Canvassers promote a yes vote for an upcoming referendum on blasphemy law in Dublin on Oct. 18. (Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters)
In 1702, Thomas Emlyn, a Unitarian minister living in Dublin published a book questioning whether Jesus Christ was equal to God. The radical treatise, entitled An Humble Inquiry into the Scripture Account of Jesus Christ caused much outrage, and the next year Emlyn was charged with blasphemy and sentenced to a year in prison. Emlyn remains the last known blasphemy conviction in what is now modern-day Ireland. But 315 years later, blasphemy is still prohibited under Irish law.
On Friday Ireland will vote on whether that should change in the latest effort to move it away from its strongly conservative Catholic background to a more secular social agenda.
Under Ireland’s 1937 Constitution and the Defamation Act of 2009, blasphemy is illegal and punishable by a fine of up to 25,000 euros, or just over $28,000. The law bars “publishing or uttering matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters sacred by any religion, thereby intentionally causing outrage among a substantial number of adherents of that religion.” And the Irish Constitution states that “the publication or utterance of blasphemous, seditious, or indecent matter is an offense which shall be punishable in accordance with law.”
The country is majority-Catholic, but the influence of the Catholic church on its policies is waning. In 2015, Ireland became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. In May, Ireland voted by a landslide to repeal its abortion ban.
The referendum has received tacit support from the church, which has not condemned it. In early October, the Catholic Bishops Conference called the law “obsolete” and expressed concern over “the way such measures have been used to justify violence and oppression against minorities in other parts of the world.”
Other figures have echoed this worry.
“By removing this provision from our Constitution, we can send a strong message to the world that laws against blasphemy do not reflect Irish values and that we do not believe such laws should exist,” Ireland’s Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanaghan said in a June statement, according to CNN.
Ireland is one of 71 countries where blasphemy is illegal, according to a June 2017 report by the Commission on International Religious Freedom. But in terms of enforcing the law, many countries are much worse. In Iran and Pakistan, the act is punishable by death. In others, those convicted of blasphemy have earned time in prison or received corporal punishment.
Critics of the referendum say it is unnecessary and have raised concerns it will remove protection for the country’s minority populations.
Ali Selim from the Islamic Cultural Center of Ireland told the BBC that keeping blasphemy in the constitution protects “the cohesiveness” of communities in Ireland and guarantees their rights and freedoms.
The referendum looks on track to pass, just barely. Fifty-one percent of voters said they would vote yes, while 19 percent of voters said they would vote no, according to an Irish Times Poll. Another 25 percent were undecided.
Read more:
In Ireland, blasphemy can cost you $30,000. A referendum could change that.
Ireland votes to overturn its abortion ban, ‘culmination of a quiet revolution,’ prime minister says
Ireland’s voters approve same-sex marriage. Here’s how that happened.
Credit:Washington Post
via USAHint.com
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