99 individuals were convicted in Malta last year for "public blasphemy". This was down from 119 the year before. It is a criminal offense to utter publicly any obscene or indecent words, make obscene acts or gestures or in any other way offend public morality, propriety or decency.

In an attempt to disentangle religion and citizenship, activists in Egypt are encouraging citizens to remove their religious affiliation from their national identity cards.

Last week new NSS honorary associate Professor Lawrence Krauss caused controversy when he threatened to walk out of a UCL debate with a Muslim group because the audience had been sexually segregated.

International Ethical and Humanist Union representative Roy Brown has again spoken out at the United Nations Human Rights Council to remind Islamic States of their responsibility to uphold the right to freedom of expression.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union has reminded the UN Human Rights Council of the need to protect the right to freedom of expression while taking steps to combat "hate speech".

Getting the go-ahead from the Cairo Islamic Summit, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has been actively trying to get the "denigration of religions" recognized as a criminal offence, according to a top official.

MPs have confirmed that a controversial public order law that criminalises "insulting" words or behaviour will be reformed to permit greater freedom of speech.

In a major victory for freedom of expression, Home Secretary Theresa May has bowed to the inevitable and agreed to accept a House of Lords amendment removing the word "insulting " from Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1988.

The trial has collapsed of a Leicester man who was accused of causing "religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress by demonstrating hostility based on membership of a particular religious group".

The House of Lords recently passed an amendment to remove "insulting words" from the scope of Section 5 of the Public Order Act. Now we need your support to ensure that MPs retain this vital free speech measure.

The Reform Section 5 campaign chalked up a spectacular victory for freedom of expression on Wednesday evening when the House of Lords passed an amendment to remove the word "insulting" from section 5 of the Public Order Act.

Kuwaiti MPs this week approved a law with a death penalty for Muslims who curse God, the Koran, all prophets and the wives of Islam's Prophet Mohammed. Non-Muslims who commit the same offence face a jail term of not less than 10 years, according to the bill.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) has produced the first report focusing on how countries around the world discriminate against non-religious people.

The Reform Section 5 campaign has taken a major step forward with the tabling of an amendment in Parliament to remove the word "insulting" from section 5 of the Public Order Act.

The National Secular Society has welcomed a High Court ruling that a Christian man who made anti-gay marriage comments on his private Facebook page, should not have been demoted by his housing association employer.

In a statement issued by the United Nations, its special rapporteur on freedom of expression, Frank La Rue, has said that it is essential to create an environment conducive to critical discussions of religious and racial issues and to promote understanding and tolerance by deconstructing negative stereotypes.

Soon after the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) announced that it had abandoned its plans to persuade the UN to impose a global blasphemy law, the Arab League has stepped in to take up the cry.

A sub-editor on The Times who was offended by a colleague shouting out an apparently derogatory comment about the Pope has lost his claim of religious harassment in the workplace.

The Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation has revealed that it has abandoned plans to introduce a global blasphemy law through the United Nations.

A new poll of 2,000 committed Christians shows that most of them would not be offended by jokes about Jesus – even if they were intended to be insulting.