There has been outrage over the release of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy in Pakistan. An expert explains how blasphemy laws are hardly obsolete throughout the West.
Articles on Blasphemy
Displaying 21 - 35 of 35 articles
With Pope Francis recently elevating a Pakistani archbishop as cardinal, a scholar traces the history of persecution of the 2.5 million Christians of Pakistan.
Nigeria is on the verge of passing a law to criminalise rampant mob lynching. Other countries have tried to do this and failed.
When free speech comes into conflict with religious sensitivity, common sense must prevail.
Laws against blasphemy privilege the feelings of Christians over other religious people, and have no place in a modern, inclusive society.
Ahok is only one among many people in Indonesia who have been jailed under the country’s controversial blasphemy law.
A spate of violence linked to accusations of blasphemy has rocked Pakistan.
There are elements of intolerance and racism in Indonesia. But that does not necessarily mean that an organised Islamic political movement is on the rise.
A recent case of comedian Stephen Fry being accused of blasphemy is a reminder that blasphemy laws are not unique to the Muslim world.
Christians’ plight in Pakistan reflects the confused identity and ideologies of the country they live in.
To avoid misguided use of sacred texts, religious believers should understand the context in which the texts appeared the first time.
About one-quarter of the world’s countries, both in developing and developed economies, have anti-blasphemy laws. Their implementation is always controversial and highly politicised.
Minorities are increasingly facing exclusion from Pakistan’s public realm; and it’s not only terrorists who are responsible.
The tradition of freedom of expression on religious matters is not quite so venerable as many seem to imagine in the outcry at the killing of Charlie Hebdo journalists and cartoonists in Paris. While modern…
In the wake of the violence sparked around the world by the anti-Islam video entitled Innocence of Muslims, the debate about the need for anti-blasphemy laws has re-emerged. The Organisation of Islamic…
Top contributors
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Professor of Political Science, Director of Center for Islamic & Arabic Studies, San Diego State University
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Affiliated Faculty of Bioethics, Religion, and Society, Department of Religious Studies, DePaul University
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Lecturer in English, Case Western Reserve University
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Emeritus Professor in the History of Religious Thought, The University of Queensland
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Assistant Professor, Universitas Indonesia - Associate, CILIS, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne
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Professor of Constitutional Law, Monash University
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Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Western Sydney University
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Fellow, Department of Anthropology, Durham University
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Subject coordinator in Asian Studies, Asia Institute, University of Melbourne, The University of Melbourne
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Senior Lecturer and Director of Research, Centre for the Study of Islam and Society, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta
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Assistant Professor of Law, Coventry Law School, Coventry University
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Professor of Linguistics, West Virginia University
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PhD Candidate, Kent Law School, University of Kent
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Senior Professorial Lecturer, American University School of International Service
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Professor of History of Art, University of Michigan