New Zealand still has an anti blasphemy law, though neither the prime minister nor the Anglican archbishop was aware of the fact. The law – which appears not have been used since 1922 – came to light after reports that British entertainer Stephen Fry faced police investigation in the Republic of Ireland for comments he Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Blasphemy’
Christian Governor of Jakarta in court to face blasphemy allegation
Friday, November 18th, 2016
Jakarta’s Christian governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, was formally named a suspect in a blasphemy investigation on Wednesday Nov 16. It is alleged the he insulted Islam. Naming someone a suspect is a formal step in the Indonesian legal system that means authorities believe they have enough preliminary evidence to consider filing charges. Purnama, who could Read more
Georgia proposes tough religious irreverance law
Friday, February 12th, 2016Georgia is planning a “blasphemy bill” that will make religious irreverence severely punishable by law. A proposed bill would impose a 100 lari fine (US$120) for “insults to religious feelings”, which would double for a repeat offence. Desecrating a religious symbol could cost up to 1000 lari. The average monthly salary is Georgia is no Read more
Does free speech give you the right to gratuitously insult?
Tuesday, August 11th, 2015
“The problem with defending free speech is that if you go to bat for the dead and heroic cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo, you also have to defend Hollywood’s right to make jokes about killing the leader of North Korea and a daft heavy metal band’s right to insult a chunk of the public simply because Read more
Humanists claim new Act a de facto blasphemy law
Tuesday, August 11th, 2015
The recently enacted Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 allows for an individual to begin proceedings if it is alleged that a digital communication caused an individual to suffer serious emotional stress by denigrating that individual’s religion. The Humanist Society of New Zealand have taken issue with the Act. They agree there is a need to address Read more
Christian mother to be executed for blasphemy
Friday, October 24th, 2014
Catholic leaders in Pakistan will appeal to the nation’s Supreme Court against the death sentence given to a Christian woman for blasphemy. Last week, the Lahore High Court upheld the sentence handed down in 2010 against Asia Bibi. She is the first Christian woman ever to be given the death sentence in Pakistan. One source Read more
Should blasphemy offence be removed from Irish Constitution?
Friday, October 10th, 2014Ireland’s legislators have been urged to exercise caution in preparing changes to the nation’s Constitution dealing with blasphemy as an offence. A Constitutional Convention has recommended removing the blasphemy provision, following overwhelming support for this in submissions. But a date for a referendum has yet to be decided. The Church of Ireland’s David Pierpont, Archdeacon Read more
Russians could now go to prison for blasphemy
Friday, July 5th, 2013While most of the Western World turns a blind eye to blasphemy, Russia has just enacted a tough law that imposes heavy fines or even a prison term. The law applies to “public acts that manifest patent disrespect for society and are committed with the aim of offence to the religious feelings of believers”. The Read more
Dog Jesus OK’ed by Broadcasting Standards
Friday, June 21st, 2013The depiction of Jesus as a dog in adverts for The Graham Norton Show has been deemed appropriate by the Broadcasting Standards Authority. The TV advertisement, which aired in December, included a photograph of a couple dressed as Mary and Joseph holding a dog in swaddling clothes. In the week leading up to Christmas, TV3 broadcast the Read more
‘Land mafia’ link to attack on Christians in Pakistan?
Friday, March 15th, 2013
Real estate interests in a “land mafia” may have been behind an attack on Christians by a 3000-strong mob which burnt 180 homes and two churches in a Christian quarter of Lahore, according to Pakistan’s Minister of State for Harmony. In a motion presented in the federal senate, the minister, Akram Masih Gill, who is Read more