With the worlds th most powerful military, the 6th largest nuclear arsenal, a population of 207 million, high illiteracy, grinding poverty, and burgeoning support for islamic fundamentalism, it is a nuclearcharged powder keg waiting to. Salmaan taseer was killed by his bodyguard on tuesday for advocating reform of the countrys strict blasphemy laws, used recently to sentence a christian woman to death. Sep 17, 2012 under islamic law, or sharia, it is a crime to insult the prophet muhammad but the seriousness of the blasphemy crime is up for interpretation islamic fundamentalists have embraced the idea. Blasphemy and related laws in selected jurisdictions. I got a great response from all over the world and specially from pakistan. Under islamic law, or sharia, it is a crime to insult the prophet muhammad but the seriousness of the blasphemy crime is up for interpretation islamic fundamentalists have. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. Blasphemy politics routledge, 2019, farhat haq presents the history and present of blasphemy laws, debates, and politics in pakistan, in a manner that carefully weaves the historical backdrop of blasphemy politics with. Sep 21, 2016 islamic writer ahmad abu ratima, who strongly and openly opposes the antiblasphemy law, told almonitor, the accusation of blasphemy is a black spot in islamic history. The consensus in the hanafi school of islamic jurisprudence has always been that blasphemy against the holy. This is what the quran actually says about blasphemy the. In islamic nations, thousands of individuals have been arrested and punished for blasphemy of islam. List of books and articles about blasphemy laws online.
In the islamic context, blasphemy refers to a wide range of acts ranging from apostasy to cursing or. Blasphemy laws are most common, and most commonly enforced, in muslim countries, and the penalties are often brutal. Those arrested for blasphemy are generally charged with mofsedefilarz spreading corruption on earth, a broadly defined crime capable of. In latin america and the caribbean, there are only a few countries with blasphemy or religious insult laws on the books, and the laws are not enforced. A blasphemy law is a law prohibiting blasphemy, where blasphemy is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence to a deity, or sacred things, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable. Jan 16, 2018 harsh laws forbidding blasphemy against islam are dividing pakistani society and driving a deeper wedge between islamabad and washington during a bitter feud over the war in neighboring afghanistan. The history of the blasphemy law the express tribune. Because of the evidence for blasphemy punishment being based on ahadith, certain reported incidents during the lifetime of the prophet p.
Mar 15, 2016 the islamic republic of pakistan also has in its penal code laws that prohibit and punish blasphemy against islam ranging from a fine to death. Strictly speaking, article 98f is not an antiblasphemy law, but it is used in much the same way as other antiblasphemy laws throughout the middle east and the greater islamic world. The title of the book refers to an old legend retold by rushdie. List of books and articles about blasphemy laws online research. As a response, richard webster wrote a brief history of blasphemy in which he discussed freedom to publish books that may cause. Pakistans blasphemy laws from islamic empires to the. In 1904, the statute was still on the books at art. Under the guise of islamic law, the prophet muhammads islam, and the quran, states. Mar 08, 2017 the blasphemy laws of pakistan were introduced on the premise of protecting the sanctity of the peoples religious beliefs, but the laws only ended up meting out public death sentences to innocent. Aug 25, 2012 as an islamic republic, pakistani law is obviously concerned with blasphemy against allah and the prophet muhammad pbuh. The islamic world has a blasphemy problem foreign policy. The british era blasphemy laws continues to be the hallmark of the human rights violations in pakistan, as it has been widely misused against the minority communities and. Over the last few decades, it has produced numerous accusations, countless cases, instances of assassination and lynching, widespread intimidation and censorship. Oct 16, 2012 because of the evidence for blasphemy punishment being based on ahadith, certain reported incidents during the lifetime of the prophet p.
Most significantly, there is no punishment for blasphemy if the accused is a nonmuslim. This pioneering study of the evolution of blasphemy laws from the early islamic empires to the presentday taliban uncovers the history and questionable motives behind pakistans blasphemy laws and calls for a return to the prophet muhammads peaceful vision of social justice. There is also a history of legacy european blasphemy laws emboldening calls for new blasphemy legislation. Sunna that sharia law describes what is blasphemy and prescribes death penalty as punishment for it one can read about sharia law on blasphemy from here. Exploring religious expression under irelands blasphemy law by jacob, katherine a. Yet the prophet never tried or executed anyone for. Finally, the world should press for the release of raif badawi and other blasphemylaw victims. Blasphemy laws in pakistan the worlds most draconian law. Shaykh ashraf ali thanvi ra shaykh abrar ul haq ra shaykh hakeem muhammad akhtar ra shaykh muneer ahmad sahab d. The quran admonishes blasphemy, but does not specify any worldly punishment for blasphemy. It is an important contribution to the history of pakistan and of islam, and. The hadiths, which are another source of sharia, suggest various. Blasphemy in islam is impious utterance or action concerning god, blasphemy against the. Yet the prophet never tried or executed anyone for blasphemy, nor does the quran authorize the practice.
