Blasphemy law, the restriction imposed by arts 1 to 3 of the blasphemy law is administrative in nature, while that imposed by art 4 and, by association, art 156a of the kuhp is criminal in nature. The friction here is not just about vigilantes wielding guns and knives against those who blaspheme, or are believed to have blasphemed, against islam. They violate the human right to freedom of expression they protect religious beliefs and practices, institutions and leaders, from legitimate and often necessary criticism they are intrinsically bad, subjective, inconsistent laws. Art that offends is a prescient examination of the perpetually troubled, often explosive relationship between religion, politics and art. Sharia prescribe death as the proper punishment for blasphemy. Equivalent laws remain in scotland and northern ireland but have not been used for many years. An earlier version of this article was presented at the fourth asian law institute asli conference titled. A blasphemy law is a law prohibiting blasphemy, where blasphemy is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence to a deity, or sacred things, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable.
Islamic sharia law pdf download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. In islamic law as well, insulting god, the quran, or the prophet is one of the most serious. Blasphemy laws, including legislation, implementation, related violence, reform, and state reponse 20082012 research directorate, immigration and refugee board of canada, ottawa 1. The sacrilegious nature of blasphemy laws pakistan, recommended wideranging changes to pakistans laws and legal systems. The quran admonishes blasphemy, but does not specify any worldly punishment for blasphemy. Nov 30, 2018 editor rachel mazzarella comments on the pakistan supreme court decision for asia bibi v. The arabic terms commonly used to describe the vilification or blasphemy against allah the most high and exalted and the prophet muhammad s. Printing and publishing a book which is viewed as holy by members of a religion. Revised2006 islaamic sharia law for the new global world those rulers, politicians or other persons having authority, who dont take any interest on establishing islaamic sharia law, based on quraan and authentic sunnah may actually not be believers in the view of allah. Apostasy, blasphemy, heresy allan ivarsson author of. It argues that, quite apart from procedural inadequacies of the pakistani legal system and its special sociopolitical circumstances, the very form and design of the blasphemy laws invite abuse. This version of chapter 1 of a brief history of blasphemy.
Yet the prophet never tried or executed anyone for blasphemy, nor does the quran authorize the practice. History being a society with mostly hindu population, india never saw a legislation against blasphemy. Immigration and refugee board of canada 10 january 20 pak104260. Voices from asia for a just and equitable world, held in.
Scharffs identified that blasphemy laws in united states of america usa and european countries are mostly historical relics12 although in european context, the situation concerning blasphemy law is. Works and materials those are contrary to the principles and provisions of the holy. In the islamic context, blasphemy refers to a wide range of acts ranging from apostasy to cursing or. Pakistan frees asia bibi from blasphemy death sentence. Blasphemy laws dont exist to protect god, but to protect the fragile egos of corrupt clerics. Laws that pay a specific reference to sanctioning insult, blasphemy or. For many years now there has been much talk in euroamerica about the threat to free speech, particularly whenever its muslims have raised the issue of blasphemy in. This pioneering study of the evolution of blasphemy laws from the early islamic empires to the presentday taliban uncovers the history and questionable motives behind pakistans blasphemy laws and calls for a return to the prophet muhammads peaceful vision of social justice.
It took a lot of courage for him to even broach the subject. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. Blasphemy, derived from the latin blasphemia, is generally defined as the exhibition of irreverent behaviour or language towards god, religion or anything held sacred. Punishment of blasphemy laws in pakistan and other muslim countries 39. Blasphemy law in the republic of ireland wikipedia. Blasphemers are usually charged with spreading corruption on earth, or mofsedefilarz, which can also be applied to criminal or political crimes. Thus, hadith reports such as the above become the legal justification for the death penalty for both apostasy and blasphemy in traditional islamic law. Click download or read online button to get islamic sharia law pdf book now. On october 8, 2018, the supreme court of pakistan vacated. Blasphemy, misconceptions, fallacy, blasphemy law blasphemy refers to the act of uttering profane, insulting or abusive language for something divine related to religion. Laws prohibiting blasphemy and blasphemous libel in the united kingdom date back to the medieval times as common law and in some special cases as enacted legislation. Blasphemy in islam is impious utterance or action concerning god, blasphemy against the. The parliamentary assembly of the council of europe in strasbourg, france, which has been deliberating on the issue of blasphemy law, the resolution that blasphemy should not be a criminal offence, adopted on 29 june 2007 in the recommendation 1805 2007 on blasphemy, religious insults and hate speech against persons on grounds of their religion. Shemeem abbas has written a courageous and important book, the first of its kind on blasphemy laws of pakistan.
