Islam and Freedom of Speech: Difference between revisions

This view completely contradicts Islam. In Islam it is the Creator of human beings Allah سبحانه وتعالى who gave the right of speech to people and defined the limits on what is acceptable and unacceptable speech.

Khair in this hadith means Islam or what Islam approves of.<small>[Hizb ut-Tahrir, ‘American Campaign to Suppress Islam,’ p. 23]</small>}}<br>

[[File:Images-cfiv-0004.jpg|right|thumb|275px|The above scene is from a 2006 protest in London, UK. It was held in response to the printing of the Jyllands-Posten Danish cartoons. By the end of February 2006 more than 40 people had died<ref name="cartoon 1">[http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/25734739/JOURNALISM-FOR-INTEGRATION-THE-MUHAMMAD-CARTOONS Journalism For Integration - The Muhammad Cartoons] - Encyclopedia Britannica</ref> as a result of the angry reaction from Muslims, and its continued republication has resulted in more than 200 deaths and hundreds of injuries.<ref name="cartoon 2">[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,547572,00.html Yale Removes Cartoons of Prophet Muhammad From Forthcoming Book, Citing Fears of Violence] - Fox News, September 8, 2009</ref> ([[Images:Calls_for_Islamic_Violence|more pictures]])]]

==What is Blasphemy?==

{{Quote|1=[http://muslim-canada.org/apostasy.htm  Apostasy & Blasphemy in Islam]<BR>The Canadian Society of Muslims|2='''VII. Kitab al-fiqh Ala' al-Madahib al-Arba'ah'''¹ by 'Abd al-Rahman Jaziri (Urdu translation)<br>''Excerpts and examples to further illustrate what constitutes blasphemy in Islam''<br><br>It is necessary to have evidence of two reliable witnesses corroborating each other before a Khazi (judge) shall be required to question the witnesses. Thereupon the witnesses will have to make statements describing the words uttered or the acts done which constitute apostasy.  

Apostasy can be committed in two ways: (1) by uttering expressly by tongue that he is (or has become) a Mushrik , a polytheist (i.e. one who associates others with the One God and considers them to be worthy of worship) or, by saying something which is bound to connote in its meaning a denial of the existence of God, for instance to say that God has corporeal (physical, material) existence just like any other corporeal object, or (2) by the performance of an act in which one cannot avoid the clear conclusion that it is tantamount to 'kufr' (infidelity, denial of Islam), for example, to throw away with contempt the holy Qur'an or any part of it or even a single word of it; or to throw it in the fire in an insulting, contemptuous manner; or to throw it in such a place as a garbage dump where there are filthy, dirty and repulsive things; or in a spittoon etc. These acts would be blasphemous and constitute apostasy.  

===Qur'an===

{{Quote|{{Quran-range|33|57|61}}|

Cursed: '''wherever they are found they shall be seized and murdered''', a (horrible) murdering. }}

{{Quote|{{Quran|5|33}}|The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement,}}

[[Image:Beheading Prophet Muhammad. Muhammads cousin.jpg|right|thumb|210px|“Ali Beheading Nadr ibn al-Harith in the Presence of the Prophet Muhammad”, 7th Century Painting taken from Mustafa al-Darir’s Siyar-i-Nabi]]

===Scholars===

{{Quote|1=[http://www.islamicvoice.com/April2006/QuestionHour-DrZakirNaik/ Question Hour: Ruling for Blasphemy in Islam]<BR>Dr. Zakir Naik, Islamic Voice, April, 2006|2=In Islam, a person who has committed blasphemy can either be killed or crucified, or his opposite hands and feet can be cut off, or he can be exiled from that land. On the other hand, in other religions there is no other option except capital punishment. Islam at least has four options of punishment for an act of blasphemy.}}

{{Quote|Asif Iftikhar, PhD student of Islamic Law at McGill and a visiting faculty member at LUMS and Pakistan College of Law|2=The Islamic state does have the right to punish the person who commits blasphemy against the Prophet.<ref>Usman Ghafoor - [http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/aug2009-weekly/nos-09-08-2009/spr.htm#5 State has the right to punish] - The News, Jang Group Online Edition</ref><br>}}

, Human Rights Watch, October 9, 2006</ref>

*2007 - '''Sabri Bogday''', a Turkish barber, was sentenced to death on blasphemy charges after an unfair trial.<ref>[http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE23/014/2008/en/224d8f73-115a-11dd-a414-a101e24af105/mde230142008eng.html Saudi Arabia: Death penalty/ unfair trial, Sabri Bogday] - Amnesty International, April 23, 2008</ref>  Thankfully, King Abdullah, after receiving correspondence from Turkey's president and prime minister, pardoned Bogday and he was released to Turkey.<ref>[http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=118645&d=28&m=1&y=2009 Freed Turkish barber reaches home] - Ghazanfar Ali Khan - Arab News, January 28, 2009</ref>

