You can always tell how confident a religion is by the amount of laws they throw around to ‘protect’ their faith. Blasphemy laws represent perhaps the most obvious example of the cowardly nature of organized religion: they are created specifically to punish anyone who questions the power of these organizations and their masters. The latest casualty in the fight against religious tyranny is Iranian singer Mohsen Namjoo, who recorded (privately, according to him) a song disparaging the Koran. It was leaked on the Internet, and so a judge has sentenced him in absentia to 5 years in jail.

Mohsen lent his voice in condemning the June 12th Iranian election results, so I’m suspicious the main reason for such a harsh sentence is political. So long as religions and governments are intertwined, unjust blasphemy laws will continue to jail people for the ‘crime’ of being skeptical. How can any human being truly be free when they cannot even express their opinions on religion? If the truth of Islam is so overwhelming, why are they so afraid of dissent?

If you live in a country without bullshit blasphemy laws, consider yourself fortunate. Islam Samhan, a 27 year old Jordanian, is facing up to a year in jail and a 10,000 Jordanian Dinar (14,000 US dollar) fine for his poetry book. The government claims he was blasphemous, but Islam contends the real reason he is being prosecuted is because of his unkind words about Arab rulers. Clearly, these guys don’t see a difference between speaking against God, and speaking against them.

These are what blasphemy laws are intended to do: silence dissenters who disagree with the established social order. Since these governments are essentially theocracies, any political action becomes a threat to the church, and can therefore be punished by blasphemy laws. It transforms what are otherwise political prisoners into religious heretics, effectively silencing dissent, and making their pious population revile these individuals. It’s why we have to fight these and other similar laws (remember the anti-blasphemy laws proposed by some of the countries in the UN?). We cannot allow free speech to be destroyed by these small minded idiots!

Alright, you guys in Ireland need to get your shit together. When reading this article on a proposed “Defamation Bill“, I had failed to realize it was already a crime to defame religion in your Republic. The problem is, of course, the very concept of ‘freedom of speech’ conflicts with any special provisions meant to protect religion. Apparently, having +90% of your population actual believers isn’t enough. These religious institutions need to be protected from slander too! Here’s part of article 40 of their Constitution:

“(6.1) The State guarantees liberty for the exercise of the following rights, subject to public order and morality:–
(i) The right of the citizens to express freely their convictions and opinions.
The education of public opinion being, however, a matter of such grave import to the common good, the State shall endeavor to ensure that organs of public opinion, such as the radio, the press, the cinema, while preserving their rightful liberty of expression, including criticism of Government policy, shall not be used to undermine public order or morality or the authority of the State. The publication or utterance of blasphemous, seditious, or indecent matter is an offence which shall be punishable in accordance with law.

I guess the problem is that no one uses this law, since their own Supreme Court can’t seem to decide what constitutes as blasphemy under the umbrella of free speech. What a surprise! Who knew curbing free speech could be so difficult? Well, now the government wants to move to plan B, which is to make offending religion a crime you have to pay money for if you get caught. It’s usually a lot easier to get convictions, and I’m sure those religious nut jobs love the idea of blasphemers becoming financially bankrupt for daring to say Catholicism sucks ass. The wording of the bill lays it out to make everything crystal clear:

Blasphemous matter” is defined as matter “that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion; and he or she intends, by the publication of the matter concerned, to cause such outrage.”

Where a person is convicted of an offence under this section, the court may issue a warrant authorizing the Garda Síochána [their police force] to enter, if necessary using reasonable force, a premises where the member of the force has reasonable grounds for believing there are copies of the blasphemous statements in order to seize them.

Great. That’s not scary at all! Would that make my fans in Ireland (I think I have 2 or three over there) get fined for downloading my show? Guys, you gotta get your asses and gear and defeat this horrible bill, please!