Ireland Passes Blasphemy Law, Will the U.S. Follow Suit?
I’m at a loss for words. I just hope the U.S. doesn’t adopt this. This getting to be like 1984, Nazi Germany and Fahrenheit 451 all rolled together.
On Friday July 11th, 2009, Ireland passed the Defamation Bill by one vote. One of the aspects of this bill would make it illegal to criticize religion… any religion under penalty of fines up to 25,000 Euros. That is the equivalent to nearly $35,000.
When I first heard this story on the internets, I was certain that it was a false story. I read the story, googled it, checked out legitimate Ireland news sites, and double checked more Ireland news sites. The story checks out. It seems that the Blasphemy Clause of the Defamation Bill was challenged in the legislature by an amendment which would delete such a clause. The amendment to delete the clause initially passed by one vote, but a request was made for a “walk-through vote.” During that time two more Senators came in and voted against the amendment to delete the clause. This meant that the clause would stay in the bill. The bill then passed by the same margin.
Here is an excerpt from the Blasphemy Clause:
Section 36
(1) A person who publishes or utters blasphemous matter shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable upon conviction on indictment to a fine not exceeding €100,000. [Amended to €25,000]
(2) For the purposes of this section, a person publishes or utters blasphemous matter if (a) he or she publishes or utters matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion, and (b) he or she intends, by the publication or utterance of the matter concerned, to cause such outrage.
This part of the bill makes it illegal to criticize any religion either verbally or in writing. Saying anything in which a “substantial number” of followers might find offensive would now be a crime in the Ireland. But the bill goes even further. Here is another excerpt:
Section 37
(1) Where a person is convicted of an offence under section 36, the court may issue a warrant (a) authorising any member of the Garda Siochana to enter (if necessary by the use of reasonable force) at all reasonable times any premises (including a dwelling) at which he or she has reasonable grounds for believing that copies of the statement to which the offence related are to be found, and to search those premises and seize and remove all copies of the statement found therein, (b) directing the seizure and removal by any member of the Garda Siochana of all copies of the statement to which the offence related that are in the possession of any person, specifying the manner in which copies so seized and removed shall be detained and stored by the Garda Siochana.
The Garda Siochana is the Irish police who can now (under this law) break into people’s homes and confiscate copies of any book which might be critical of any religion. I keep trying to point out that any religious criticism is a crime, because many Christians are critical of differing religions. Atheists are not the only ones being targeted here. Simply claiming that the Pope is not infallible might be considered blasphemous to many Catholics. Claiming that the prophet Joseph Smith was not really visited by angels and given magic golden plates would be blasphemous to Mormons. Mentioning the prophet Mohammad without adding the phrase “peace be upon him” would be considered blasphemous to Muslims. And claiming that Scientology is a sham and that Tom Cruise is crazy would obviously be blasphemous to Scientologists.
What if a Christian claimed that if someone was not saved through Jesus Christ, he or she would spend eternity in Hell? An argument could be made that such a statement and even the Bible itself might be considered blasphemous to other religions. In fact, most religious are blasphemous to other religions. Maybe the Irish police will fine everyone.
Will the United States follow suit?
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Ireland has priests torturing and raping children and, as a priority, their government chooses to pass a law that is 500 years out of date in order to protect those priests from having their feelings hurt.
Sounds like it’s time for a new government over there.
The US could use an overhaul too.
Holy crap! Thats unbelievable! You have to think they’ll take steps to overturn it. Its way too 19th century.
Blasphemy of a religion. Who decides what is blasphemous? You? Me? Some over-educated bureaucrat? Amazing.
Running on a twist to this law and to illustrate the other side to this argument, what about the Suras in the Qur’an? Here are a few just to warm you up to the issue:
Disbelievers are diseased (2.10)
Allah is the enemy of disbelievers (2.88)
Disbelievers are evil people (2.99) perverts(63.4) wicked(80.40-42)
Disbelievers are deaf dumb and blind (2.171), losers (2.121),your enemies (4.101)
Jews and Christians are losers(5.53),evil(5.59) perverts(9.30)
Disbelievers are worst beasts(8.55), dirty (9.28) liars(16.39) lowest creatures(58.20)
These and other similar Qur’anic ayas are recited by Muslims five times a day and broadcast day and night on Islamic radio programs all over the world.
To summarize, on the one hand we have a society passing a law which says that making blasphemous statements against a religion is illegal while on the other hand we have a religion which teaches hatred against Jews, Christians and disbelievers of Islam and calling them losers, evil, wicked perverts lower than the low. If you read other passages in the Qur’an you will find Islam says nonbelievers should be decapitated.
Just awesome.
In 1984 Hindus had placed a writ in Indian High Court to ban the Qur’an for promoting hatred and inciting violence (Calcutta Quran Petition, faithfreedom.org). The Indian Govt. had to reject it under heavy pressure of Indian Muslims who rioted in the streets nationwide.
Under this new law, I suppose that if I were to point out the wickedness of Islam, I would then be arrested. I view the collective mindset responsible for this ludicrous law naive and dangerous to Western society.
There is a dangerous movement among us and the Western world had better wake up to it. This law only helps that movement succeed.