*2005 - '''Muhammad al-Harbi''' was sentenced by a Saudi court to more than three years in prison and 750 lashes for speaking to his students about his views on a number of current topics, such as Christianity, Judaism and the causes of terrorism.<ref name="teachers">[http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2005/11/16/saudi-arabia-teachers-silenced-blasphemy-charges Saudia Arabia: Teachers Silenced on Blasphemy Charges] - Human Rights Watch, November 16, 2005</ref>

===Iran===

*2010 - '''Rubina Bibi''', a Christian woman, was arrested after a Muslim woman accused her of blasphemy.  The woman claimed Rubina Bibi made a derogatory remark about the Prophet Muhammad.  As of March 24, she is still imprisoned.<ref>[http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/pakistan/16720/ Christian Woman Jailed under Pakistan’s ‘Blasphemy’ Laws] - Compass Direct News, March 24, 2010</ref>

*2010 - '''Munir Masih''' and '''Ruqqiya Bibi''', a Christian couple, were convicted for touching the Qur'an without washing their hands and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.<ref>[http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Punjab:-Christian-couple-touches-Qur%E2%80%98an-with-dirty-hands,-gets-25-years-in-prison-17778.html Punjab: Christian couple touches Qur‘an with dirty hands, gets 25 years in prison] - Fareed Khan - AsiaNews.it, March 3, 2010</ref>

*2010 - '''Imran Masih''', a 22-year-old Christian shopkeeper, was beaten by a Muslim mob, arrested, and sentenced to life imprisonment for burning what a rival shopkeeper claimed were pages of the Qur'an.<ref>[http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/pakistan/14329/ Pakistani Christian Sentenced to Life under ‘Blasphemy’ Law] - Compass Direct News, January 22, 2010</ref>

*2005 - '''Younus Shaik''', author of ''Shaitan Maulvi'' (Satanic Cleric), was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for writing the allegedly blasphemous book about the Qur’an and the Islamic justice system.<ref>[http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=48330&version=1&template_id=41&parent_id=23 Court gives life term to blasphemy author] - AFP - Gulf Times, August 13, 2005</ref>

*2002 - '''Anwar Keneth''', a 40-year-old former government official, was sentenced to death for declaring that he is the Christ and that Islam is a fake religion.  Khalid Gill, a leader and spokesman for Pakistan's Christian Liberation Front, said, "We think justice has not been done in the case of Anwar Keneth.  [He] should have been treated at a mental hospital."<ref>[http://articles.latimes.com/2002/jul/19/world/fg-briefs19.1 Man Sentenced to Die in Blasphemy Case] - Los Angeles Times, July 19, 2002</ref>

==In History==

==='Umar bin Al-Khattab's Restrictions on Expression and Speech===

{{Quote|1=[http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20986 Paying Jizyah is a Sign of Kufr and Disgrace]<BR>Tafsir Ibn Kathir|2=The scholars of Hadith narrated from `Abdur-Rahman bin Ghanm Al-Ash`ari that he said, "I recorded for `Umar bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, the terms of the treaty of peace he conducted with the Christians of Ash-Sham: `In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. This is a document to the servant of Allah `Umar, the Leader of the faithful, from the Christians of such and such city. When you (Muslims) came to us we requested safety for ourselves, children, property and followers of our religion. We made a condition on ourselves that we will neither erect in our areas a monastery, church, or a sanctuary for a monk, nor restore any place of worship that needs restoration nor use any of them for the purpose of enmity against Muslims. We will not prevent any Muslim from resting in our churches whether they come by day or night, and we will open the doors [of our houses of worship] for the wayfarer and passerby. Those Muslims who come as guests, will enjoy boarding and food for three days. We will not allow a spy against Muslims into our churches and homes or hide deceit [or betrayal] against Muslims. We will not teach our children the Qur'an, publicize practices of Shirk, invite anyone to Shirk or prevent any of our fellows from embracing Islam, if they choose to do so. We will respect Muslims, move from the places we sit in if they choose to sit in them. '''We will not imitate their clothing, caps, turbans, sandals, hairstyles, speech, nicknames and title names''', or ride on saddles, hang swords on the shoulders, collect weapons of any kind or carry these weapons. '''We will not encrypt our stamps in Arabic''', or sell liquor. We will have the front of our hair cut, wear our customary clothes wherever we are, wear belts around our waist, '''refrain from erecting crosses on the outside of our churches and demonstrating them and our books in public in Muslim fairways and markets. We will not sound the bells in our churches, except discretely, or raise our voices while reciting our holy books inside our churches in the presence of Muslims, nor raise our voices [with prayer] at our funerals, or light torches in funeral processions in the fairways of Muslims, or their markets'''. We will not bury our dead next to Muslim dead, or buy servants who were captured by Muslims. We will be guides for Muslims and refrain from breaching their privacy in their homes.' When I gave this document to `Umar, he added to it, 'We will not beat any Muslim. These are the conditions that we set against ourselves and followers of our religion in return for safety and protection. If we break any of these promises that we set for your benefit against ourselves, then our Dhimmah (promise of protection) is broken and you are allowed to do with us what you are allowed of people of defiance and rebellion.'"}}

