Epigraph:
There should be no compulsion in religion. Surely, right has become distinct from wrong; so whosoever refuses to be led by those who transgress, and believes in Allah, has surely grasped a strong handle which knows no breaking. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (Al Quran 2:257)
And if you are in doubt as to what We (Allah) have sent down to Our servant (Muhammad), then produce a Chapter like it, and call upon your helpers beside Allah, if you are truthful. (Al Quran 2:24)
Attempts to reform or scrap the country’s blasphemy laws have led to mass street protests
Lead post collected by Rafiq A. Tschannen, Associate Chief Editor of the Muslim Times
Pakistan sentences man to death for blasphemy
Epilogue There should be no compulsion in religion. Surely, right has become distinct from wrong; so whosoever refuses to be led by those who transgress, and believes in Allah, has…
Freedom of Speech: A Core Islamic Value!
Epigraph: And if you are in doubt as to what We (Allah) have sent down to Our servant (Muhammad), then produce a Chapter like it, and call upon your helpers…
Irish Constitutional Convention recommends removal of blasphemy offence
Source: BreakingNews.ie The Constitutional Convention has published its report calling for the offence of blasphemy to be removed. It recommends that blasphemy is replaced by a new general ban on…
Blasphemy case: Briton in Pakistan sentenced to death
Source: BBC A court in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi has sentenced a 70-year-old British man to death after convicting him of blasphemy. Muhammad Asghar was arrested in 2010 after…
Anti-jihad ads reminiscent of McCarthyism, 1950s fear mongering
By Mike Honda Washington Post: This week felt like a throwback to the 1950s, to McCarthyism and fear mongering. I, and countless others, spoke out in defense of Muslim Americans…
Freedom of Speech is not Absolute or ‘Gospel Truth!’
Epigraph Exceptions to freedom of speech, recognized in European Convention on Human Rights interests of national security territorial integrity or public safety prevention of disorder or crime protection of health…
A Critique of President Obama’s UN Speech
Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD First of all, let me applaud our great country, USA, it gives us freedoms, for an ordinary citizen like me, without any…
The World Muslim Leader: ‘The Law about Freedom of Speech is not Heavenly Scripture or the Gospel Truth!’
Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD The recent notoriety of an anti-Islam film, all over the world, has drawn various reactions from people of all walks of life. His…
Making Islamic sense of free speech
Source: The Washington Post By Harris Zafar While many celebrated the winter holidays, news broke of the arrest in Saudi Arabia of liberal writer Turki Al Hamad for allegedly insulting…
Islamism from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Islamism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the political Islamic movement. For the religion of Islam, see Islam. See also: Modern Islamic philosophy, Political aspects of Islam, and Islamic democracy Part of the…
Holocaust denial – Limits of Free Speech?
I am using Holocaust denial as an example to initiate an open and honest debate about the freedom of free speech and its limits, in our global village! Please comment…
#FreeDrMasood: The absurdity of blasphemy laws in Pakistan
Source: mena-post.com On a day when we are celebrating Martin Luther King day, I would like to ask the same question he once did « what are we doing for others…
The case of Masood Ahmad reveals how blasphemy laws in Pakistan are used to persecute minorities
rationalist.org: Masood Ahmad is 72. A British-Pakistani dual national, he returned to his native Pakistan in 1982 after working in London for some years to pay his children’s school fees.…
Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws
muslimwriters.org: Religious blasphemy laws can be a touchy subject, especially in Pakistan, where just bringing up the subject of the blasphemy laws and whether they are right or wrong is…
A forgotten effort? ‘Rabat Plan’ to eliminate blasphemy laws …
Rabat Plan of Action on the prohibition of advocacy of national,racial or religious hatred that constitutes incite to discrimination, hostility or violence. Conclusions and recommendations emanating from the four regional…
As UN meets, apply pressure against blasphemy laws
Christian Science Monitor: Blasphemy and other religious-defamation laws in Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and even Russia put people behind bars and on death row. As the UN General Assembly begins,…
Pakistan Blasphemy Laws Reform Will Give Death Sentence To False Accusers
Religion News Service | By Richard S. Ehrlich Posted: 09/25/2013 10:23 am EDT (RNS) Pakistan’s constitutionally mandated Council of Islamic Ideology told the government anyone who wrongly accuses a person…
Pakistan: Clerics suggest amendment to blasphemy laws – Another Smoke Screen?
