrasted the relatively limited criticism in the Council of controversial Islamic practices compared to the number of harangues against Israel by the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) states.
A letter informing Littman of the suspension lists several rules governing activist participation in council debates, but says the sanction against him is based on an "understanding" reached at a meeting April 30 to which senior UN officials had summoned him.
"I came to no understanding at the meeting, nor did I confess any guilt," Littman said from Gene va.
"The underlying problem is the treatment of human-rights activists addressing taboo subjects in the council. In 2008, I was constantly stopped on points of order by OIC states. But it is certainly the fallout from my protest at the Canadian intervention that added grist to the mill."
The letter to Littman says non-governmental organizations (NGOs) must not distribute their statements or other materials in committee rooms, transfer their personal grounds passes to others, or walk up to the debate president or chair for a chat.
"Mr. Littman has his own way of lobbying, but there is a red line that you should not transgress," said Marie Heuze, UN spokeswoman in Geneva.
Red line. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu of the Organization of the Islamic Conference recently used exactly that phrase in defending his efforts to destroy free speech and criminalize criticism of Islam, including anti-terror efforts.
While she denied the suspension has anything to with Littman's campaigning against anti-Semitism, she added: "I am very surprised he said it was that. We respect his views, and those of all NGOs."
The letter, signed by the UN's NGO liaison officer Ricardo Espinosa, says the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is imposing the suspension.
"Even if he did run afoul of some obscure U.N. regulation, there are people who do far worse and escape sanction, so there is a double standard at play here," said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, one of the leading monitors in Geneva.
"Everyone here in Geneva sees this as targeted payback for Mr. Littman's outspoken criticism of Islamic states' record on human rights, a voting bloc that dominates the Human Rights Council."...
Obviously.