Tags: Blasphemy
Blasphemy laws exist in 69 countries, report finds
Posted: Wed, 13 Nov 2019
Sixty-nine countries have blasphemy laws and penalties have hardened in parts of the world in recent years, a report has found. Read More »
NSS urges government to review its language on blasphemy laws
Posted: Thu, 15 Aug 2019
The NSS has asked the government to review its stance on blasphemy laws amid concern that ministers only criticise their "misuse". Read More »
Protect free speech, NSS tells Scottish review of hate crime laws
Posted: Fri, 22 Feb 2019
The NSS has urged the Scottish government to protect free speech and abolish blasphemy laws as it considers proposals on hate crime. Read More »
Event to mark 30th anniversary of fatwa against Salman Rushdie
Posted: Fri, 08 Feb 2019
An event to commemorate the women who defended the right to publish The Satanic Verses is to be held in London next Thursday. Read More »
Pakistani court upholds blasphemy acquittal in death row case
Posted: Tue, 29 Jan 2019
Pakistan's top court has upheld its decision to acquit Asia Bibi, who spent eight years on death row on blasphemy charges. Read More »
Report highlights religious threat to global human rights
Posted: Mon, 10 Dec 2018
Blasphemy laws, supremacist ideologies, sectarianism, 'caste' systems and exclusionary laws are among the ways religion restricts human rights globally, according to a parliamentary group. Read More »
Pakistani court orders woman facing death for blasphemy to be freed
Posted: Wed, 31 Oct 2018
Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered the freeing of Asia Bibi, who awaited a death sentence for blasphemy for eight years. Read More »
Ireland votes to remove blasphemy from constitution
Posted: Tue, 30 Oct 2018
The NSS has welcomed Irish voters' decision to repeal the blasphemy provisions in their country's constitution. Read More »
NSS writes to Foreign Office over blasphemy case in Pakistan
Posted: Fri, 12 Oct 2018
The NSS has urged the Foreign Office to do what it can to secure the release of a woman facing execution in Pakistan for blasphemy. Read More »
Campaign to repeal Ireland’s blasphemy law launched
Posted: Wed, 26 Sep 2018
The NSS has backed a campaign to repeal Ireland's blasphemy law which is being launched on Sunday, ahead of a referendum on the subject. Read More »
Ireland set to hold blasphemy referendum on 26 October
Posted: Wed, 19 Sep 2018
The NSS has said Ireland's impending referendum on its blasphemy law should prompt "global action in defence of free speech on religion". Read More »
NSS condemns Spain’s blasphemy laws after actor detained
Posted: Thu, 13 Sep 2018
The NSS has called for Spain to abolish its blasphemy laws following the detainment of an actor accused of offending religious sentiment. Read More »
Council withdraws advert from toilet after Hindu complaints
Posted: Thu, 13 Sep 2018
The NSS has criticised a north London council for removing an advert featuring a temple from a toilet after a Hindu group complained. Read More »
Pakistan’s PM calls on ‘Muslim world’ to raise ‘blasphemy’ at UN
Posted: Fri, 31 Aug 2018
Pakistan's prime minister has called on "Muslim countries" to raise a coordinated objection to cartoons of Muhammad at the UN. Read More »
Hindu leader calls on Italian brewery to withdraw “inappropriate” beer
Posted: Thu, 26 Jul 2018
The NSS has warned of the need to resist "a competitive offence-taking culture" after a Hindu group asked a brewery to withdraw a beer. Read More »
NSS: Irish referendum should prompt “celebration of free speech”
Posted: Thu, 21 Jun 2018
The NSS has said Ireland's upcoming referendum on blasphemy should "prompt a debate about celebrating free speech as a positive value". Read More »
NSS calls on Scottish government to repeal blasphemy laws
Posted: Tue, 20 Mar 2018
The NSS has called on the Scottish government to repeal its blasphemy laws as the SNP's governing body considered the measure. Read More »
ECHR: Lithuania infringed free expression over religious icons
Posted: Thu, 01 Feb 2018
Lithuania violated the right to free expression by fining a fashion company for using religious imagery in adverts, the ECHR has ruled. Read More »
Secularism ‘regressing on a global scale’, says report
Posted: Tue, 05 Dec 2017
The idea that secularism and human rights will inevitably establish themselves is "deeply complacent and apathetic," a report says. Read More »
Joke leads to ad ban after Hindu fundamentalists complain
Posted: Thu, 23 Nov 2017
An advert has been taken off the air in Australia following complaints that it insulted the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesha. Read More »
