Indonesian loses blasphemy appeal over mosque loudspeaker complaint
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s Supreme Court has upheld a jail sentence for a mother of four who was convicted last year on blasphemy charges for complaining that her neighborhood mosque was too loud. In a March 27 ruling posted on the court’s website on Monday, the court rejected the appeal by Meliana, a 44-year old […]
Indonesia’s main Muslim group criticizes blasphemy sentence
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization has criticized the blasphemy conviction and imprisonment of a Buddhist woman who complained that the call to prayer from her neighborhood mosque was too loud. Officials from Nahdlatul Ulama, which claims 60 million members, said Thursday the woman’s complaint about mosque loudspeakers doesn’t constitute blasphemy under Indonesian […]
Female Pakistani Activist Pushes Back Against Blasphemy Charges
A female Pakistani rights activist has broken with tradition and set a precedent by seeking legal action against the person who accused her of violating the country’s anti-blasphemy laws. Gulalai Ismail, founder of the Pakistan-based, nongovernment organization Aware Girls, was accused of insulting the religion of Islam, a charge she denies. Hamza Khan, 23, a […]
Mauritania strengthens blasphemy law after blogger case
Mauritania has moved to strengthen a law criminalising apostasy and blasphemy, after a court in the West African nation ordered the release of a local blogger who faced the death penalty for allegedly criticising the Prophet Muhammad. An amendment to Article 306 of the country’s penal code will now see the death penalty applied to […]
Pakistani court orders anti-blasphemy sit-in be cleared
Islamabad, Pakistan – A Pakistani court has ordered authorities to clear an anti-blasphemy protest that has blocked a major highway into the capital Islamabad for the last 10 days, prompting fears of clashes between police and demonstrators. Hundreds of demonstrators remained gathered at the protest site on Friday, located at a major entry point to […]
Pakistan: Teenager detained over blasphemy
Pakistani police have detained and imprisoned a teenager for allegedly burning pages of the Quran outside a shrine, according to officials. Asif Massih, an 18-year-old Christian, was arrested on blasphemy charges on the night of August 12, shortly after a complaint was issued, police confirmed to Al Jazeera on Sunday. The alleged incident took place […]
Pakistan: Death penalty for blasphemy on Facebook
A Pakistani court has sentenced to death a man who allegedly committed blasphemy on Facebook, a prosecutor said, in a first such case that involves social media. The conviction of Taimoor Raza, 30, came after a high-profile crackdown against blasphemy on social media by the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Blasphemy is a highly […]
Blasphemy Laws Still Reign in Many Muslim Countries
Blasphemy laws across the world were brought back into the spotlight this week after a court in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, sentenced Jakarta’s Chinese-Christian governor to two years in prison for insulting Islam. Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama was accused of blasphemy during his re-election campaign last year when a video surfaced of […]
Indonesia’s blasphemy law
Jakarta (dpa) – Indonesia’s blasphemy law originated with a 1965 presidential decree from the country’s first president, Sukarno, a response to demands from majority Muslim organizations calling for a prohibition on deviant beliefs. It was made law in 1969 during the rule of a later president, Suharto. The law covers acts that deviate from the […]
Denmark Charges Man With Blasphemy After Burning Quran
A man who set fire to the Quran has become the first Danish national charged with blasphemy in 46 years. The 42-year-old man, who remains unidentified, filming himself burning the Muslim holy book in his garden in north Jutland in December 2015, and then posted the footage on an anti-Islam Facebook group called “Yes to […]