Editing Blasphemy (section)

==By religion==

===Christianity===
{{anchor|Blasphemy in Christianity}}

====Biblical texts====
[[Christian theology]] condemns blasphemy. "[[Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain]]", one of the [[Ten Commandments]], forbids blasphemy, which Christians regard as "an affront to God's holiness".<ref name="Sherwood2021">{{cite book |last1=Sherwood |first1=Yvonne |title=Blasphemy: A Very Short Introduction |date=26 August 2021 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-251819-4 |page=50 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Bright2005">{{cite book |author1=[[Bill Bright]] |title=The Joy of Faithful Obedience |date=2005 |publisher=Cook Communications |isbn=978-0-7814-4252-7 |page=52 |language=English}}</ref> 

Leviticus 24:16 states that "anyone who blasphemes the name of Yahweh will be put to death".<ref name="Netton1996">{{cite book |last1=Netton |first1=Ian Richard |title=Text and Trauma: An East-West Primer |date=1996 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-7007-0325-8 |page=2 |language=en}}</ref> 

In [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] [[s:Bible (World English)/Mark#3:29|3:29]], blaspheming the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]] is spoken of as unforgivable—an [[eternal sin]].<ref name="Saunders2021">{{cite book |last1=Saunders |first1=Craig D. |title=A Mediator in Matthew: An Analysis of the Son of Man's Function in the First Gospel |date=1 March 2021 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-5326-9704-3 |page=77 |language=en}}</ref>

====Church history====

In the early history of the Church, blasphemy "was considered to show active disrespect to God and to involve the use of profane cursing or mockery of his powers".<ref name="Nash2007"/>

In ''[[The Whole Duty of Man]]'', sometimes attributed to [[Richard Allestree]] or [[John Fell (bishop)|John Fell]], blasphemy is described as "speaking any evil Thing of God", and as "the highest Degree whereof is cursing him; or if we do not speak it with our Mouths, yet if we do it in our Hearts, by thinking any unworthy Thing of him, it is look'd on by God, who sees the Heart, as the vilest Dishonour."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Allestree |first1=Richard |title=The whole duty of man, laid down in a plain and familiar way |url=https://archive.org/details/wholedutyofmanla00alle |date=1658}}</ref>

* [[Thomas Aquinas]] says that "[if] we compare murder and blasphemy as regards the objects of those sins, it is clear that blasphemy, which is a sin committed directly against God, is more grave than murder, which is a sin against one's neighbor. On the other hand, if we compare them in respect of the harm wrought by them, murder is the graver sin, for murder does more harm to one's neighbor, than blasphemy does to God".<ref>Thomas Aquinas: [http://www.newadvent.org/summa/3013.htm#article3 ''Summa Theologica''] 2:2, q. 13.</ref>
* The ''[[Book of Concord]]'' calls blasphemy "the greatest sin that can be outwardly committed".<ref>[http://www.bookofconcord.org/lc-3-tencommandments.php ''The Book of Concord''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315051445/http://bookofconcord.org/lc-3-tencommandments.php |date=15 March 2009 }} ''The Large Catechism,'' §55.</ref>
* The ''[[Baptist Confession of Faith]]'' says: "Therefore, to swear vainly or rashly by the glorious and awesome name of God…is sinful, and to be regarded with disgust and detestation. …For by rash, false, and vain oaths, the Lord is provoked and because of them this land mourns".<ref>[http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/creeds/bcof.htm#part23 The Baptist Confession of Faith] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100407070838/http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/creeds/bcof.htm |date= 7 April 2010 }} Ch. 23, §2–3.</ref>
* ''The [[Heidelberg Catechism]]'' answers question 100 about blasphemy by stating that "no sin is greater or provokes God's wrath more than the blaspheming of His Name".<ref>[http://www.wts.edu/resources/heidelberg.html The Heidelberg Catechism] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090613033525/http://www.wts.edu/resources/heidelberg.html |date=13 June 2009 }} Q. 100.</ref>
* The ''[[Westminster Confession of Faith|Westminster Larger Catechism]]'' explains that "The sins forbidden in the third commandment are, the abuse of it in an ignorant, vain, irreverent, profane...mentioning...by blasphemy...to profane jests, ...vain janglings, ...to charms or sinful lusts and practices".<ref>[http://www.reformed.org/documents/wlc_w_proofs/WLC_091-150.html Westminster Larger Catechism] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120911195148/http://www.reformed.org/documents/wlc_w_proofs/WLC_091-150.html |date=11 September 2012 }} Q. 113.</ref>
* [[Jean Calvin|Calvin]] found it intolerable "when a person is accused of blasphemy, to lay the blame on the [[wikt:ebullition|ebullition]] of passion, as if God were to endure the penalty whenever we are provoked".<ref>Jean Calvin: ''[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom06.ii.xvii.html Harmony of the Law]'' vol. 4. Lev. 24:10.</ref>

