The Hypocrisy of Anti-Blasphemy Laws

http://chersonandmolschky.com/2014/05/05/hypocrisy-anti-blasphemy-laws/

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Saudi Arabia is calling for anti-blasphemy laws in Norway, where “too little has been done to counter criticism against the prophet” and Muslim citizens have been victims of “hate crimes,” according to the nation of Muhammad’s birthplace. It has asked for the UN to review the situation.

Without knowing the specifics of the “hate crime” charges, it is difficult to surmise, although if there were serious attacks occurring, the people involved would be crying bloody murder. Case in point: Central African Republic. As blogger Blazing Cat Fur put it, “Muslims Attack Christians, Christians Retaliate, Amnesty [International] Labels It Ethnic Cleansing of Muslims!” And if the “hate crimes” are anything like what Britain’s Tell MAMA was reporting, they could be nothing more than name calling on social media- and that goes both ways.

As for a country like Saudi Arabia calling for anti-blasphemy laws in Norway, the chutzpah is astounding. In Saudi Arabia, no other religion can publicly exist. If you are not Muslim, you’d better not live there, and even travelers must follow strict rules. They are not permitted to carry Bibles, crosses or any other religious paraphernalia. Jews and people with “Jewish-sounding” names are not allowed entry.

The demand for anti-blasphemy laws gains momentum whenever something is blown out of proportion in the Muslim community like the “Innocence of Muslims” film or the Muhammad cartoons. However, it is always up for debate, and Saudi Arabia is appealing to the world’s love of “human rights” in order to push the issue. The trouble is, Saudi Arabia and “human rights” do not belong in the same sentence.

Sharia law is the law in Saudi Arabia, so everyone must abide by Islamic law, and the crimes of adultery, homosexuality and apostasy will get you beheaded. Alcohol consumption will land you in prison or will get you flogged. Drug dealers will often get a death sentence. Thieves will typically get one hand and one foot chopped off. If a woman is raped and reports the rape, without four male witnesses, she may be convicted of adultery, which carries a death sentence. Women have also been convicted of sorcery, another crime in Saudi Arabia where “witches” are beheaded with a sword.
But of course, insulting Muhammad in Norway is a “human rights” violation.

Pew Research did a study on blasphemy laws for the year 2011. The results showed that in the parts of the world where there is a concentration of Muslim countries, there are anti-blasphemy laws:

“Anti-blasphemy laws are particularly common in the Middle East and North Africa; 13 of the 20 countries in that region (65%) make blasphemy a crime. In the Asia-Pacific region, nine of the 50 countries (18%) had anti-blasphemy laws in 2011, while in Europe such laws were found in eight out of 45 countries (18%). Just two of the 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa – Nigeria and Somalia – had such laws as of 2011.”

The study also found that apostasy was outlawed in 20 Muslim countries but nowhere else.

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It is the hypocrisy of these laws that is worth noting. While it is blasphemy in Islam to insult Muhammad, and Muslims are adamant that the rest of the world respect their prophet, it is this very same prophet who called on his followers to massacre the unbelievers.

“I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them.” Qur’an 8:12

So in Norway, where nearly 88% of the population either belongs to the Church of Norway or to another Christian denomination, these “unbelievers” according to Islam, should respect the man who called for their slaughter?

Muhammad was also very pleased when a man stabbed his pregnant wife in the stomach, killing her, after she had criticized the “prophet.” He declared that such a murder is lawful, thereby setting the precedent for these anti-blasphemy laws for anyone who would dare to criticize him.

Muslims take this very seriously. So much so, that a report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom found that there were 14 people on death row for blasphemy in Pakistan and another 19 serving life sentences. According to the same report, there were 10 Muslim countries altogether where people were facing criminal investigations, prison or the death penalty for blasphemy and only one Christian one, which was a rare case.

Now, there are approximately 5000 honor killings which take place each year worldwide, one-fifth of which are in Pakistan alone. Yet Pakistan has anti-blasphemy laws. It’s ok to murder your female family members, just don’t insult the prophet.

Islam also has an abysmal record of other abuses toward women with new fatwas being issued by Muslim clerics against women on a regular basis, a recent one by a Saudi cleric allowing for jihadists in Syria to have sex with their sisters if no one else was available. Women are often the victims of acid attacks, beatings (one cleric has instructed his followers on the “right way to beat your wife”) and other domestic abuse, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, child marriage, etc. The treatment of women in Islam is so devastating, it is incomprehensible. Yet nary a bad word against Muhammad!

The history of Islam is plagued with brutality not only against women but against the adherents of other religions, and over 270 million people have been slaughtered as the result of Muslim conquests. And the slaughter continues. Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and anyone else who is not Muslim or is not the “right kind of Muslim” receive the wrath of Muhammad and his teachings.
Since 9/11, there have been nearly 23,000 deadly Islamic terrorist attacks. The bloodshed is unfathomable. During the month of April 2014, there were over 1500 murdered, over 2400 critically injured in 23 countries and belonging to five different religions- all perpetrated by those who follow Muhammad, the “prophet” we must all “respect.”

Anti-blasphemy laws are one-sided as they are generally about Islam. While it is blasphemy in Islam to insult Muhammad, according to all other religions, he was not a prophet. Furthermore, he is the one who prompted his followers to hate and destroy the rest of us. Yet we must respect this? Where is the logic?

By: Rachel Molschky