| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"towelie" |
| Date: |
07 Feb 2006 08:07:01 PM |
| Object: |
Europe's blasphemy laws |
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1894686,00.html
Some Muslim leaders have urged Europe to use blasphemy laws against
newspapers that publish cartoons containing representations of the Prophet
Mohammed. Here's a look at the differing laws in European countries.
In Bangladesh, Minister for Industry Matiur Rahman Nizami was quoted in the
press as telling the European Union that if Christianity and Jesus Christ
were protected by blasphemy laws, then there was no justification for those
laws not being used to protect the rights of Muslims.
In Lebanon. Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the head of the radical Hezbollah
movement, on Friday called on European parliaments to pass laws "prohibiting
the media from attacking God and the prophets."
Here's a brief overview of laws on blasphemy and incitation to religious
hatred in European countries:
Denmark, where the Mohammed cartoons were first published, has a law
providing for fines and up to four months in jail for anyone who "publicly
offends or insults a religion that is recognized in the country."
However a court case brought against the paper that printed the Danish
cartoons by 11 Muslim groups last October was thrown out, with the judges
considering that the issue of freedom of expression was more important than
the ban on blasphemy.
Norway has a public order law dating from the 1930s which in principle
outlaws blasphemy on pain of up to six months in jail. But it is never used.
In Britain there is an old, little-used law against blasphemy, and a new law
that outlaws incitation to religious hatred. However the former explicitly
applies only to the Anglican Church, as Muslim leaders discovered when they
tried to use it against the writer Salman Rushdie for his novel "The Satanic
Verses", published in 2000. The terms of reference of the new law on
religious hatred have been kept deliberately narrow, to take in only acts or
words explicitly aimed at sparking violence.
Germany has an anti-blasphemy law dating from 1871, but it has been little
used in recent decades. It was however successfully used in 1994 to ban a
musical comedy that ridiculed the Catholic doctrine of the immaculate
conception by portraying crucified pigs.
France outlawed blasphemy at the time of its revolution in the late 18th
century; the law has never been reinstated.
Neither Spain nor Portugal have anti-blasphemy laws, although both have
little-used legislation on religious hatred.
Italy has a law against "outrage to a religion," which has recently been
used against the journalist Oriana Fallaci over her outspoken statements and
writings on Islam. That case, which adds a charge of "incitation to
inter-religious hatred," is still pending.
The Netherlands has a law proscribing what is called "scornful blasphemy,"
and providing for up three months in jail and a fine of 70 euros ($85) The
last major case brought under the law was in 1968 against a writer who wrote
a poem about having sex with God. The case was eventually thrown out of
court.
Austrian law prohibits the ridiculing of a religion, on pain of up to six
months in jail. But no attempt was made to use it last year when a book of
cartoons was published depicting the Christian prophet Jesus as a
marijuana-smoking hippie.
Poland, an overwhelmingly Catholic country, has a legal provision against
publicly offending a person's religious feelings, with up to two years in
prison. Artist Dorota Nieznalska, is currently being sued under the law for
a sculpture in which male genitals were shown attached to a Christian
crucifix.
--
aa #2133
ap #19
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| User: "Rune B" |
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| Title: Re: Europe's blasphemy laws |
08 Feb 2006 01:31:37 PM |
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On Tue, 7 Feb 2006 20:07:01 -0600, "towelie" <bugoNOSPAM@hotmail.com>
wrote:
Norway has a public order law dating from the 1930s which in principle
outlaws blasphemy on pain of up to six months in jail. But it is never used.
Our penal code is full of completely outdated nonsense politicians are
too lazy and too busy to repeal. LUCKILY we have a very professional
legal system. Supreme Court Justices for instance are not elected or
appointed by elected officials or voted into office. They are
appointed by the ministry of justice based on their professionalism
and work record. Wrongful convictions, overturned convictions etc.
.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Europe's blasphemy laws |
08 Feb 2006 10:34:53 AM |
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towelie wrote:
Germany has an anti-blasphemy law dating from 1871, but it has been little
used in recent decades. It was however successfully used in 1994 to ban a
musical comedy that ridiculed the Catholic doctrine of the immaculate
conception by portraying crucified pigs.
Correction/Addendum:
The currently valid formulation of the German penal code 166 dates from
1969. In difference to the earlier version the current one does not
outlaw blasphemy in itself, blasphemy MUST occur in a form considered to
break the public peace. The 'breach of the public peace' applies to the
act of blasphemy, not to a possible violent reaction of the believer.
The interpretation of what constitutes a 'breach of the public peace' is
up to the courts, and the measure that has to be applied is what is in
general accepted in the society. The Danish cartoons are way below this
level.
The penal code 166 equally applies to religious and non-religious world
views. I as atheist have the same protection against attacks against my
world-view than a Christian or Muslim has. I'd like to add that as
Atheist in many Muslim countries I have no legal protection AT ALL,
neither against attacks on my believes nor my life.
The last attempt to make general blasphemy punishable was rejected in
2001 when the proposal of the (then opposition) Christian Democratic
Union was voted down by the Bundestag.
j.m.
#1491
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