===Classic Islamic Law===

'''Acts of disbelief (including verbal denials) are punished by death:'''

{{Quote|2='''f1.3''' Someone raised among Muslims who denies the obligatoriness of the prayer, zakat, fasting Ramadan, the pilgrimage, or the unlawfulness of wine and adultery, or denies something else upon which there is scholarly consensus (ijma', def: b7) and which is necessarily known as being of the religion (N: ''necessarily known'' meaning things that any Muslim would know about if asked) thereby becomes an unbeliever (kafir) and is executed for his unbelief (O: if he does not admit he is mistaken and acknowledge the obligatoriness or unlawfulness of that which there is scholarly consensus upon.  As for if he denies the obligatoriness of something there is not consensus upon, then he is not adjudged an unbeliever).}}

{{Main|Muhammad Cartoon Controversies}}

{{Main|Theo van Gogh}}

===Geert Wilders and ''Fitna''===

Great Britain's Home Office denied entry to Dutch MP [[w:Geert Wilders|Geert Wilders]] when he attempted to enter England on invitation from the UK Independence Party's Lord Pearson  to show his controversial film ''Fitna'' at the House of Lords.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7885918.stm Dutch MP refused entry to Britain] - BBC News, February 12, 2009</ref>  The movie raised ire among Muslims around the world.  Pakistan's largest Muslim party, Jamaat-e-Islami, organized a protest outside a mosque in Karachi, and some protesters demanded Pakistan cut diplomatic relations with the Netherlands.<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-03-28-2776464862_x.htm Pakistanis protest Dutch film] - Associated Press - USA Today, March 28, 2008</ref> Jordan charged Wilders with blasphemy and contempt of Muslims for making an anti-Koran film and ordered him to stand trial in the kingdom.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL015190420080701 Jordan charges Dutch politician with blasphemy] - Reuters, July 1, 2008</ref>  In 2009, the Dutch court ordered prosecutors to put Wilders on trial for making anti-Islamic statements.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7842344.stm Islam film Dutch MP to be charged] - BBC News, January 21, 2009</ref>  In response to the indictments, Wilders said he wants to put Islam on trial and that he is “considering calling on radical imams and other idiots as witnesses.”<ref>[http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/133418 Geert Wilders May Ask 'Muslim Idiots' to Testify in Hate Trial] - Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu - Israel National News, September 14, 2009</ref>  His trial was set for January 2010.<ref>[http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2009/09/wilders_discrimination_case_in.php Wilders' discrimination case in January] - DutchNews.nl, September 14, 2009</ref>  On October 13, 2009 Geert Wilders won his appeal to Britain's Asylum and Immigration Tribunal against the British government ban.<ref>[http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE59C34D20091013?rpc=401 Dutch anti-Islam MP overturns British ban] - Reuters, October 13, 2009</ref> On November 24, 2009 the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that a planned visit to Turkey by Dutch members of parliament would not be welcome if the delegation included Geert Wilders.<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,663638,00.html Turkey Frets about Geert Wilders' Planned Visit] - Bram Vermeulen - Spiegel Online International, November 26, 2009</ref>  Wilders' called the Turkish Foreign Ministry's reaction "very stupid."<ref>[http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=far-right-politician-slams-turkey8217s-reaction-as-8216stupid8217-2009-11-26 Far-right politician slams Turkey's reaction as 'stupid'] - Fulya Ozerkan - Hurriyet Daily News, November 26, 2009</ref>

===The Satanic Verses Controversy===

{{Quote|1=Prakash George, senior police inspector of Bandra police station|2=We have registered an FIR (first information report) against Shah Rukh Khan after we received an application from an advocate who alleged that the actor made some statements hurting the sentiments of Muslims.  Complainant Khalid Babu Querishi alleged that in the July issue of the ''Time and Style'' magazine, Shah Rukh used objectionable language against the Prophet which was unacceptable.}}

Shah Rukh responded to the accusations in an SMS message to IANS:<ref>[http://www.haqeeqat.org/2009/06/22/shah-rukh-khan-reacts-comments-on-prophet-mohammad-a-writing-error/ Shah Rukh Khan Reacts: Comments on Prophet Mohammad a Writing Error] – Omer Jamil – Haqeeqat.org, June 22, 2009</ref>

Bareilly-based Markazi Darul Ifta, an authority for issuing fatwas, dismissed the fatwas issued by clerics. They stated that since Shahrukh has issued clarification that he was misrepresented in his alleged statements he should not be held guilty.<ref>[http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/news/2009/shahrukh-khan-fatwa-230609.html Shahrukh Khan gets a 'fatwa'] - Subhadeep Bhattacharjee – One India, June 23, 2009</ref>

===Malaysian Christians can't use the word "Allah" in worship===

{{Quote|2=In today's discussion, we all agreed that all Malaysians must respect and uphold the Constitution of Malaysia, which allows freedom of religion to be practiced in peace and harmony.}}

==See Also==

==References==

[[Category:Apostasy]]