====Catholic prayers and reparations for blasphemy====

In the Catholic Church, there are specific prayers and devotions as [[Acts of Reparation]] for blasphemy.<ref>[http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm Act of Reparation for Blasphemies Uttered Against the Holy Name, Righting Wrongs Through Prayer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118184246/http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm |date=18 January 2008 }} By Scott P. Richert, About.com</ref> For instance, [[The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)]] first introduced by Sister [[Marie of St Peter]] in 1844 is recited "''in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy''". This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable [[Leo Dupont]]) was approved by Pope [[Leo XIII]] in 1885.<ref>Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) {{ISBN|0-89555-390-2}}</ref> The [[Raccolta]]book includes a number of such prayers.<ref>Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 ''The Raccolta'', St Athanasius Press {{ISBN|978-0-9706526-6-9}}</ref> The [[Five First Saturdays]] devotions are done with the intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.

The [[Holy See]] has specific "Pontifical organizations" for the purpose of the reparation of blasphemy through [[Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ]], e.g. the ''Pontifical Congregation of the [[Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face]].''<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html Letter for 50th anniversary of the Benedictine Sisters of Reparation of the Holy Face, 2000] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502234831/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html |date=2 May 2008 }} Vatican archives</ref>

====Disputation of Paris====

During the [[Middle Ages]] a series of debates on [[Judaism]] were staged by the [[Catholic Church]], including the [[Disputation of Paris]] (1240), the [[Disputation of Barcelona]] (1263), and [[Disputation of Tortosa]] (1413–14), and during those disputations, Jewish converts to Christianity, such as [[Nicholas Donin]] (in Paris) and [[Pablo Christiani]] (in Barcelona) claimed the Talmud contained insulting references to Jesus.<ref>Carroll, James, Constantine's sword: the church and the Jews : a history, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2002</ref><ref>Seidman, Naomi, Faithful renderings: Jewish-Christian difference and the politics of translation, University of Chicago Press, 2006 p. 137</ref><ref>Cohn-Sherbok, Dan, Judaism and other faiths, Palgrave Macmillan, 1994, p. 48</ref>

The [[Disputation of Paris]], also known as the Trial of the Talmud, took place in 1240 at the court of the reigning king of France, [[Louis IX of France|Louis IX]] (St. Louis). It followed the work of [[Nicholas Donin]], a Jewish convert to [[Christianity]], who translated the [[Talmud]] and pressed 35 charges against it to [[Pope Gregory IX]] by quoting a series of alleged blasphemous passages about [[Jesus]], [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mary]] or Christianity.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rZGx-bS3vcgC&pg=PA137|title=Faithful Renderings: Jewish-Christian Difference and the Politics of Translation|first=Naomi|last=Seidman|date=2010|publisher=University of Chicago Press|via=Google Books|pages=136–138|isbn=978-0-226-74507-7 }}</ref> Four [[rabbis]] defended the Talmud against Donin's accusations. A commission of Christian theologians condemned the Talmud to be burned and on 17 June 1244, twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts were [[Book burning|set on fire]] in the streets of Paris.<ref>{{cite book|title=The history of the Talmud, from the time of its formation, about 200 B.C.|first=Michael Levi|last=Rodkinson|pages= 66–75|year= 1918|publisher=Talmud Society}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Judaism on Trial: Jewish-Christian Disputations in the Middle Ages|url=https://archive.org/details/judaismontrialje00macc|url-access=registration|first=Hyam |last=Maccoby|year= 1982|publisher=Associated University Presses|isbn=978-0-8386-3053-2}}</ref> The translation of the Talmud from [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] to non-Jewish languages stripped Jewish discourse from its covering, something that was resented by Jews as a profound violation.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=rZGx-bS3vcgC&dq=disputation+of+paris&pg=PA137 Naomi Seidman, ''Faithful Renderings: Jewish-Christian Difference and the Politics of Translation'', pp. 136–138]</ref>