This does not mean that these laws cannot be abused and should not be. Sadakat kadris history of islamic law tries to dispel the myths. Blasphemy laws began in christian countries, and started appearing in muslim majority countries after british imperialism. Violating this statute is known as having defamed a heavenly religion. Several european countries, from austria to greece, ireland to poland, still have blasphemy laws on the books. As of 2011, all islamic majority nations, worldwide, had criminal laws on blasphemy. In november 2010, i posted some research work about blasphemy law in pakistan. As an islamic republic, pakistani law is obviously concerned with blasphemy against allah and the prophet muhammad pbuh. Islamic english audio books 1 islamic urdu audio books 48 islamic audios 33 quran recitation 4 quran english translation 1 ruqaya mp3 1 urdu speeches bayans mp3 29 maulana ahmed laat sb 2 moulana tariq jameel sb 10 shaykh muhammad makki al hijazi 10 islamic bengali books 1 islamic economics 2 islamic finance 43. Tracing the subject from the middle ages to the present, he outlines the history of blasphemy as a concept, from a species of heresy to modern understandings of it as a crime. The first purpose of those laws is to protect islamic authority. A fairly common demand of conservative muslim political parties is that the death penalty be implemented as punishment for blasphemy in accordance with sharia or.
The blasphemy law is set in modernday pakistan, a south asian country astride the geopolitical and ideological faultline of asia. Nov 30, 2012 according to the irish times, irelands blasphemy law is being cited by islamic states as justification for persecuting religious dissidents. The sacrilegious nature of blasphemy laws pakistan, recommended wideranging changes to pakistans laws and legal systems. The question then arises as to why islamic countries, for instance pakistan and indonesia, have such stringent blasphemy laws. Pakistan and indonesias blasphemy laws have no basis in. Law of blasphemy in islam and west by muhammad ismail. The islamic republic of pakistan also has in its penal code laws that prohibit and punish blasphemy against islam ranging from a fine to death. Posts about blasphemy law namoos risalat written by nmusba. Ahmed salman rushdie was born in bombay, india, of muslim parents. Blasphemy laws are generally used to protect the religious beliefs of a majority, or those who control the law. Under english common law, blasphemy was a crime, but only with reference to christianity.
In order to be penalized in court for a violation of the blasphemy law, one must have made a certain expression against the religion of strongly offensive character. Punjab assembly body bans books on islamic history, ahmadi. Blasphemy is the perceived reproach, insult, or degradation whether verbally, written, or through art of god, or historical religious figures. In 2020, the european foundation for south asian studies efsas in a report entitled, guilty until proven innocent. Blasphemy in islam is impious utterance or action concerning god, blasphemy against the prophet muhammad and his companions sabb alrasul, sabb alsahabah, insulting an angel or to deny the prophethood of one of the islamic prophets. It is based on these primary sources koran and deeds of mohammad i. Oct 31, 2018 yet 30 years later, the reverse seems to be true. By its constitution, the official name of pakistan is the islamic republic of pakistan as of 1956.
Apostasy, blasphemy, heresy the three most evil bully gasoline words, ever coined by religious gangster dictators. Indeed, section 295c is not only an affront to human rights, but also a betrayal of the. The only dispute is about whether the blasphemer ought to be saved from execution if he or she repents. Mar 28, 2018 apostasy, blasphemy, heresy the three most evil bully gasoline words, ever coined by religious gangster dictators. Apr 01, 1998 blasphemy is tehmina durranis novel about the exploitation at the hands of her husband. One of the purposes of the law was to establish the conviction that god is holy. The push for blasphemy laws by totten, michael j world affairs, vol. This punishment was visited upon muqaffa in part because hed committed blasphemy. It was used by dictators against every free voice, and many muslim scholars were killed on charges of blasphemy. The quran case was dropped after the blasphemy law was repealed in june 2017. Imran khan criticised for defence of pakistan blasphemy laws. Cases under blasphemy law have also been registered against muslims who have harassed nonmuslims. Heaven on earth, by sadakat kadri the new york times. According to the irish times, irelands blasphemy law is being cited by islamic states as justification for persecuting religious dissidents.
Under the guise of islamic law, the prophet muhammads islam, and the quran. Harsh laws forbidding blasphemy against islam are dividing pakistani society and driving a deeper wedge between islamabad and washington during a. Tracing the subject from the middle ages to the present, he outlines the history of blasphemy as a concept, from a species of heresy to modern understandings of it as a crime against the sacred and individual religious identity. Islamic writer ahmad abu ratima, who strongly and openly opposes the antiblasphemy law, told almonitor, the accusation of blasphemy is a black spot in islamic history. As late as 1939, this statute was still the law of maryland.
