Blasphemy is not just an archaic relic but is in reality a very real issue for many who live within nations that have a strong theocratic mindset, so much so, that there exists an ongoing campaign to end blasphemy laws worldwide.
The following map illustrates this current reality …
Why is Blasphemy absurd?
As explained on the campaign site …
All laws which criminalize critical discussion or “insult” to religion:
- by their nature violate the human rights to freedom of thought and freedom of expression and contravene international treaties on these rights (see The international human rights consensus against “blasphemy” laws)
- are sometimes used to suppress and punish people who offer criticism of religious ideas, thereby shielding religious practices, institutions and authorities from criticism
- are sometimes used to suppress and punish people who advocate secularism, liberal ideas, humanist values, or human rights in general
- are sometimes used to suppress people for exercising their own specifically religious freedoms; to practice, preach, or worship without contravening anyone else’s human rights
- are sometimes used to otherwise silence, marginalize, or persecute religious minorities and non-religious people, even when they haven’t “insulted” anyone, but just because they are different from the rest of society
Read more about What’s Wrong With Blasphemy.
In essence, from the viewpoint of every single belief, all other variations of belief are “blasphemy”, and so if there was indeed going to be a truly universal blasphemy law then the net effect would be jail for everybody, no exceptions. The reality is of course one where the prevailing belief is empowered to oppress other beliefs and continue to dominate, and so perhaps the entire blasphemy concept is simply a survival mechanism for religious beliefs.
So how should we respond?
Personally I think the most appropriate response is not simply robust criticism, but also satire and mockery, hence one of my favourite clips is this one …
Latest News
The Blasphemy campaign website issues a weekly update on what has been happening, and so their latest update reports …
This our twenty-fifth weekly round-up of “blasphemy” news and views:
- Two new laws, in United Arab Emirates and in Kuwait, sneak in new “blasphemy” bans.
- Charlie Hebdo‘s new editor says they won’t be publishing Muhammad cartoons anymore, and Salman Rushdie says we’ve “learned the wrong lessons” from violence.
- Meanwhile in Pakistan, “justice” comes very, very slowly! Six years after her arrest and detention, Asia Bibi’s death sentence is suspended and an appeal over her conviction is pending, while another “blasphemy” convict, who had also been jailed for six years, has been acquitted and his life sentence overturned. But you win some you lose some: two Christian brothers are facing a brand new “blasphemy” trial. Will Pakistan’s courts never learn to just throw these stupid malicious charges out?!
- Plus… more Malta abolition debate, the Saudi ambassador to the UN’s surprising statement on Raif Badawi, and “homosexual” rainbows in Saudi Arabia…
But that is of course just a quick summary, to read the details of the above click here.
If interested in getting on their email list, then click here.
Who exactly is running this campaign against Blasphemy?
The End Blasphemy Laws campaign is a joint undertaking by the International Coalition Against Blasphemy Laws (ICABL). We believe that in this struggle, we are stronger together. If your organization — whether religious or secular, human rights-based or otherwise advocating freedom of expression — supports the aims and strategy of the End Blasphemy Law Campaign and endorses the ICABL charterthen please get in touch and join us.
[Side Note: Yes, that really is the World Muslim Congress at the very end, they are with us on this]
Transnational coalition partners
International Humanist and Ethical Union |
European Humanist Federation |
Atheist Alliance International |
National coalition partners
Organizations campaigning in countries that have laws against “blasphemy” or similar restrictions
| Atheist Ireland | CFI Canada |
| Humanist Canada | Association humaniste du Québec |
| Siðmennt (Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association) | Humanist Society of New Zealand |
| Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR, Italy) | Humanist Association of Ireland |
| Umbrella Organization of Secular Associations (DFW, Germany) | Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands (German Humanist Association) |
| Humanist Union of Greece |
Supporting coalition partners
Organizations supporting the campaign operationally, or through international lobbying
| British Humanist Association | Center for Inquiry (USA) |
| American Humanist Association | Centre d’Action Laïque (Belgium) |
Affiliated coalition partners
The following groups and organisations are all members of one or more of our Transnational Partners: Atheist Alliance International (AAI), the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) or the European Humanist Federation (EHF).
