Blasphemy Laws

Racing Backwards Into The Future: Saudi Arabia And Kuwait

John L. Esposito | Posted 05.23.2012

Read More: Religious Freedom, Religious Pluralism, Kuwait, Religious Tolerance, Saudi Arabia, Blasphemy Laws, Islam, Religion and Politics, Interfaith, Religion News

Regrettably, recent religious decisions in both countries are unfortunate reminders about the hurdles and pitfalls in the implementation of religious reform.

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Kuwait Makes Move Towards Radical Blasphemy Law

Reuters | Posted 04.13.2012

Read More: Insult God, Prophet Muhammad, Twitter, Blasphemy Laws, Islam, Kuwait, Prophet Mohammed, Reuters, Religion News

KUWAIT, April 12 (Reuters) - Kuwaiti lawmakers voted in favour of a legal amendment on Thursday which could make insulting God and the Prophet Moham...

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Penalizing Criticism Of Islam Threatens Free Speech And Reforms

Ida Lichter, M.D. | Posted 05.19.2012

Read More: Islamophobia, Cairo Declaration, Arab Spring, Hillary Clinton, Blasphemy, Cartoon Intifada, Free Speech, Islam, Sharia, Ahmadis, Christian Persecution, Blasphemy Laws, Religion News

The eminent Turkish Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation was recently welcomed in Europe, the U.S. and Australia. However, this organization has an agenda to criminalize criticism of Islam, which threatens to strangle dissent and reform.

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Islam And Punishment For Apostasy

Harris Zafar | Posted 05.12.2012

Read More: Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Apostasy, Religion, Blasphemy Laws, Islam, Maududi, Capital Punishment, Youcef Nadarkhani Execution, Religion and Politics, Muslims, Blasphemy, Iran, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Religion News

Any attempt to compel Pastor Nadarkhani to recant his Christian faith is barbaric and against the teachings of the Quran.

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Muslims vs. Cartoons: What To Do Against Blasphemy?

Mustafa Akyol | Posted 01.14.2012

Read More: Islam, Freedom From Islam, Muhammad Cartoon, Charlie Hebdo Muhammad, Depicting Muhammad, Prophet Muhammad, Quran, French Muslims, Islam in France, Religious Tolerance, Charlie Hebdo, Blasphemy Laws, Religion News

Do we have an irreconcilable gap, then, between Islam and free speech? I am sure many, among both Muslims and Westerners, would readily say "yes" to this question, but I am not one of them.

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An Ahmadi Muslim's Plea: Be My Voice

Kashif N. Chaudhry | Posted 12.10.2011

Read More: Blasphemy Laws, Islam, Ahmadiyya, Pakistan, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Religious Persecution, Muslims for Life, Religious Tolerance, Ordinance Xx, Anti-Ahmadi Laws, Muslims for Peace, General Zia Ul Haq, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan, Muslims in Pakistan, Ahmadi Muslim Persecution, Religion News

Much needs to be done to effect a change on ground. I am hopeful that as a primary supporter of international religious freedom, the U.S. will continue to play a positive role to this end.

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Qadri Verdict: Rule Of Law Still Alive In Pakistan?

Joseph K. Grieboski | Posted 12.11.2011

Read More: Blasphemy Laws, Mumtaz Qadri, Salman Taseer, Rule of Law, Pakistan, Islam, Religion News

Regardless of one's position on the death penalty, the guilty verdict is a tremendous step forward in democracy and rule of law in Pakistan.

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Iran's Death Penalty For Christian Pastor Violates The Quran

Harris Zafar | Posted 12.04.2011

Read More: Apostasy, Blasphemy Laws, Islam, Islamic Republic of Iran, Youcef Nadarkhani Execution, Religious Freedom, Quran, Death Penalty, Iran, Sharia, Religious Tolerance, Christianity in Iran, Religious Freedom in Iran, Religion News

In Iran, Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani faces the death penalty for the "crime" of leaving Islam as a teenager and converting to Christianity. Many mistakenly believe that Islam supports this barbaric practice.

