Countries with Blasphemy & Apostasy laws

[Developereo]

While I agree some control over hate speech is needed, the amount of such control exerted in say, Germany or Pakistan and the impact of it is for all to see.

The distinction is also not purely artificial as holocaust is plain fact, a particular religion may or may not be.

The distinction between Pakistan and Germany is that rule of law is much stricter in Germany, so personal abuse of the law is rare. In Pakistan, the law has been reduced to be an excuse for personal vendettas. The system is too corrupt, but that is a systemic problem. The legal system is powerless to protect women, children, poor. Minorities are just one more item on a long list.

Do you know that google censors several hundred websites in many West European countries which are designated as being anti-semitic? The same google allows all kinds of abuse towards Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and anyone else.

Do you know the same Danish authorities who were beating their chests about Mohammed cartoons decided to arrest and prosecute two Arabs for drawing cartoons about the Holocaust?

 

[Kompromat]

They should be amended into broad hate speech laws. Death penalty is stupid and should go, even though no one has ever been punished in Pakistan.

 

[psynic]

The distinction between Pakistan and Germany is that rule of law is much stricter in Germany, so personal abuse of the law is rare. In Pakistan, the law has been reduced to be an excuse for personal vendettas. The system is too corrupt, but that is a systemic problem. The legal system is powerless to protect women, children, poor. Minorities are just one more item on a long list.

Do you know that google censors several hundred websites in many West European countries which are designated as being anti-semitic? The same google allows all kinds of abuse towards Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and anyone else.

Do you know the same Danish authorities who were beating their chests about Mohammed cartoons decided to arrest and prosecute two Arabs for drawing cartoons about the Holocaust?

A major difference is that Germany has a dark history of fascism which engulfed all of Europe, and the German authorities therefore feel obliged to apply a stricter control over the resurgence of such movements ever again. Does Islam in Pakistan have a similar parallel that it needs to be protected so dearly?

Besides, most holocaust denials, in light of all the evidence supporting it, has merely been a tool to justify and promote anti-semitism and is simply non-factual. In fact, none of the nazis ever denied it. Even all legitimate cases of blasphemy , not just in Pakistan, but other countries as well, do not indicate an outright hatred for religion. Another difference.

I have not even gotten to the extent of the punishments, which also vary vastly between the west and south asia/middle-east.

I'm interested to know more about the google thing, can you share a source?

Insulting and distorting a set of events which occurred barely two generations ago is way, way different from insulting a set of beliefs a community holds dearly, which may or may not be true. We also need to note the offensiveness of the image, which should be evaluated by a neutral jury. We need to compare and treat differently, say a normal portrayal of the Prophet to say, MF Hussain's depiction of Hindu Gods in his controversial paintings.

 

[Developereo]

A major difference is that Germany has a dark history of fascism which engulfed all of Europe, and the German authorities therefore feel obliged to apply a stricter control over the resurgence of such movements ever again. Does Islam in Pakistan have a similar parallel that it needs to be protected so dearly?

Besides, most holocaust denials, in light of all the evidence supporting it, has merely been a tool to justify and promote anti-semitism and is simply non-factual. In fact, none of the nazis ever denied it. Even all legitimate cases of blasphemy , not just in Pakistan, but other countries as well, do not indicate an outright hatred for religion. Another difference.

I have not even gotten to the extent of the punishments, which also vary vastly between the west and south asia/middle-east.

I'm interested to know more about the google thing, can you share a source?

Insulting and distorting a set of events which occurred barely two generations ago is way, way different from insulting a set of beliefs a community holds dearly, which may or may not be true. We also need to note the offensiveness of the image, which should be evaluated by a neutral jury. We need to compare and treat differently, say a normal portrayal of the Prophet to say, MF Hussain's depiction of Hindu Gods in his controversial paintings.

You can justify anything anyway you like,
I am talking about the existence of the laws, not the rationalizations.
If Germany really wants to learn from the past and avoid massacring a minority group, it should outlaw demonization of all minority groups. Why protect only one group?

Also, we are not talking about outright denial of Holocaust, but questioning various claims about it or 'mocking' those claims. If the truth is solid, there should be no fear of debate. Isn't that the argument allowing anti-Muslim, anti-Christian and anti-Hindu speech?

As to your claim that offensiveness should be judged by an objective panel, that is how all these laws work. Any case filed under a law is judged by the legal system, which is expected to be objective.

Censorship by Google - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Azizam]

Leave blasphemy, look at the countries that outlawed apostasy in the 21st century. That's leaving one's beleifs and it's one of the most basic rights an individual should have. Except for one, all the other countries are predominantly Muslim which proves that there is something badlh wrong with modern day Muslims and yet one of the "open-minded" member here was telling me how media presents a negative image of Muslims.

Add to that, according to the constitution of Maldives, it is even illegal for a non-Muslim to aquire citizenship yet it doesn't recieve the criticism it deserves.

Freedom of religion in the Maldives - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[bongbang]

God help Bangladesh Seems like only Muslim country left behind from backwardness.

 

[PoKeMon]

They should be amended into broad hate speech laws. Death penalty is stupid and should go, even though no one has ever been punished in Pakistan.

More than dozen on death row and many on life sentence already.

60 killed extra-judicially.