Nov, 2018 the quran case was dropped after the blasphemy law was repealed in june 2017. In all five major schools of islamic jurisprudencethe sunni hanafi, maliki, shafi, and hanbali schools, along with the shia jafari schoolblasphemy against god or prophet sabb allah or sabb alrasul is a capital crime. The end blasphemy laws campaign holds that blasphemy and insult to religion laws are wrong in several ways. Over the last few decades, it has produced numerous accusations, countless cases, instances of assassination. If section 295c was a law designed to end blasphemy, the evidence indicates it has failed. Pakistan, for example, has cited the irish statute. Over 125 nonmuslim nations worldwide did not have any laws relating to blasphemy. According to the hanafi madhab the school of sunni islamic law followed by the majority of pakistani muslims, and whose legal legacy informs the decisions of pakistans federal shariat court blasphemy by nonmuslims is not punishable by death. Pakistans blasphemy laws from islamic empires to the taliban. In particular, article 19, a free speech pressure group based in london, took the initiative in forming an international. The author wrote, qureshi acknowledged that mistakes had been made in the research upon which the judicial interpretation of pakistans blasphemy law now rests. Many describe the novel to be about religious exploitation, however, it is evident in the story that religious plays no part in the sins of a man, its the exploitation of a religion that allows a mere man to act like god, in the case of this woman.
During my research i visited several websites, journals and newspapers and also verified their. Since then i was assigned to collect some more and detailed information about blasphemy law. Jul 09, 2018 imran khan has been accused of risking bloodshed for electoral gain after the former cricketerturnedpolitician offered a fullthroated defence of pakistans strict blasphemy laws in the runup. According to a report in dawn, the punjab assemblys special committee6 has decided to ban the publication andor distribution of three blasphemous books and one daily newspaper. Under the guise of islamic law, the prophet muhammads islam, and the quran, states such as pakistan, afghanistan, egypt, saudi arabia, and bangladesh are using blasphemy laws to suppress freedom of speech. According to pew research center, about a quarter of the worlds countries and territories 26% had anti blasphemy laws or policies. Didnt the old testament punish blasphemy with death. Blasphemy laws were rarely enforced in premodern islamic societies, but in the modern era. The law provided harsh penalties for wrongdoing, including the sin of blasphemy. In the middle east, a complex legal web exists to prevent individuals from challenging the social, political, and religious status quo, and silence religious and intellectual dissent. This law was still on the books until at least 2003. In 1989, when muslims in britain sought unsuccessfully to.
The books include the first muslim and after the prophet by foreign author. Blasphemy, misconceptions, fallacy, blasphemy law blasphemy refers to the act of uttering profane, insulting or abusive language for something divine related to religion. After earning a degree in history from cambridge university, rushdie briefly worked as an. The organisation of islamic cooperation oic, a 57country alliance based in saudi arabia, has long campaigned for a global blasphemy law as protection from a. The criminal courts often decides a case of blasphemy on the basis of public emotions and political interests rather than the divine writ. Jan 02, 2020 the law provided harsh penalties for wrongdoing, including the sin of blasphemy. Apostasy, blasphemy, heresy allan ivarsson author of. May 11, 2011 strictly speaking, article 98f is not an antiblasphemy law, but it is used in much the same way as other antiblasphemy laws throughout the middle east and the greater islamic world. Dec 19, 2012 blasphemy is the perceived reproach, insult, or degradation whether verbally, written, or through art of god, or historical religious figures. More than 96% of pakistans 167 million citizens 2008 are muslims.
Blasphemy is tehmina durranis novel about the exploitation at the hands of her husband. Blasphemy and blasphemous libel is a common law offence with an unlimited penalty. The blasphemy laws of pakistan were introduced on the premise of protecting the sanctity of the peoples religious beliefs, but the laws only ended up meting out public death sentences to. They violate the human right to freedom of expression they protect religious beliefs and practices, institutions and leaders, from legitimate and often necessary criticism they are intrinsically bad, subjective, inconsistent laws. May 25, 2017 the organisation of islamic cooperation oic, a 57country alliance based in saudi arabia, has long campaigned for a global blasphemy law as protection from a broadly defined islamophobia. E case western reserve journal of international law, vol. Imran khan has been accused of risking bloodshed for electoral gain after the former cricketerturnedpolitician offered a fullthroated defence of. Gods name, as an expression of his nature, is also holy psalm 99. West, the maryland court of appeals the states highest court declared the blasphemy law unconstitutional.
Blasphemy laws in pakistan are one of the most draconian laws in the world and carry a possible death sentence to anyone who insults islam or the prophet. Jun 02, 2012 according to the hanafi madhab the school of sunni islamic law followed by the majority of pakistani muslims, and whose legal legacy informs the decisions of pakistans federal shariat court blasphemy by nonmuslims is not punishable by death. David nashs new study focuses on the development of blasphemy in the christian world. Countrybycountry blasphemy laws in the middle east. A fairly common demand of conservative muslim political parties is that the death penalty be implemented as punishment for blasphemy in accordance with sharia or islamic law. Blasphemy and related laws in selected jurisdictions library of. Among countries with a muslim majority, pakistan has the strictest antiblasphemy laws.
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