There is an upside to this. If the Irish are serious and actually enforce this stupidity it follows that anyone and every one with a copy of the Qur’an is subject to search and seizure and fines.
Excellent point. Let’s hope it turns out that way.
Okay, that’s definitely from Clerks 2… I mean, Dogma. I always get those two mixed up. And someone Photoshopped in a Guinness in Beard Guy’s hand.
Well, you’d think that kind of thing wouldn’t happen in America, especially on Obama’s watch. But who knows? Anyway, the religion with the most money will win. I have a feeling Scientology’s not going to put up the big bucks to defend against defamation. They don’t have the infrastructure for it yet. No, Pat Robertson will emerge triumphant merely by THREATENING to spend money. Time to bring back Indulgences.
I somehow think that a national blasphemy law may be introduced in the US soon.
It’s a gut feeling.
I am hoping you are wrong but it is a possibility. I doubt it would remain long because the courts would have to overturn it. The problem would be the harm this type of law can do won’t take long to be done.
But they might not introduce it as a “Blasphemy Law”. Maybe something like, “religious protection”.
No doubt there is already someone trying to build a “religious protection” law but, hopefully, our constitution will not support it. We just need to get rid of the Patriot Act, things will begin to get on track to regaining our civil rights. That way, anyone who wants to practice their religion, whatever that may be, will have that right.
So the question is, who will introduce it? Who’s your money on? I never did watch ‘The People vs. Larry Flynt’ but it seemed to go along similar lines. Far, far too close to America becoming a Falwell-ruled theocracy.
If there are still any Dubya holdovers left over, one of the little weasels might try to sneak it into another bill. Prop 8 for the whole nation. The illiterati are tired of going down the Constitutional Amendment path; too much work. Will Sotomayor’s confirmation make you feel a little better?
I’d have to vote for Oklahoma’s Sen. James Inhofe. He’s the one who STILL rattles on publicly denying global warming and every other science based fact he can.
I’m sure that he wouldn’t mind trampling on the First Amendment.
there has never been a democracy that hasnt committed suicide
Having lived in Ireland all my life, I cannot start to express my feelings of frustration and annoyance, the hold the catholic church has had on this sick mess of an isle, the Gards who turned a blind eye, who took payment for their blindness, the government who funded the hellholes for children to be raped and tortured. Now Ireland has to appear to be leading the way again. The rapist priests run to hiding while the bankers keep a protective eye on their millions, vow of poverty, my arse. But a behaviour one would shocked by had it come from the church has been passed by the government? A bill of comedy, Ireland a laughing stock once again. Paddy, Thick Mick, Stupid Irish, it has to come from somewhere. from a proud Irish woman. NOT
That would certainly mark the end of free speech (or at least any continued pretense of it). I’m sure there are Christian extremists in the U.S. who would love to pass such a law. I’d like to think that reason would prevail, but I am reminded of the efforts to criminalize flag burning.
And don’t forget about the funding and other religious fervor that went into California’s Prop 8, to ban gay marriage.
Religious fervor never goes out of style.
and religion is a big money maker that does lobby the government to change laws in their favor or to appoint those people that share their beliefs
i agree with vjack that it would end any pretense of free speech ,
but it would also mark the decline of the U.S. as a free country.
and would very quickly move towards one that values religion over human rights and the rights of its citizens
I so hope that the Supreme Court would never uphold such a law that so obviously flies in the face of the first amendment. I can imagine that there are enough idiots out there who would only be thinking that the law would protect their OWN religion that something like this could be voted in – I was SHOCKED about the outcome of Prop 8 here in California – but the Supreme Court has a decent record of overturning idiocy like this. But I’ve been disappointed before, I’m sure I’ll be disappointed again.
Not that I really admire French government, but they are very good at separating church and state – much better than we are here.
I just thought about this and I wonder how it might effect things. I know many christians say atheism is a religion. Will the atheist in Ireland now be able to get this law used against those that say negative things about atheist and atheism?
they’ll be talking about the blasphemy law soon at
http://www.todayfm.com/LivePlayer.aspx
listen
I can’t believe this bill actually passed. I had heard about it on Dogma Free America, but didn’t think it would actually go through.
I sincerely hope nothing like this is passed in the US. I think a lot of people would be tempted to support this, but as others have pointed out it’s not very likely it would pass, or stand up to judicial review if it did. Some deeply religious people here want the government completely out of the religion game, so they wouldn’t want a law where the government decides what is or isn’t blasphemy. They’d rather determine this themselves, or try to call for voluntary bans on things, rather than actually declaring them illegal.
Here’s the wikipedia page with many of the blasphemy laws from around the world.
Can’t believe the UK waited till 2008 to abolish them!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blasphemy_laws
Does the E.U. have any requirements regarding freedom of speech in member countries? Wasn’t that one of the hang ups regarding allowing Turkey into the union?
The part about seizing all copies of the offending material is especially Orwellian.
Don’t worry too much about the U.S. We really do tend to take an extreme position regarding freedom of speech, which suits me just fine.
I see some potential here for monkeywrenching.
Pairs of athiests can file complaints, posing as Christians and accusing muslims, hindus, etc of blasphemy, and the reverse, etc…
fine every religion, because the only differencce between a christian and an athiest is that the atheist simple believes in one less god.
jb