User:Lehrasap/Sandbox 3
Blasphemy as a Criminal Offence
Those among Muslims, who support the blasphemy laws, brings the argument that blasphemy laws are necessary against insulting prophet Muhammad while it hurts the feeling of billions of Muslims and bring emotional harm to them[1].
While critics bring the counter arguments why freedom to criticise, critique and mock religion is in accordance with the human nature, and has been fundamental to human progress[2][3]. They point out, even Quran and Hadith themselves contain insult and blasphemy against the Non-Muslims.
Perspective of the Supporters of Blasphemy law
In many Islamic countries, insulting Islam or prophet Muhammad is already a crime with punishments, including killing[4]. There is a campaign now to make it also a criminal offence in the western secular world too. Their arguments are as under:
(1) Insulting Muhammad causes unbearable emotional harm to those who love him
UK Parliament Naz Shah urged to criminalise all acts that insult Prophet Muhammad:
(2) Negative comment on Muhammad should be a considered a criminal offense like Holocaust
It is a criminal offence in some European countries to make a negative comment about Holocaust[5]. Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan arguments that negative comment on Muhammad should also be considered a criminal offence like Holocaust.
I call on Western govts who have outlawed any negative comment on the holocaust to use the same standards to penalise those deliberately spreading their message of hate against Muslims by abusing our Prophet.
Perspective of the Critics of Blasphemy law
There is a campaign for repealing the blasphemy laws[6], under which many Western countries have already abolished the blasphemy laws completely in the recent times. According to the critics of blasphemy law:
(2) Where there is “Preaching”, there is also “Criticism”: Both preaching and criticism go hand in hand in the western secular law. Everyone is allowed to preach his religion/ideology, but then other is also fully allowed to differ and criticise. Western Secular laws provide with full freedom to preach your religion/ideology, which comes under the right of Freedom of Religion. At the same time, they also provide full freedom to criticise any religion/ideology under the right of Freedom of Expression
(3) Where there is “Praise”, there is also “Insult”: Muslims consider Muhammad to be the best of mankind. Thus they could highly "praise" Muhammad. While the Non-Muslims believe Muhammad to be a wrong-doer (who made false drama of prophethood and thus millions of people died due to it). And they are hurt and feel emotional harmed when such a wrong-doer (in their opinion) is "praised". Nevertheless, the western secular system fully allows Muslims to praise Muhammad as much as they want, while the Non-Muslims could not stop them from praising Muhammad, and they have to bear this praise in name of Freedom of Expression and move on. Similarly, even if Muslims claim they are hurt when someone insults Muhammad, still they could not stop non-Muslims from orally insulting Muhammad. They have to bear this insult and move on.
Quranic Verses which are insulting the opponents
Islam critics point out that the following Quranic Verses are insulting the opponents.
Insult of the opponents in Hadith
Islam critics point the following incident:
References:
- ↑ UK Parliament urged to criminalise all acts insulting to Prophet Muhammad
- ↑ Why mocking religion is necessary for human progress! Secularism.Org.
- ↑ Reasons why criticizing and even hating and insulting Muhammad is fully justified
- ↑ Punishment of insulting Islam/Muhammad in the Islamic Countries
- ↑ EU: Holocaust denial in criminal law
- ↑ Campaign for repealing the Blasphemy Laws