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The Courage To Redefine Pakistan

Samia Khan Bambrah | Posted 09.25.2011

Read More: Pakistan, Blasphemy Laws, Pakistan Blasphemy, Karachi Pakistan, Violence in Pakistan, Activism in Pakistan, Violence in Karachi, Ahmadi Muslims, Pakistani Activism, Pakistan Blasphemy Law, Salman Taseer, World News

Minorities in Pakistan do not have the luxury of dismissing their difference. Since 2001, 80 holy sites have been desecrated, killing more than 1,200 worshippers, most of them religious minorities.

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A Message to My Fellow Pakistanis in the Post-Osama World

Ali A. Rizvi | Posted 07.19.2011

Let's forget about who is an "agent" of who. Let's not allow every conversation after an incident to devolve into random whodunit speculation. Let's stop trying to focus on who killed how many people and why. That's not in our control.

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Pakistan: Land Of The Pure Or The Intolerant?

Harris Zafar | Posted 07.10.2011

Read More: Pakistan Blasphemy, Blasphemy Laws, Islam, Sufism, Terrorism, Pakistan, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Anti-Blasphemy Laws, Sufis in Pakistan, Christians in Pakistan, Muslims in Pakistan, Religion News

Pakistan has been in the forefront of the news for quite some time, and very rarely is it for a good reason. The country has become a breeding ground for terrorists and religious-based persecution.

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Blasphemy Laws Are Against Islam

Salam Al Marayati | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Organization of Islamic Conference, Blasphemy Laws, Defamation of Religions, Shabbaz Bhatti, Human Rights First, Salman Taseer, Pakistan, UN Human Rights Council, Religion News

The concept of Defamation of Religions denies a person their free will to choose -- one of God's greatest gifts to humanity -- and deprives individuals of their right to free speech and expression.

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Why America Needs An Ambassador For Religious Liberty

Joseph K. Grieboski | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Suzan Johnson Cook, Blasphemy Laws, International Religious Freedom, Shahbaz Bhatti, Jim Demint, Obama Administration, Religious Persecution, Ambassador for Religious Liberty, Religious Liberty, Religion News

Nearly 1 billion people need a voice, and Suzan Johnson Cook is that voice. But since the president made his nomination, the Senate has put it on hold.

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Blasphemy Laws: Who's On The Right Side History?

Dr. Faheem Younus | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Shahbaz Bhatti, Islam, Ahmadi, Blasphemy Laws, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Pakistan, Religious Minorites, Christianity, Freedom of Religion, Pakistan Blasphemy Law, Religion News

On the wrong side you have oppression: ruthless in might, larger in numbers, frightening in tone, and vindictive in action. On the right side you have compassion.

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Indonesia - Land of Tolerance or Terror?

Harris Zafar | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Blasphemy Laws, Religion News, Islam, Freedom-of-Religion, Indonesia, Muslims-for-Peace, Ahmadiyya, Islamic Radicalism, Terrorism, Religious Freedom, Blasphemy, Muslim, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Ahmadis Muslims, World News

Indonesia once hailed itself as a moderate, diverse nation that protects freedom of religion for all its citizens, with a national motto "Bhinneka Tun...

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Egypt, 'Ummah Duniyah', Roars: Hear Me Muslim Arabs, We Are All Qahirene!

Qanta Ahmed, MD | Posted 05.25.2011

Articulate, erudite Egyptians in well cut suits assure us that Islamist democracy or fundamentalist Islam could not happen in their country, but hey, that's what we thought at the birth of Jinnah's Pakistan and look where that got us.

