United Against Blasphemy Laws

by | February 10, 2015
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An interactive copy of this map is available at http://end-blasphemy-laws.org/

The list of groups and organizations from all over the world that have joined the Campaign to Abolish Blasphemy Laws starts with A (Afghan Atheists Organization) and ends with Zed (Zdravomislie (Good Sense) Public Fund).

The international campaign was launched on Friday, January 30. The media covered the launch and their reaction was favourable. On February 6, the End Blasphemy Laws website posted “a round-up of all the news, bad and good” and CFI Canada announced that the International Coalition Against Blasphemy Laws (ICABL) finalized its founding charter document and posted the charter on the CFIC website:

Charter
International Coalition Against Blasphemy Laws
“ICABL”

1. We are an international coalition of organizations committed to removing blasphemy laws wherever they exist.
2. We will:

(a) Provide public education regarding blasphemy laws around the world.
(b) Advocate on behalf of victims of blasphemy laws.
(c) Lobby governments to act on expert legal opinions, which consistently recommend that these laws be repealed or abolished.

3. We defend people’s right to discuss, criticize and ridicule ideas and beliefs, even when this offends other people. Humans have rights beliefs do not.
4. With regard to freedom of speech laws which are aimed at protecting people rather than ideas, members of the coalition may have different approaches or policies.
5. We argue that blasphemy laws are harmful:

(a) They violate freedom of expression and deny equality.
(b) Actively enforced blasphemy laws infringe on and violate human rights around the world.
(c) Passive blasphemy laws reinforce active blasphemy laws.
(d) They have been repudiated by international law and governance bodies.
(e) Blasphemy laws are sometimes hidden under other language.

The Irish Trews interviewed Atheist Ireland about abolishing Ireland’s blasphemy law and published a video of the interview:

Today, the Guardian published Atheist Ireland’s open letter to Ireland’s prime minister (taoiseach), Enda Kenny, to hold a referendum on Ireland’s blasphemy law. The letter was signed by scientists, writers, comedians and politicians. The signatories, which included Eric Adriaans, National Executive Director of CFI Canada and Michel Virard, President of l’Association humaniste du Québec, stand united against blasphemy laws world wide.

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