The organisation of islamic cooperation oic, a 57country alliance based in saudi arabia, has long campaigned for a global blasphemy law as protection from a. Apostasy, blasphemy, heresy the three most evil bully gasoline words, ever coined by religious gangster dictators. It is an important contribution to the history of pakistan and of islam, and urgent reading in todays troubled times. There are a number of surah in quran relating to blasphemy, from which quranic verses 5. In denmark, the former blasphemy law which had support of 66% of its citizens in 2012, made it an offence to mock legal religions and faiths in denmark.
If you plan to campaign against the new proposed irish blasphemy law, here are some key points that it would be helpful to be familiar with. Blasphemy and related laws in selected jurisdictions library of. A brief history of blasphemy this version of chapter 1 of a brief history of blasphemy. The feeling that you get from blasphemy in the christian world. Its official religion is the doctrine of the twelver jaafari school. For example, those who annoy allah and his messenger allah has cursed them in this world and in the hereafter, and has prepared for them a humiliating punishment. A history may be the more deep you looking the information that hide inside the words the more you get interested in reading it. Pdf islam, blasphemy, and human rights in indonesia. Blasphemy laws were rarely enforced in premodern islamic societies, but in the. But in 2006 the british government enacted the racial and religious hatred act, which created a new crime of intentionally stirring up religious hatred against people on religious grounds. Pdf blasphemy laws in muslim majority countries researchgate.
Blasphemy laws were rarely enforced in premodern islamic societies, but in the modern era some states and radical groups have used charges of blasphemy in an effort to burnish their religious credentials and gain popular support at the expense of liberal muslim intellectuals and religious minorities. Afghanistan is an islamic republic, independent, unitary and indivisible state. As of 2012, antiblasphemy laws existed in 32 countries, while 87 nations had hate speech laws that covered defamation of religion and public expression of hate against a. Islamic parties in pakistan crisis group asia report n216, pdf. Repeal irelands blasphemy law religious legislation history. The available data indicates there were less than ten cases of alleged blasphemy between 1947 and 1986, before the law was passed, whereas there have been over 1,500 allegations in the subsequent 30 years. Blasphemy is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence to a deity, or sacred objects, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable some religions consider blasphemy to be a religious crime. The law against blasphemy complements laws against. This book is considered to be the most comprehensive account of the issue of blasphemy in islam by majority of sunni ulema. In south asia, the islamic states of afghanistan and pakistan have blasphemy laws that are actively enforced, and india has a blasphemy law that reportedly is used by all of indias faith groups when their religious sensibilities are hurt. The common law offence of blasphemous libel applied only to christianity. For many years now there has been much talk in euroamerica about the threat to free speech, particularly whenever.
The invented islam punishment for blasphemy sharia law. The author wrote, qureshi acknowledged that mistakes had been made in the research upon which the judicial interpretation of pakistans blasphemy law now rests. Reflections on blasphemy and secular criticism1 talal asad in religion. Special envoy to the organization of islamic cooperation, which is the second. One famous case of the islamic blasphemy law was the fatwa against english author salman rushdie for his book entitled the satanic verses, the title of which refers to an account that muhammad, in the course of revealing the quran, received a revelation from satan and incorporated it therein until made by. Click download or read online button to get blasphemy heresy and apostasy book now. Blasphemy laws defy islamic teaching and undermine. Editor rachel mazzarella comments on the pakistan supreme court decision for asia bibi v. Under the guise of islamic law, the prophet muhammads islam, and the quran. In 2020, the european foundation for south asian studies efsas in a report entitled, guilty until proven innocent. Governor ahoks conviction, along with the persecution of ahmadi muslims, threaten indonesias democracy. Under the guise of islamic law, the prophet muhammads islam, and the quran, states such as pakistan, afghanistan, egypt, saudi arabia, and bangladesh are using blasphemy laws to suppress freedom of speech.