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Blasphemy Is A Victimless Crime

Landon Ross | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Blasphemy Laws, Free Speech, Religious Freedom, Bernard Henri Levy, Multiculturalism, Nick Cohen, European Islamophobia, Democratic Ideals, Global Pluralism, Crime of Blasphemy, Pakistan Blasphemy, Defamation of Religions, Religion News

Justifying silence when those whose rights are being violated happen to be of a different ethnicity and culture is a species of racism, poorly disguised under the mask of "respect."

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Blasphemy and 'Sharia' Laws: Legitimizing Corruption and Cognitive Dissonance in Muslim Lands

Yursil Kidwai | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Apostasy, Blasphemy Laws, Blasphemy, Sultan, Stoning, Pakistan, Mary Fisher, Islam, Shariah, History of the Middle East, History of Islam, Ottoman Empire, Sharia Law, Sharia, Religion News

It is high time for Muslims to accept that what is making Muslim states un-Islamic isn't a possible repeal of blasphemy laws.

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Muslim-Majority Nations More Likely To Deny Religious Freedom

David Briggs | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Religious Freedom, Religious Violence, Religion and Politics, The Price of Freedom Denied, Association of Religion Data Archives, Pew Research Center, Blasphemy Laws, Ahmadiyya Sect, Religious Intolerance, Religious Persecution, Religion News

Even amid this widespread disregard for religious freedom, one group of countries stands out: Muslim-majority nations.

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Pakistan In Crisis, World Security Threatened

Noel Irwin Hentschel | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Islam, Blasphemy Laws, Pakistan, Religious Freedom, Asif Ali Zardari, Blasphemy, Asia Bibi, Salman Taseer, Extremism, World News

The U.S. government should support Pakistanis who are willing to risk their lives and their political capital to repeal dangerous blasphemy laws, lest Pakistan be taken over again by those who oppose freedom and basic rights.

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Pakistani Killing Latest in Deadly Debate around Blasphemy Laws

Sharon Kelly | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Blasphemy Laws, U.N., Pakistan, Religious Freedom, Discrimination, Defamation of Religions, Religious Persecution, Global Blasphemy Code, Aasia Bibi, Freedom of Religion, Salman Taseer, World News

The recent murder of Pakistani governor Salman Taseer for opposing blasphemy laws tragically showcases the high stakes of the fight for religious tole...

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Woman Faces Death in Pakistan for Blasphemy--Will the U.N. Support Similar Measures?

Human Rights First | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Blasphemy Laws, U.N., Pakistan, United Nations, Pamela Takiff, Death Penalty, Defamation of Religions, Aasia Bibi, Fighting Discrimination, World News

By Pamela Takiff Advisor, Fighting Discrimination Program Last month, on November 8, a Pakistani woman from Punjab was sentenced to death by hanging ...

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Asia Bibi And Pakistan's Selective Persecution

Havovi Cooper | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Zoroastrianism, Blasphemy Laws, Pakistan Blasphemy, Un Blasphemy Proposal, Asia Bibi, Muslims in Pakistan, US-Pakistan Relations, Religious Intolerance, Asia Bibi Blasphemy, Religious Minorities in Pakistan, Pakistan Human Rights, Christians in Pakistan, Religion News

In 2009, Asia Bibi, a 45-year old Christian woman, was asked to fetch water while working as a farmhand. Now, she has been in prison for a year and faces a death sentence under the damning blasphemy laws of Pakistan.

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Pakistan's Institutionalized Discrimination Against Religious Minorities

Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza | Posted 05.25.2011

Pakistan must implement legislation to ensure freedom of religion for all. What the country currently lacks is not a legal framework but genuine political will.

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Pakistan: The Shame and the Promise

Noel Irwin Hentschel | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Pakistan Blasphemy, Blasphemy Laws, Islam, Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, Muslims, Christianity, Christians, Muslim, Asia Bibi, World News

The death sentence against Asia Bibi for blasphemy is not only directed against her and her family, but in a broader sense against all of Pakistan, a nation whose international reputation hangs by a thread.

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