Another irish referendum
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Is this another reform and vote that the Party can encourage fellow-workers to support?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/12/ireland-blasphemy-referendum
Ireland will hold a referendum in October to remove the offence of blasphemy from its constitution
It carries a maximum fine of €25,000. It prohibits the “publishing or uttering of 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”
The Organisation of Islamic Co-operation – which has 57 member states – cites Ireland’s law as best practice and has even proposed the adoption of its precise wording to limit human rights on freedom of conscience.
Ryan McChrystal of Index on Censorship commented:
“Just ignoring the law because no one is using it right now means you are forgetting that, one day, someone might.”
A related itemhttps://countercurrents.org/2018/06/12/freethinking-writer-and-politician-shot-dead-in-bangladesh/Shahzahan Bachchu was known locally and within the secular Bangladeshi movement as an outspoken, sometimes fiery activist for secularism. He printed poetry and books related to humanism and freethought via his publishing house Bishaka Prakashani (Star Publishers) was shot and killed near his village home at Kakaldi in Munshiganj district near the capital Dhaka by four men riding two motorcycles.Various government official including the prime minister Sheikh Hasina have blamed the attacks on atheists criticizing religion, and threatened prosecution under the ICT Act, which criminalizes “hurting religious sentiments”.
alanjjohnstone wrote:It prohibits the “publishing or uttering of 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” Ryan McChrystal of Index on Censorship commented:“Just ignoring the law because no one is using it right now means you are forgetting that, one day, someone might.”I would have thought this might be a case of letting sleeping dogs lie. I don't know if anyone has been prosecuted under it but it should be difficult to convict anyone as both "intention" and "outrage among a substantial number" have to be proved. Difficult, I would have thought.I don't know about Ireland but in Britain anyone doing something like that can be prosecuted under other laws. In fact I was recently warned by the police under Section 4 of the Public Order Act for telling a cyclist to fuck off (they're a nuisance when they cycle in front of you in the middle of the road at 12 mph) because I was alleged to have caused fear or offence to a single person.So I suspect that what will happen if this is repealed is that it will be replaced by some more realistic threat to criticising religion. As I sad, maybe better to let sleeping dogs lie.
Here’s the result of the referendum:
Good news of course but it remains to be seen what secondary legislation will replace it.
As no citizen has ever been charged with the offence, I don’t see the need for socialists to celebrate this change in the Irish ruling class constitution. I am not excited about it.
Not an occasion to open a bottle of champagne I agree but perhaps worth a single muted cheer. After all, although we don’t advocate reforms we are not against all reforms on principle but can recognise that some can be of benefit.
It is also nice to think that some of the crypto-religious fuckwits are having a miserable day to day.
Pakistan is rather behind Ireland on this issue. So are some other countries:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-46046074
The Jehovah Witnesses is an American religion and they have similar law, any member who disobey the law of the so called god Jehovah and the governing body is expelled, and they have their own tribunals and their own judges, They are called Apostate, but apostasy in reality is a document that must be submitted to the Vatican in order to be removed as a member from the Catholic Church, a document which they never approves. Most atheists that were Catholics are still catholics according to their laws
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