Daily Times: Clerics suggest amendment to blasphemy laws ISLAMABAD: Top religious clerics Wednesday suggested amendments to the country’s blasphemy laws, proposing the death penalty for people convicted of making false…
Petition to United Nations: Pakistan must repeal blasphemy Laws – Sign it – Be Counted
Please go here to sign the petition Dear United Nations, I demand Pakistan repeal its discriminatory blasphemy laws and voter disenfranchisement laws. These laws stifle free thought and free…
No to Blasphemy Laws
Daily Times: by Marvi Sermad. One is amazed at the audacity of the advocates of blasphemy laws, who think of themselves as vigilant guards of not only the Almighty, but…
PAKISTAN: A Historical Overview of Blasphemy Laws
Asian Human Rights Commission. The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to inform you about the research based report on historical overview of Blasphemy laws in Pakistan the Blasphemy published by…
Blind Faith: Video-Blasphemy laws in Pakistan
vimeo: Excellent documentary where even Mr. Farooq Maududi accepts that this is wrong according to Islam. He states that State should be secular. It also details how these laws target…
End blasphemy laws threatening minorities: U.N. faith expert
(Reuters) – Countries should repeal all laws punishing blasphemy and people who leave a faith, the United Nations’ top expert on freedom of religion said on Wednesday, thrusting himself into…
Righting the Wrongs of Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan
Huffington Post: News broke Tuesday that a Pakistani high court dismissed blasphemy charges against Rimsha Masih, a young Christian girl, finding the accusation that she burned pages of the Quran to…
Muslims call for change in UK blasphemy laws
The NEWS: Murtaza Shah: LONDON: Muslims in Britain have urged the government to take seriously the threats they face as anti-Muslim hatred is reaching worrying heights in Britain and across…
Blasphemy laws are darkening Pakistan’s skies
theguardian: Salman Hameed. This blasphemy law is devouring Pakistani society from within. It is an all-purpose tool in the service of intolerance. It has often been used against religious minorities, but Muslims…
There is No Quranic or Islamic basis for Blasphemy Laws
Pakistan and Indonesia’s blasphemy laws have no basis in the Qur’an The Guardian: It is ironic that the very Muslims who criticise the west often end up imitating alien aspects…
Anti-Blasphemy laws are a danger to the world
Mahfooz Kanwar, Calgary Herald, Canada http://www.calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/Kanwar+Anti+blasphemy+laws+danger+world/7298498/story.html I am halfway through writing my next book entitled: Addiction to Religion, which discusses four organized religions: Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This book…
Does Moscow Need Separation of Church and State, for its Four Million Muslims?
The title has been modified by the Muslim Times, the original title was: Underground Islam Source: Slate.com By Simon Shuster|Posted Friday, Aug. 2, 2013, at 5:28 AM MOSCOW—Because the Islamic calendar is…
Our Collection about Separation of Mosque-Church and State
In the Muslim Times we have a category, ‘Separation of Mosque-Church and State,’ which is under ‘Law and Religion,’ tab in the menu below the picture of the Mosque of…
A More Secular Europe, Divided by the Cross
By ANDREW HIGGINS Published: June 17, 2013 NY Times: BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Stanislav Zvolensky, the Roman Catholic archbishop of the Slovak capital here, was thrilled when he was invited to Brussels…
Solomonic wisdom needed to establish Separation of Mosque-Church-Synagogue and State
Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD Fresco of the Judgment of Solomon (Courtesy: Wikipedia) The Judgment of Solomon refers to a story from the Hebrew Bible in which…