| Afghan Atheists Organization |
| Alliance of Humanists; Atheists and Agnostics – Luxembourg |
| American Atheists Inc. |
| American Ethical Union |
| American Islamic Forum for Democracy |
| Andha Shraddha Nirmulan Samiti |
| Asian Rationalist Association Britain |
| Asociación Humanista Etica Argentina “Deodoro Roca” (Argentine Ethical Humanist Association) |
| Asociatia Secular-Umanista din Romania (Romanian Secular Humanist Association) |
| Asociatia Umanista Romana (Romanian Humanist Association) |
| Associación de Ateos y Agnósticos del Atlántico |
| Association for Secular Humanism (ASH) (Malawi) |
| Association Francaise pour l’Information Scientifique |
| Association Humaniste du Quebec (Humanist Association of Quebec) |
| Associazione del Libero Pensiero “Giordano Bruno” |
| Ateistisk Selskab |
| Atheism UK |
| Atheist Alliance of America |
| Atheist Association of Czech Republic |
| Atheist Association of the Czech Republic |
| Atheist Centre |
| Atheist Community of South East Queensland |
| Atheist Foundation of Australia |
| Atheist Freethinkers (Canada) |
| Atheist Union of Greece |
| Atheistisch Verbond (Atheist Union) |
| Belfast Humanist Group |
| British Columbia Humanist Association |
| Buddhiwadi Samaj |
| Bund Freireligiöser Gemeinden Deutschlands |
| Burundi Humanist Charity |
| Canadian Humanist Publications |
| Capital District Humanist Society |
| Center for Civil Courage |
| Center For Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia |
| Central London Humanists |
| Centre D’Action Laique |
| Cercle Gaston-Crémieux |
| Colombia Atheist Organisation – ORCA |
| Conway Hall Ethical Society |
| Coordinamento Nazionale delle Consulte per la Laicità delle Istituzioni |
| Council for Secular Humanism |
| Council of Australian Humanist Societies |
| Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain |
| Coventry & Warwickshire Humanists |
| Danish Humanist Society |
| De Vrije Gedachte |
| Devon Humanists |
| Dorset Humanists |
| Égale |
| ETHOS- Etika Tolerancia Humanizmus Občianstvo Sekularizmus |
| Europa Laica |
| European Humanist Professionals |
| Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations (FIRA) |
| Free Society Institute |
| Freedom From Religion Foundation |
| Freethought Lebanon |
| Freethought Society |
| Freidenker Vereinigung der Schweiz |
| Freidenkerbund Österreichs (Freethinkers Organisation of Austria) |
| Freidenker-Vereinigung der Schweiz FVS/ASLP |
| Fundación Ferrer Guardia |
| Fundatia Centrul Pentru Constiinta Critica (CCC) |
| Galha – LGBT Humanists |
| Gambia Secular Assembly |
| Giordano Bruno Stiftung |
| Good Sense |
| Guatemalan Secular Humanist Association |
| Harambee Ya Uutu Mnajili Wa Jahwar Amber |
| Hofesh – Freedom from Religion NPO |
| Human Etiska Föreningen (Human Ethical Association) |
| Human-Etisk Forbund (Norwegian Humanist Association) |
| Humanismo Secular Portugal |
| Humanist & Atheist Alliance of Uganda |
| Humanist Alliance Philippines, International |
| Humanist Association for Leadership, Equity and Accountability (HALEA) |
| Humanist Association of Ghana |
| Humanist Association of Northern Ireland |
| Humanist Empowerment of Livelihoods in Uganda |
| Humanist Fellowship of San Diego |
| Humanist Historical Center (formerly Het Humanistisch Archief) |
| Humanist Institute (formerly North American Committee for Humanism) |
| Humanist Society (Singapore) |
| Humanist Society of Scotland |
| Humanisterna (Swedish Humanist Association) |
| Humanistic Association Netherlands (Humanistisch Verbond Nederland) |
| Humanistisch Historisch Centrum |
| Humanistisch Instituut voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking (HIVOS) |
| Humanistisch VormingsOnderwijs |
| Humanistisch Vrijzinnige Vereniging |
| Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands (German Humanist Association) |
| Humanistisk Samfund |
