Green Energy
Ireland Passes Blasphemy Law
From
this item at The International Free Press Society, citing
this article from the
Philadelphia Atheism Examiner:
On Friday July 11th, 2009, Ireland passed the Defamation Bill by one vote. One of the aspects of this bill would make it illegal to criticize religion… any religion under penalty of fines up to 25,000 Euros. That is the equivalent to nearly $35,000.
An excerpt from the blasphemy clause:
Section 36
(1) A person who publishes or utters blasphemous matter shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable upon conviction on indictment to a fine not exceeding €100,000. [Amended to €25,000]
(2) For the purposes of this section, a person publishes or utters blasphemous matter if (a) he or she publishes or utters 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 (b) he or she intends, by the publication or utterance of the matter concerned, to cause such outrage.
Interpretation of the above legalese:
This part of the bill makes it illegal to criticize any religion either verbally or in writing. Saying anything in which a “substantial number” of followers might find offensive would now be a crime in the Ireland. But the bill goes even further....
Read the rest. Books critical of any religion can be confiscated by the police! See Section 37 of the law.
If I lived in Ireland, one entire portion of my home library would be seized, I guess. I'm referring, of course, to all my books which insult Islam.
Not to mention what's on my computers.
The Irish police are going to be chasing their own tails on this one.
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