Blasphemy law

A blasphemy law is a law prohibiting blasphemy, which 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.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] According to Pew Research Center, about a quarter of the world's countries and territories (26%) had anti-blasphemy laws or policies as of 2014.^[5]

In some states, blasphemy laws are used to protect the religious beliefs of a majority, while in other countries, they serve to offer protection of the religious beliefs of minorities.^[6]^[7]^[8]

In addition to prohibitions against blasphemy or blasphemous libel, blasphemy laws include all laws which give redress to those insulted on account of their religion. These blasphemy laws may forbid: the vilification of religion and religious groups, defamation of religion and its practitioners, denigration of religion and its followers, offending religious feelings, or the contempt of religion. Some blasphemy laws, such as those formerly existing in Denmark, do not criminalize "speech that expresses critique," but rather, "sanctions speech that insults."^[9]

Human rights experts argue for laws which adequately distinguish between protection of individuals' freedoms and laws which over-broadly restrict freedom of speech. Article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights obliges countries to adopt legislative measures against "any advocacy of national racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence."^[10] However, they also note that such protections must be carefully circumscribed, and do not support prohibition of blasphemy per se.^[11]

^ Miriam Díez Bosch and Jordi Sànchez Torrents (2015). On blasphemy. Barcelona: Blanquerna Observatory on Media, Religion and Culture. ISBN 978-84-941193-3-0.
^ "Blasphemy". Random House Dictionary. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2015. Quote: impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.; the crime of assuming to oneself the rights or qualities of God.
^ Blasphemy Archived 23 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine Merriam Webster (July 2013); 1. great disrespect shown to God or to something holy
2. irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable
^ Blasphemies, in Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed,
1. profane or contemptuous speech, writing, or action concerning God or anything held as divine.
2. any remark or action held to be irreverent or disrespectful
^ Angelina E. Theodorou (29 July 2016). "Which countries still outlaw apostasy and blasphemy?". Pew Research Center. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
^ Cite error: The named reference IceNews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Scolnicov, Anat (18 October 2010). The Right to Religious Freedom in International Law: Between Group Rights and Individual Rights. Routledge. p. 261. ISBN 9781136907050. A different argument for the retention of the offence of blasphemy (and for its extension to the protection of all religions in the UK [the offence protected only the majority religion]) has been offered by Parekh: a majority religion does not need the protection offered by an offence of blasphemy, but minority religions do because of their vulnerability in the face of the majority.
^ "Danes overwhelmingly support their own blasphemy law". The Copenhagen Post. 21 September 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2016. Denmark's own blasphemy law makes it an offence to "mock legal religions and faiths in Denmark", and according to a study carried out on behalf of the liberal think-tank CEPOS, 66 percent of the 1,000 Danes questioned answered that the law should not be repealed.
^ Hare, Ivan; Weinstein, James (18 November 2011). Extreme Speech and Democracy. Oxford University Press. p. 187. ISBN 9780199601790.
^ Cite error: The named reference Hashemi2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "General comment No. 34. Article 19: Freedoms of opinion and expression. General remarks" (PDF). International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 12 September 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.

[1] Miriam Díez Bosch and Jordi Sànchez Torrents (2015). On blasphemy. Barcelona: Blanquerna Observatory on Media, Religion and Culture. ISBN 978-84-941193-3-0.

[2] "Blasphemy". Random House Dictionary. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2015. Quote: impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.; the crime of assuming to oneself the rights or qualities of God.

[3] Blasphemy Archived 23 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine Merriam Webster (July 2013); 1. great disrespect shown to God or to something holy
2. irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable

[4] Blasphemies, in Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed,
1. profane or contemptuous speech, writing, or action concerning God or anything held as divine.
2. any remark or action held to be irreverent or disrespectful

[5] Angelina E. Theodorou (29 July 2016). "Which countries still outlaw apostasy and blasphemy?". Pew Research Center. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2016.

[IceNews-6] Cite error: The named reference IceNews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Scolnicov2010-7] Scolnicov, Anat (18 October 2010). The Right to Religious Freedom in International Law: Between Group Rights and Individual Rights. Routledge. p. 261. ISBN 9781136907050. A different argument for the retention of the offence of blasphemy (and for its extension to the protection of all religions in the UK [the offence protected only the majority religion]) has been offered by Parekh: a majority religion does not need the protection offered by an offence of blasphemy, but minority religions do because of their vulnerability in the face of the majority.

[The_Copenhagen_Post-8] "Danes overwhelmingly support their own blasphemy law". The Copenhagen Post. 21 September 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2016. Denmark's own blasphemy law makes it an offence to "mock legal religions and faiths in Denmark", and according to a study carried out on behalf of the liberal think-tank CEPOS, 66 percent of the 1,000 Danes questioned answered that the law should not be repealed.

[HareWeinstein2010-9] Hare, Ivan; Weinstein, James (18 November 2011). Extreme Speech and Democracy. Oxford University Press. p. 187. ISBN 9780199601790.

[Hashemi2008-10] Cite error: The named reference Hashemi2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[11] "General comment No. 34. Article 19: Freedoms of opinion and expression. General remarks" (PDF). International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 12 September 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.

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