| HUUmanists – Friends of Religious Humanism |
| Indian Humanist Union |
| Indian Radical Humanist Association |
| Indonesian Atheists |
| Iniciativa Atea |
| Institute for Humanist Studies |
| International Humanist and Ethical Youth Organisation (IHEYO) |
| Internationaler Bund der Konfessionslosen und Atheisten |
| Iranian Atheists & Agnostics |
| Israeli Association of Atheists |
| Italian Pastafarian Church |
| Kasese United Humanist Association |
| Kenyan Humanist Association (KHA) |
| Kerala Yukhtivada Sanghom |
| La Ligue de l’Enseignement |
| Lagos Humanists and Skeptics |
| Leicester Secular Society |
| Ligue de l’Enseignement (Education League) |
| Malta Humanist Association |
| Manavatavadi Vishwa Sansthan (The International School of Humanitarian Thoughts and Practice) |
| Manavbadi Samaj (Society for Humanism Nepal) (SOCH) |
| Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers (MAAF) |
| Minnesota Atheists |
| Mouvement de la jeunesse pour la liberté de la pensée en Haiti |
| Mouvement Europe et Laïcité |
| National Secular Society |
| Netradana Protsahaka Sangham (Society for Promotion of Eye Donation) |
| New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists |
| Nigerian Humanist Movement |
| North East Humanists |
| North London Humanist Group |
| Norwegian Humanist Association / Buskerud County |
| Ontario Humanist Society |
| Open Community Initiative |
| Organización Colombiana de Ateos |
| Pakistani Atheists and Agnostics |
| PERUVIAN ASSOCIATION OF ATHEISTS |
| Philippine Atheists and Agnostics Society (PATAS) |
| Pink Triangle Trust |
| Polish Humanist Association |
| Polish Rationalist Association |
| Progressive Atheists |
| Prometheus Books |
| Prometheus Society of Slovakia (Spoločnosť Prometheus) |
| Quinte Secular Humanist Association |
| RIBZ (Raad voor Inspectie en Begeleiding niet-confessionele Zedenleer) |
| Romanian Secular-Humanist Association (ASUR) |
| Russian Humanist Society |
| Satya Shodak Sabha (Truth Seeker Society) |
| Secular Humanist League of Brazil |
| Secular Humanist Society of New York |
| Secular Humanists of Puerto Rico |
| Siðmennt (Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association) |
| Social Development Foundation |
| Society of Modern Atheism and Humanism |
| Solidaritatea pentru libertatea de constiinta (Solidarity for Freedom of Conscience) (Romania) |
| South West London Humanists |
| Spolocnost Prometheus (Prometheus Society of Slovakia) |
| Stichting HSHB |
| Suomen Ateistiyhdistys |
| Suomen Humanistiliitto (Humanist Union of Finland) |
| Sutton Humanist Group |
| Sydney Atheists Incorporated |
| Tarksheel Society Punjab (Rationalist Society Punjab) (TSP) |
| The Heathen Society |
| The Woman and the Free World Organisation |
| Uganda Humanist Association |
| Uganda Humanist Schools Trust |
| Unie Vrijzinnige Verenigingen |
| Union des Familles Laïques |
| Union Radical-Humaniste Luxembourgeoise |
| Union Rationaliste (Rationalist Union) |
| Universiteit voor Humanistiek |
| Vapaa-ajattelijain liitto ry (the Union of Freethinkers of Finland) |
| Viveka Vidyalayam |
| Vrijzinnig Studie, Archief en Documentatie Centrum “Karel Cuypers” |
| Youth Movement for Freedom of Thought in Haiti |
| Zdravomislie (Good Sense) Public Fund |
The following organisations and groups have independently affiliated with the coalition.
| Active Youth Group, Pakistan |
| Atheist Coalition (Poland) |
| Bread and Roses TV |
| Equal Rights Now (Iran) |
| Ex-Muslims of France |
| Ex-Muslims of North America (EXMNA) |
| Fitnah – Movement for Women’s Liberation |
| Ghana Atheist Alliance |
| Initiative Liberaler Muslime Österreich (Austria) |
| Ligue du Droit International des Femmes |
| Muslim Canadian Congress |
| North American Tarksheel (Rationalist) Society |
| One Law for All (UK) |
| Pakistani Freethinkers |
| Universalist Muslims |
| World Muslim Congress |