Between 1239 and 1775, the Roman Catholic Church at various times either forced the censoring of parts of the Talmud that it considered theologically problematic or the destruction of copies of the Talmud.<ref name="expunged">{{cite book |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=bunHURgi7FcC&q=talmud+censorship&pg=PA110| title = Encyclopedia of Censorship |author=Jonathon Green |author2=Nicholas J. Karolides|publisher = Infobase Publishing| page = 110 |year = 2009| isbn = 978-1-4381-1001-1| access-date= 13 February 2014}}</ref> During the inquisition, sects deemed heretical such as the [[Waldensians]] were also charged with blasphemy.<ref name="Napier 2017 p. 60">{{cite book | last=Napier | first=G. | title=Maleficium: Witchcraft and Witch Hunting in the West | publisher=Amberley Publishing | year=2017 | isbn=978-1-4456-6511-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H2AuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT60 | access-date=2023-05-09 | page=60}}</ref>

===Islam===

[[File:Brooklyn Museum - The Execution of Mansur Hallaj From the Warren Hastings Album.jpg|thumb|Sufi teacher [[Mansur Al-Hallaj]] was executed in Baghdad amid political intrigue and charges of blasphemy in 922.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Avery|first1=Kenneth|title=Psychology of Early Sufi Sama: Listening and Altered States|date=2004|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-31106-9|page=3}}</ref>]]
{{Main|Islam and blasphemy}}

====Punishment and definition====
{{anchor | Punishment in Islam }}

Blasphemy in [[Islam]] is impious utterance or action concerning [[God in Islam|God]], [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]] or anything considered sacred in Islam.<ref>"[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/blasphemy Blasphemy]" at dictionary.com</ref><ref name="Wiederhold, Lutz 1997">Wiederhold, Lutz. "Blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad and his companions (sabb al-rasul, sabb al-sahabah): The introduction of the topic into shafi'i legal literature and its relevance for legal practice under Mamluk rule". ''Journal of semitic studies'' '''42'''.1 (1997): 39–70.</ref> The [[Quran]] admonishes blasphemy, but does not specify any worldly punishment for blasphemy.<ref name="SaeedSaeed2004">{{Cite book |last1 = Saeed |first1 = Abdullah |last2 = Saeed |first2= Hassan |title = Freedom of Religion, Apostasy and Islam |publisher = Ashgate Publishing Company |year = 2004 |location = Burlington VT |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sjQKAQAAMAAJ&q=Freedom+of+Religion,+Apostasy+and+Islam |isbn = 978-0-7546-3083-8|pages=38–39}}</ref> The [[hadith]]s, which are another source of [[Sharia]], suggest various punishments for blasphemy, which may include [[Capital and corporal punishment in Islam|death]].<ref name="SaeedSaeed2004"/><ref>Siraj Khan. ''Blasphemy against the Prophet, in Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture'' (ed: Coeli Fitzpatrick PhD, Adam Hani Walker). {{ISBN|978-1-61069-177-2}}, pp. 59–67.</ref> However, it has been argued that the death penalty applies only to cases where there is [[Treason#Muslim countries|treason]] involved that may seriously harm the [[Muslim]] community, especially during times of war.<ref>{{cite book|author=Taha Jabir Alalwani|url=http://iiit.org/iiitftp/publications/Bibs/Books-in-Brief%20Apostasy%20in%20Islam%20A%20Historical%20and%20Scriptural%20Analysis.pdf|title=Apostasy in Islam: a Historical and Scriptural Analysis|location=Herndon, VA|publisher=International Institute of Islamic Thought|year=2012|isbn=978-1-56564-585-1|type=Archived copy |access-date=2015-09-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219032457/http://iiit.org/iiitftp/publications/Bibs/Books-in-Brief%20Apostasy%20in%20Islam%20A%20Historical%20and%20Scriptural%20Analysis.pdf |archive-date=19 February 2015}}</ref> Different traditional [[Madhhab|schools of jurisprudence]] prescribe different punishment for blasphemy, depending on whether the blasphemer is Muslim or non-Muslim, a man or a woman.<ref name="SaeedSaeed2004"/> In the modern [[Muslim world]], the laws pertaining to blasphemy [[Blasphemy law|vary by country]], and some countries prescribe punishments consisting of fines, imprisonment, [[Zanjeer zani|flogging]], [[hanging]], or [[Beheading in Islam|beheading]].<ref name=psns>P Smith (2003). "Speak No Evil: Apostasy, Blasphemy and Heresy in Malaysian Syariah Law". ''UC Davis Journal Int'l Law & Policy''. 10, pp. 357–373.
* N Swazo (2014). "The Case of Hamza Kashgari: Examining Apostasy, Heresy, and Blasphemy Under Sharia". ''The Review of Faith & International Affairs'' '''12'''(4). pp.&nbsp;16–26.</ref> Blasphemy laws were rarely enforced in pre-modern Islamic societies, but in the modern era some states and radical groups have used charges of blasphemy in an effort to burnish their religious credentials and gain popular support at the expense of liberal Muslim intellectuals and religious minorities.<ref name=failed3>{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Islam|title=Blasphemy|editor= Juan Eduardo Campo|publisher=Infobase Publishing|year=2009}}</ref> In recent years, accusations of blasphemy against Islam have sparked international controversies and played part in incidents of mob violence and assassinations of prominent figures.