Oct 31, 2018 there is a direct causal link between the law and the incidence of blasphemy. Islamic theocracy in countries like pakistan, saudi arabia, iran, yemen, mauritanien derives their law against blasphemy from sharia in the name of islam. The islamic world has a blasphemy problem foreign policy. Blasphemy could be committed by written or spoken words, by pictures or gestures. Many danes saw the blasphemy law as helping integration because it promotes the acceptance of a multicultural and multifaith society. Blasphemy in islam is impious utterance or action concerning god, blasphemy against the prophet muhammad and his companions sabb alrasul, sabb alsahabah, insulting an angel or to deny the prophethood of one of the islamic prophets. There is a direct causal link between the law and the incidence of blasphemy. It is also about anti blasphemy laws that are implemented in some 30 muslim majority countries, and are often supported by mainstream muslim authorities. The findings of this article are based on two landmark blasphemy cases. The pakistan supreme courts decision to acquit asia bibi of blasphemy charges brought forth questions about evidence, judicial independence, procedure, and the states authority in matters of law and religion. The organisation of islamic cooperation oic, a 57country alliance based in saudi arabia, has long campaigned for a global blasphemy law as protection from a broadly defined islamophobia, sometimes butting heads with the united nations. Article 2 religions 1 the religion of the state of the islamic republic of afghanistan is the sacred religion of islam 2 followers of other religions are free to exercise their faith and perform their religious rites within the limits of the provisions of law.
This may seem counterintuitive but the evidence is compelling. An accounting of the prophets biography and the early history of islam will illuminate muhammads position on blasphemy. It is a sensitive issue for many, especially those who have an unshakeable faith in their beliefs, religious leaders, holy book, places of worship and rituals. According to pew research center, about a quarter of the worlds countries and territories 26% had antiblasphemy laws or policies as of 2014. Pdf in pakistan, courts use blasphemy laws to bully religious minorities, as well as muslims, and to justify. Jan 15, 2018 have a look at this book, the blasphemy law. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want.
In latin america and the caribbean, there are only a few countries with blasphemy or religious insult laws on the books, and the laws are not enforced. Blasphemy and related laws in selected jurisdictions. Blasphemy laws are generally used to protect the religious beliefs of a majority, or those who control the law. Why the united states cannot agree to disagree on blasphemy laws. Cases under blasphemy law have also been registered against muslims who have harassed nonmuslims.
In a foreword to a recently released book, silenced. The history of the blasphemy law the express tribune. This book draws on a rich wealth of visual material, tracing both the history of blasphemy as a concept and repositioning the term in the twentyfirst century. Mar 28, 2018 zero freedom under blasphemy law britain abolished the commonlaw offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel in england and wales in 2008. Blasphemy was a common law offence under irish law when the 1937 constitution explicitly made it an offence punishable by law. The legal system of ireland grew out of the common law system of english law, and so irish jurisprudence on blasphemy largely reflected that of england. There was no such thing in the first 200 years of islamic history.
Apparently, his biggest opposition came from facebook. The end blasphemy laws campaign holds that blasphemy and insult to religion laws are wrong in several ways. The common law offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel were formally abolished in england and wales in 2008. Expression of religious opinions that are at variance with normative islamic views can also be construed as blasphemy. Compendium of blasphemy laws final1 human rights first. It doesnt mean that this book is hard to comprehend but blasphemy in the christian world. Bibi was the first christian woman sentenced to death under pakistans blasphemy laws, and only the second after ayub masih, released in 2002 and discussed in point no. Blasphemy heresy and apostasy download ebook pdf, epub.
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