The laws are most common in the Middle East and North Africa, and punishments are toughest there and in Asia. priest Frank Pavone for what it said were ‘blasphemous communications on social media’ and ‘persistent disobedience.’Īccording to a Pew Research Center report released last year, 79 countries had laws on the books in 2019 prohibiting blasphemy - which Pew defined as “speech or actions considered to be contemptuous of God or of people or objects considered sacred” - and 22 had laws against “apostasy,” which is the act of abandoning one’s faith. World & Nation Anti-abortion priest Pavone defrocked for blasphemous posts During the same period, Iran prosecuted 96 cases, Russia 58 and India 51. Although the state has not executed a person convicted under the blasphemy laws, some have spent years in prison, including in isolation.īut blasphemy laws are not just an issue in Pakistan. She was taken into custody after a mob gathered outside her house demanding she be lynched, police said.ĭuring the period from January 2014 to December 2018, Pakistan led all countries in enforcing laws against so-called blasphemers, bringing a total of 184 cases, according to a report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Then a crowd of hundreds of local residents and workers rallied to demand his arrest.Īlso last month, Pakistani police arrested Sana Ullah in Punjab province on charges of blasphemy for claiming she was an Islamic prophet. Tian allegedly made his insulting remarks and gestures while criticizing two workers for taking too long to pray, according to the Associated Press. Religion is often the pretext for laws like the new one in Pakistan, used by ruling powers to further their own agendas. Opinion Op-Ed: How blasphemy laws are used to serve political ends
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