House passes resolution condemning blasphemy laws

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution calling for the global repeal of blasphemy, apostasy and heresy laws. It was overwhelming passed on Monday, Dec. 7, with a vote of 386 - 3 under House Resolution 512.

As anyone who doesn't merely watch CNN or MSNBC, and reads beyond The New York Times or the Washington Post, there are Islamic majority countries in the world who imprison and even execute people for violating their theocratic laws against blasphemy of their majority religion or even observing the fact that their prophet married a 6-year-old girl [Aisha] and consummated the marriage when she turned nine.

Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman, was on death row for eight years following an incident in which she was accused of insulting Muhammad, their prophet and war leader. 

Just being accused of this violation of sharia law, is often a death sentence, and can be initiated by an angry husband, for example. Other religious violations that can be punished by death are homosexuality, lesbianism, converting out of Islam, and even burning a Koran.

“Blasphemy laws have affected Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Baha’i, secularists, and many other groups, are inconsistent with international human rights standards because they establish and promote official religious orthodoxy and dogma over individual liberty, and often result in violations of the freedoms of religion, thought, and expression that are protected under international instruments, including Articles 18 and 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” the resolution says. 

The resolution was introduced in 2019 by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD). It cites a finding by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) pointing out that blasphemy charges are often based on false accusations, are used for sectarian or political purposes, and foster religious intolerance, discrimination, and violence. 

The commission found that at least 70 countries had blasphemy laws as of 2018, including 18 Middle East and North African countries, eight countries in the Americas, 18 Asia-Pacific countries, 14 European nations, and 12 Sub-Saharan African countries.

In Russia, these laws were used in 2018 to ban Jehovah’s Witnesses as an extremist organization and fueled persecution of this religious group.

And we all know what's going on in China, where the laws have been used to arbitrarily detain an estimated 800,000 to 2,000,000 Uighur Muslims in internment camps because they followed Islamic rituals and practices.

In North Korea, they have been used to detain between 50,000 to 70,000 Christians in labor camps because they followed the tenets of Christianity.

The resolution calls on the President and the Secretary of State to prioritize the repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws in the bilateral relationships of the United States with all countries that have such laws.

It's a good thing.

C'mon, man, gimme a break. You know you want to follow Brain Flushings--it's free and worth every penny. And remember, every time you click on an ad, an angel gets its wings and a liberal sheds a tear. C'mon, check out the ads. Christmas is coming.

Tweet