====Failed OIC anti-blasphemy campaign at UN====
{{anchor |  UN  | IOC campaign | IOC UN campaign | Islamic Cooperation's UN campaign }}
{{Main|Blasphemy and the United Nations}}

The campaign for worldwide criminal penalties for the "defamation of religions" had been spearheaded by [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]] (OIC) on behalf of the United Nations' large Muslim bloc. The campaign ended in 2011 when the proposal was withdrawn in Geneva, in the Human Rights Council because of lack of support, marking an end to the effort to establish worldwide blasphemy strictures along the lines of those in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. This resolution had passed every year since 1999, in the United Nations, with declining number of "yes" votes with each successive year.<ref name=failed1>[http://www.nationalreview.com/article/263450/anti-blasphemy-measure-laid-rest-nina-shea An Anti-Blasphemy Measure Laid to Rest] Nina Shea, National Review (31 March 2011)</ref> In the early 21st century, blasphemy became an issue in the [[United Nations]] (UN). The United Nations passed several resolutions which called upon the world to take action against the "defamation of religions".<ref>U.N. Resolutions:
* [http://daccess-ods.un.org/access.nsf/Get?Open&DS=A/RES/60/150&Lang=E A/RES/60/150]
* [http://daccess-ods.un.org/access.nsf/Get?Open&DS=A/60/PV.64&Lang=E Vote on 16 December 2005 (A/60/PV.64)]
</ref> However, in July 2011, the [[UN Human Rights Committee]] (UNHRC) released a 52-paragraph statement which affirmed the freedom of speech and rejected the laws banning "display of lack of respect for a religion or other belief system'.<ref name=failed2>[http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrc/docs/GC34.pdf General Comment 34]</ref>

====Depictions of Muhammad====
{{see|Depictions of Muhammad}}

When the Danish newspaper [[Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy|''Jyllands-Posten'' decided to publish cartoons of Muhammad]], its editor-in-chief wrote an editorial that the newspaper was publishing the cartoons because Muslims had to get over their "sickly oversensitivity". Another editor looked upon it as a cultural initiation: "By making fun of people we're also including them in our society. It's not always easy for those concerned, but that the price they're got to pay".<ref>
Laborde C. The Danish Cartoon Controversy and the Challenges of Multicultural Politics: A Discussion of The Cartoons That Shook the World. Perspectives on Politics. 2011;9(3):603-605. doi:10.1017/S1537592711002817</ref> Editors expressed concern that Danish comedians, artists and so on were self-censoring because they were afraid of a violent response from Muslims. 

The global protests that erupted in February 2006 shocked the artists who submitted cartoons. After receiving a bomb threat one cartoonist was angry that Muslims fleeing persecution in their own countries would "want the laws they have fled" to be enforced in Denmark. The editors stood their ground: "Everyone had to accept being subject to satire."<ref name=Klausen>{{cite book |last=Klausen |first=Jytte |title=The Cartoons That Shook the World |publisher=Yale University Press |date=2009}}</ref>

[[Al Qaeda]] claimed responsibility for a car bombing at the Danish embassy in [[Islamabad, Pakistan]] in June 2008 which they said was revenge for the "insulting drawings".<ref name=Klausen/>

After the [[Charlie Hebdo attack]] in 2015 ''[[Je Suis Charlie]]'' became a rallying cry for secular, free speech advocates. The attacks took place in France where the culture of militant secularism celebrates blasphemy but permits viewpoint based restrictions and prior restraint of speech. [[Emmanuel Todd]] was very skeptical and critical of the "right to blasphemy" narrative. Skeptics thought it amounted to little more than ridicule of a marginalized group. Scholars rebutting Todd's study have found that many of the protestors were liberal, tolerant people who did not have Islamophobic or xenophobic views. For many of the ''Je Suis Charlie'' protestors the sentiment of the protest was simply: it is not ok to kill someone because they have offended you.<ref>{{cite book |title=After Charlie Hebdo: Terror, Racism and Free Speech |publisher=Zed Books |date=2017 |page=53-9}}</ref>

===Judaism===
{{See also|List of capital crimes in the Torah}}
[[File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 102.png|thumb|Nathan confronts [[David]] over his sex scandal with Bathsheba the wife of Uriah the Hittite, saying "by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme" ([[:s:Bible (King James)/2 Samuel#Chapter 12|2 Samuel 12]]:14).]]

