The Senate passed a new resolution that urges the United States to strive towards abolishing anti-conversion and blasphemy laws around the world.

“The Religious Freedom Resolution helps to give a voice to religious minorities by stating that the United States will be vigilant in working toward repealing existing blasphemy laws internationally,” said Senator Jim Inhofe in a statement on February 5.

The statement highlighted two cases of Christians who were sentenced to death on grounds of their religious belief – a Sudanese woman who was jailed for committing apostasy and a Pakistani couple that was locked in a brick kiln and burnt to death in the witness of 12,000 people.

The bill, which was co-sponsored by seven senators, six Republicans and one Independent, describes several other cases from different Muslim regimes or radical groups that have persecuted religious minorities in Iraq, Iran, Nigeria and Indonesia. It also draws some case studies from countries like India, China and North Korea. Apart from urging the American government in strong words to lead the international effort in abolishing such laws, Resolution 69 does not state anything specific about how the United States will go about the initiative.

Earlier this year, secular groups in Canada and other countries decided to come together to fight against blasphemy laws. Led by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) and the European Humanist Federation, the new End Blasphemy Laws Campaign is expected to represent 200 secular and humanist organizations from around the world, all of whom believe these laws do nothing but restrict free speech. Together, these organizations plan to fight for those prosecuted under blasphemy laws and urge for such laws to be repealed in their respective nations.

Centre for Inquiry Canada (CIC) and Humanist Canada partnered with similar organizations from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ireland and the Philippines to form the coalition that was launched on January 30.

“This is the largest and best co-ordinated anti-blasphemy law coalition and campaign in history,” CIC head Eric Adriaans said. “IHEU has issued reports on blasphemy laws in the past, but this is the first time that I’ve seen organizations around the world actively co-operate and merge initiatives in this way.”

While IHEU president Sonja Eggerickx said the recent attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo brought the organizations renewed momentum to move on to an international level, EHG president Pierre Galand said the campaign is not meant to provoke hate. Instead, the coalition will focus on what with what it perceives as a double standard.

Even though the European Union claims to have a stand against blasphemy laws around the world, many of its own member states have still not repealed their own.

In Ireland, the Charlie Hebdo attack led to renewed calls for the repeal of the country’s anti-blasphemy laws. While the government accepted a recommendation for a referendum on the offence last year, Prime Minister Enda Kenny announced this year that no change would be made during the current government’s tenure. Atheist Ireland chairperson John Hamill said his organization would meet with Kenny in February to urge his government to reconsider the dismissal of reviewing the law. According to Article 40 of the Irish Constitution, blasphemy is an offence. Additionally, a new blasphemy law was introduced in 2009 that makes the crime punishable by a fine of up to $30,000. The implementation of the new law took many in the country by surprise.

On the other hand, the United Kingdom repealed its blasphemy law only a year ago while the United States has never had one at the federal level.

“The distinction between Ireland and those who carry out executions for blasphemy must consist of more than just the severity of the punishment,” said Atheist Ireland in a letter addressed to Kenny.

In Canada, even though the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects free speech, the Criminal Code still considers “blasphemous libel” a crime that is punishable by up to two years in jail. In January, the Centre for Inquiry urged the Canadian government to repeal the law that it believes undermines Canada’s power in condemning violence against freedom of speech and expression abroad.

“It is time the Canadian government actively opposed blasphemy laws and the brutality and violence they precipitate,” said CFI. “Abandoning its own law, he says, is a necessary first step.”

According to a 2014 United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) study, Pakistan uses the blasphemy law more than any other country in the world, with 14 people on death row and 19 people serving life sentences because of it currently. The report also noted that Pakistan’s Federal Sharia Court recently said the death penalty should be the only punishment meted out for blasphemy. Additionally, Bangladesh, Greece, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Turkey and Sudan have been listed as countries that have stringent blasphemy laws in place as well. Reportedly, over the last few years, these countries have been enforcing such laws, which violate international human rights standards, with increased severity and regularity.

Photo Credits: The Examiner