Tags: blasphemy
Northern Ireland council lifts ban on “blasphemous” Bible play
Posted: Tue, 28 Jan 2014
Newtownabbey Borough Council in Northern Ireland has overturned its ban on a play that spoofs the Bible. Read More »
Release British doctor accused of blasphemy, urges UK human rights group
Posted: Thu, 23 Jan 2014
A UK-based human rights organisation is calling on the authorities in Pakistan to release a 72-year-old doctor who was arrested for 'posing as a Muslim' after being secretly filmed by a patient at his surgery. Read More »
Non-religious suffer discrimination or persecution in most countries of the world, new report finds
Posted: Tue, 10 Dec 2013
A report, published by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), has found that the non-religious are discriminated against, or outright persecuted, in most countries of the world. In 12 countries, people who openly espouse atheism or reject the official state religion of Islam face execution. Read More »
Netherlands scraps blasphemy law – but seeks a way to replace it
Posted: Thu, 05 Dec 2013
The upper House of the Dutch parliament has voted to abolish the country's blasphemy law which has been on the statute books since 1932. Read More »
Dutch lawmakers may backtrack on plans to scrap blasphemy law
Posted: Wed, 27 Nov 2013
Dutch lawmakers appear to be having second thoughts about scrapping the nation's blasphemy laws. Read More »
Kuwait: 5 years for tweet “insulting” Prophet
Posted: Wed, 20 Nov 2013
(Sanaa) – A Kuwaiti court on November 18, 2013, sentenced a Kuwaiti man to five years in prison for a Twitter comment about Sunni/Shia theology. Read More »
Danish blasphemy law questioned by church minister
Posted: Wed, 13 Nov 2013
A Danish church minister has argued for the abolition of the country's blasphemy law saying it undermines democracy by limiting free speech, abuses human rights and no longer serves any purpose. Read More »
Ireland considers replacing blasphemy law with “religious hatred” legislation
Posted: Mon, 04 Nov 2013
The Convention set up by the Irish Government to bring the country's constitution up-to-date has recommended that the offence of blasphemy should be removed from the constitution in its current form. Read More »
Saudi Arabia: 600 lashes and 7 years for activist guilty of 'insulting Islam'
Posted: Wed, 31 Jul 2013
A Jeddah court on July 29, 2013, convicted a liberal activist of violating Saudi Arabia's anti-cybercrime law and sentenced him to 600 lashes and seven years in prison. Read More »
Human Rights First report says blasphemy law threatens Tunisia’s fledgling democracy
Posted: Thu, 09 May 2013
The American organisation Human Rights First has issued a new report that details steps the United States and Tunisian governments should take to protect freedom of expression to support Tunisia's peaceful transition to democracy. Read More »
Ninety-nine people convicted of blasphemy in Malta last year
Posted: Tue, 23 Apr 2013
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. Read More »
IHEU calls for action on Bangladesh
Posted: Wed, 10 Apr 2013
Following the recent Islamist demands to introduce the death penalty for insulting religion in Bangladesh, the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) has made a call to action for all its member organisations. Read More »
Pakistani secularists condemn attacks on Christian community
Posted: Mon, 11 Mar 2013
Secularists in Pakistan have strongly condemned attacks on Christians in the country after mobs ransacked a Christian neighbourhood and torched dozens of homes over a blasphemy row in the city of Lahore. Read More »
OIC coming back with another attempt to stamp out free speech
Posted: Thu, 21 Feb 2013
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. Read More »
EU Commissioner says blasphemy laws are undesirable in the EU, but it’s up to individual states to decide whether they implement them
Posted: Thu, 17 Jan 2013
The EU Commissioner responsible for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, Vivianne Reding, has said that blasphemy laws and other such restrictions are not acceptable and pose a threat to free speech. Read More »
Kuwait introduces death penalty for ‘cursing God and prophets’
Posted: Wed, 12 Dec 2012
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. Read More »
New report shows widespread discrimination against people without religious belief
Posted: Wed, 12 Dec 2012
The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) has produced the first report focusing on how countries around the world discriminate against non-religious people. Read More »
New study of blasphemy law around the world
Posted: Wed, 05 Dec 2012
According to a Pew Forum study released last week, 8 out of 45 European countries have blasphemy laws on their books while 35 of them have laws against the defamation of religion in general or hate speech against members of a faith. Read More »
Netherlands to scrap blasphemy law
Posted: Fri, 30 Nov 2012
The Dutch parliament has accepted a motion that will abolish the law that makes it an offence to insult God. Supporters of the motion say that they are confident that they have enough support for it to pass easily. Read More »
New calls from Islamists for international blasphemy law at UN
Posted: Thu, 01 Nov 2012
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. Read More »