In {{bibleverse|Leviticus|24:16|NRSV}} the punishment for blasphemy is death. In [[Halakha|Jewish law]] the only form of blasphemy which is punishable by death is blaspheming the [[Tetragrammaton|name of the Lord]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/3354-blasphemy|title=Blasphemy|encyclopedia=JewishEncyclopedia.com}}</ref> Leviticus 24:16 states that "anyone who blasphemes the name of Yahweh will be put to death".<ref name="Netton1996"/>

The [[Seven Laws of Noah]], which Judaism sees as applicable to all people, prohibit blasphemy.<ref name="Jewishvirtuallibrary.org">{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/The_Seven_Noahide_Laws.html|title=The Seven Noachide Laws |publisher=JewishVirtualLibrary.org|access-date=8 November 2014}}</ref>

In one of the texts of the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]], called the [[Damascus Document]], violence against non-Jews (also called [[Gentiles]]) is prohibited, except in cases where it is sanctioned by a Jewish governing authority "so that they will not blaspheme".<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia| publisher = Oxford University Press| isbn = 978-0-19-508450-4| title = Gentiles –. Oxford Reference| encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls| year = 2000| access-date = 2017-05-29| url = http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195084504.001.0001/acref-9780195084504-e-183}}{{subscription required|via=[[OUP]]}}</ref>

=== Buddhism ===

[[Buddhism]] has no concept of blasphemy. In contrast, in [[West Asia]], the birthplace of [[Abrahamic religions]] (namely [[Islam and blasphemy#Death|Islam]], [[Judaism]], and [[#Punishment in Christianity|Christianity]]), there was no room for such tolerance and respect for dissent where heretics and blasphemers had to pay with their lives.

Insulting Buddhism is a punishable offence in some Buddhist majority counties like Sri Lanka and Myanmar. In 2015 a man from New Zealand was sentenced to prison for depicting a picture of Buddha with headphones.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dw.com/en/myanmar-court-jails-three-over-insult-to-buddhism/a-18320079 | title=Three jailed for insult to Buddha – DW – 03/17/2015 | website=[[Deutsche Welle]] }}</ref> Similarly in 2020, [[Shakthika Sathkumara]], a Sri Lankan author, was sentenced 10 years in prison for insulting Buddhism.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://newhumanist.org.uk/articles/5671/insulting-the-buddha | title=Insulting the Buddha | date=13 August 2020 }}</ref>

=== Sikhism ===

Blasphemy is taken harshly by Sikhs. It is called “''beadbi''” by Sikhs. In October, 2021, a [[Nihang|Nihang Singh]] killed a man for ''beadbi'' of the [[Sarbloh Granth]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last1=Sethi |first1=Chitleen K. |last2=ThePrint |date=2021-12-19 |title=What is 'beadbi' or sacrilege in Sikhism, which sees Guru Granth Sahib as living Guru |url=https://theprint.in/india/what-is-beadbi-or-sacrilege-in-sikhism-which-sees-guru-granth-sahib-as-living-guru/784089/ |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref> In December, 2021, a man was beaten to death at the [[Golden Temple]] for committing blasphemy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mehmood |first=Asif |date=2021-12-18 |title=Hindu man beaten to death at Golden Temple in Amritsar |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2334545/hindu-man-beaten-to-death-at-golden-temple-in-amritsar?amp=1 |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=The Express Tribune}}</ref> Such punishments are justified with orthodox Sikhs saying, “instant justice” is deserving for ''beadbi'' which is the “ultimate act of crime”.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Taskin |first=Bismee |date=2021-10-15 |title='He was running with a Sikh holy book': The 'crime' for which Sikh man was lynched & hacked |url=https://theprint.in/india/he-was-running-with-a-sikh-holy-book-the-crime-for-which-sikh-man-was-lynched-hacked/751375/ |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" />