TWH – It’s Blasphemy Day!
A little-known international holiday has gained some traction in recent years to educate the public about blasphemy laws and to defend freedom of expression, especially when it relates to the open criticism of religion, an act that is criminalized in many countries. It is not officially recognized by any nation.
International Blasphemy Day was introduced in 2009 by the Center for Inquiry, a U.S. nonprofit organization founded in 1991 by atheist philosopher and author Paul Kurtz. The Center works to mitigate belief in pseudoscience and the paranormal, as well as to fight the influence of religion in government. Dr. Ronald A. Lindsey, the president of the Center for Inquiry, told USA Today at the first International Blasphemy Day that the celebrants were “not seeking to offend, but if in the course of dialogue and debate, people become offended, that’s not an issue for us. There is no human right not to be offended.”
September 30 was chosen as Blasphemy Day because the date is the anniversary of the 2005 publication of satirical editorial images of the Prophet Mohammed by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. The publication of the images, and their subsequent republication and denouncements, led to international protests which turned violent in some Muslim nations.
“Blasphemy laws are astonishingly widespread,” The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) notes. “71 countries spread out across many regions maintain such statutes.
“Most blasphemy laws were embedded in the criminal codes,” USCIRF continues, “and 86 percent of states with blasphemy laws prescribed imprisonment for convicted offenders. Some blasphemy statutes even imposed the death penalty.”
Blasphemy is defined as “the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for [a monotheistic god].” The action of blasphemy is broad and not limited to blasphemous speech, and generally only refers to a monotheistic understanding of deity.
Nigeria, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Mauritania, and Saudi Arabia have blasphemy laws where death is a punishment. Over 50 nations have prison as a punishment for blasphemous speech or acts.
Recently, 22-year-old Kurdish Zhina (Mahsa) Amini died in the custody of the Iranian morality police after suffering a skull fracture caused by severe trauma. She was arrested for improperly wearing her hijab in Tehran on September 13. Her death has sparked ongoing protests in Iran, condemnations from international leaders and celebrities, and the United States Department of the Treasury imposing sanctions on the Iranian morality police and related Iranian security leaders.
Mahsa Amini [Credit: Immerfreshnails CCA-SA 4.0]
“Mahsa Amini’s horrific death is a culmination of months of violent Iranian government repression of women on the basis of religion,” said USCIRF commissioner Sharon Kleinbaum. “Those responsible for her death must be held accountable. Furthermore, we urge President Biden to unreservedly condemn Iran for its violent and systematic attacks on women like Ms. Amini for wearing an ‘improper hijab,’ and other egregious violations of religious freedom.
USCIRF Commissioner Eric Ueland added in a statement, “It is outrageous that wearing a loose hijab in Iran can be grounds for this kind of state violence.”
Civilian disobedience and protests continue in Iran against the morality police and the hijab restriction triggered by Mahsa Amini’s death as a direct challenge to the theocratic regime.
Blasphemy laws worldwide. No blasphemy law (grey) | Repealed (green) | Local restrictions (yellow) | Fines and restrictions (orange)| Prison sentences (Red)| Death sentences (Dark Red) [Credit: Conqustador CC BY-SA 4.0]
Unsurprisingly many nations with severe blasphemy laws also have severe penalties for the practice of Witchcraft. It is fallacious, however, to think that blasphemy laws are consigned to Muslim nations.
Despite various levels of decriminalization, blasphemy laws are on the books in places like Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and parts of the United Kingdom. In England and Wales, for example, “blasphemy” and “blasphemous libel” laws were only abolished in 2008, and the passage of the Hate Crimes and Public Order Act in Scotland in 2021 signaled the repeal of Scotland’s common law provision of “blasphemy.” Northern Ireland, however, continues to maintain “blasphemy” and “blasphemous libel” provisions, though there is recent support for their repeal.
Norway and Iceland only recently removed blasphemy laws in 2015, and New Zealand removed them in 2019. Canada removed blasphemous libel from its criminal code in 2018.
As for the U.S.A., blasphemy laws were generally invalidated in the 20th Century under the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution, but that doesn’t mean that blasphemy laws do not exist.
Massachusetts, Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania have blasphemy laws on the books from their foundations. Pennsylvania’s law was found to be unconstitutional only in 2010 (Kalman v. Cortes).
Chapter 272 of the Massachusetts General Law contains colonial-era language and reads:
Whoever willfully blasphemes the holy name of God by denying, cursing or contumeliously reproaching God, His creation, government or final judging of the world, or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching or exposing to contempt and ridicule, the holy word of God contained in the holy scriptures shall be punished by imprisonment in jail for not more than one year or by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars, and may also be bound to good behavior.
Michigan law states:
Any person who shall willfully blaspheme the holy name of God, by cursing or contumeliously reproaching God, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.” The law there (750.103) adds an anti-profanity statement that reads “Any person who has arrived at the age of discretion, who shall profanely curse or damn or swear by the name of God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. No such prosecution shall be sustained unless it shall be commenced within 5 days after the commission of such offense.
The recent attack on acclaimed author Salman Rushdie has underscored the battle against blasphemy laws. However, the erosion between church and state continues to play out.
As some quarters remember Blasphemy Day, Tennesseans have received a gubernatorial proclamation from Governor Bill Lee that September 30 be a “Day of Prayer, Humility and Fasting.”
The proclamation reads:
WHEREAS, we walk humbly together with God in hope so that we may act with justice, kindness and love, no matter the circumstance; and
WHEREAS, we seek forgiveness for our many transgressions so that our hearts and our minds may be renewed; and
WHEREAS, Scripture tells us that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and the Lord gives wisdom freely to those who ask for it; and
WHEREAS, the people of Tennessee acknowledge our rich blessings, our deep transgressions, the complex challenges ahead, and the need to pause, to humble ourselves and to seek God’s guidance for the days ahead;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Bill Lee, Governor of the State of Tennessee, do hereby proclaim
September 30, 2022 as a voluntary
Day of Prayer, Humility and Fasting
in Tennessee and encourage all citizens to join me in this worthy observance.
The proclamation is on the heels of Tennessee’s “In God We Trust” license plates that were recently re-affirmed by the governor after becoming available in 2017. Tennesseans may choose an “In God We Trust” license plate or, per state law, a standard license plate. Those choosing an “In God We Trust” license plate will have numbers on the plate followed by letters. Those choosing a standard license plate will have letters followed by numbers.
The new Tennessee license plate, without the phrase “In God We Trust.” (credit: tn.gov)
Suspicious minds might claim this would be an easy way to filter those who accept “In God We Trust” from those who do not want it on their cars. Kelly Cortesi, a spokesperson for Tennessee’s Department of Revenue, assures everyone that is not the case. The coincidence is only for “administrative and inventory purposes.”
“This helps prevent duplicate issuance of sequences between the two plate types,” said Cortesi.
What a relief.
Happy Blasphemy Day!
Editorial Note (1 October 2022): The image identifies South Africa as have “fines or restrictions. Damon Leff notes that “Whilst blasphemy, defined as “unlawfully, intentionally and publicly acting contemptuously towards God”, remains a common law offence in South Africa, section 15 of the 1996 South African Constitution provides a guarantee of the right to freedom of religion, thought, belief and opinion. Section 39(2) of the Constitution provides that when interpreting or applying legislation and common law, such law must be consistent with the spirit, purport and objects of the Bill of Rights. The Constitution supersedes common law. The common law on blasphemy is inconsistent with section 15 of the Bill of Rights and is therefore unenforceable. Blasphemy is no longer a crime in South Africa.“
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