Sunday, January 03, 2010

Irish atheists defy new blasphemy law

We read:
"An Irish atheist group has begun a campaign to have a controversial new blasphemy law repealed by publishing 25 quotations it claims are blasphemous on its website.

The new law that came into force on New Year's Day, making blasphemy a crime that can result in a fine of up to 25,000 euros ($40,128), is "both silly and dangerous", according to Michael Nugent of Atheist Ireland.

The group, which promotes a "rational, ethical, secular Ireland", has published quotations from the words of Jesus, Mohammed, Pope Benedict XVI, US guitarist Frank Zappa, Indian-British novelist Salman Rushdie, British comedy troupe Monty Python, former Northern Ireland first minister Ian Paisley and Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern.

Mr Ahern, who introduced the amending law earlier this year to reform a 1961 defamation law, said he would have preferred to have abolished it but he could not do so for constitutional reasons. Ireland's 1937 constitution says the "publication or utterance of blasphemous, seditious or indecent matter is an offence which shall be punishable in accordance with law". The provision cannot be changed without a referendum.

Source



Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

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