Blasphemy, defamation of religion
3 May 2013
Habib Kazdaghli acquitted: “the rule of law wins in Tunisia” says the EHF Accused by a student wearing a niqab to have slapped her while she was vandalizing his office, in March 2012, Habib Kazdaghli, the dean of the Manouba University of Tunis, was charged with “acts of violence committed by an official in the exercise of its functions.” Although he has always vehemently denied the charges, Habib Kazdaghli was facing a sentence of… read more »
6 March 2013
Atheists, humanists, freethinkers and other non-religious people are discriminated against around the world, with expression of their views is often criminalized and subject in some countries to capital punishment, theInternational Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) told the United Nations, 25 February 2013. In a document for consideration by the world body’s Human Rights Council, IHEU demonstrates that atheism is explicitly or effectively outlawed in many states, where people are forced to adopt a religion, sometimes from a narrow range… read more »
10 January 2013
EU Commissioner Reding responsible for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, answered Parliamentary Questions on blasphemy laws within the European Union Questions : By MEPS Sophia in ‘t Veld (ALDE) , Joanna Senyszyn (S&D) , Cornelis de Jong (GUE/NGL) , Marietje Schaake (ALDE) “The recent wave of violence in the Muslim world following the online posting of a video depicting Mohammed has led numerous EU leaders to defend freedom of expression and opinion against accusations of blasphemy. At… read more »
7 December 2012
Muslims Pressing for Blasphemy Laws in Europe by Soeren Kern November 30, 2012 at 8:00 am The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, a bloc of 57 Muslim countries, is pressuring Western countries into making it an international crime to criticize Islam or Mohammed – all on the name of “religious tolerance.” The Dutch parliament has approved a motion to revoke a law that makes it a crime to insult God. Free speech activists say the move represents… read more »
4 October 2012
On the 1st of October 2012, the European Humanist Federation (EHF) and its Belgian member organisation, le Centre d’Action Laïque (CAL) attended the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM), in Warsaw. HDIM, Europe’s largest annual human rights and democracy conference, is organized every year by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) as a platform for OSCE participating States, Partners for Co-operation, civil society, international organizations and OSCE structures to take stock… read more »
1 October 2012
The signatories of this petition ask the Council of Human Rights of the UN and the European Commission to promulgate international and European laws for the protection of freedom of thought, conscience and exercise of religion and belief without discrimination and to remove any items outlawing blasphemy in national constitutions and laws. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (57 countries) requires that blasphemy is considered a defamation of religions and criminally sanctioned. Freedom of expression is… read more »
25 September 2012
Message from Raffaele Carcano, Secretary of UAAR -the largest Italian humanist association. 22 September 2012 “Italian ministers, and especially Foreign Affairs ministers, have had us used to disparaging nonbelievers. Two years ago Franco Frattini, minister under the last Berlusconi government, said that “atheism, materialism and relativism are perverse phenomena characterized by intolerance that undermine society”. A few days ago his successor, Terzi, commented on the facts surrounding the cartoons published on Charlie Hebdo, showing once… read more »
In June 2012, three actors were briefly arrested and later charged for blasphemy after taking part in a play in Athens. Their case raised high concerns of the European Humanist Federation (EHF) and its fellow Greek partner the Greek Helsinki Monitor. Both organisations issued a statement and wrote an open letter to the Greek Minister of Justice calling the Greek government to abolish blasphemy laws. After a parliamentary debate on the issue, the Greek government… read more »
21 September 2012
(politics.co.uk) - By Andrew Copson, chief executive of the British Humanist Association and vice president of the International Humanist and Ethical Union. In the wake of protests and violence in connection with the ‘Innocence of Muslims’ video, a number of political and religious authorities have made fresh calls for an international law against the “defamation of religion”, or “blasphemy”. The calls have come from religious leaders in Egypt, both Muslim and Christian, from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah (who called the video “the worst attack ever on… read more »
7 September 2012
A lawyer representing the Pakistani Christian girl accused of desecrating the Qur’an who was granted bail on Friday said he will not push for her to be released from jail until her security can be guaranteed. He claimed that Rimsha Masih, the 14-year-old accused by a neighbour of committing an act of blasphemy last month, will require an armoured vehicle and a substantial number of bodyguards to protect her. (Read more) (Sonia Eggerickx, President of… read more »