Northern Ireland Humanists, part of the charity Humanists UK, launch campaign to do away with Northern Irelandās ancient blasphemy laws, which make criticising a religion a crime.
ACCORDING to Northern Ireland Humanists, retaining blasphemy laws, even if they are not often used, legitimises their use in countries such as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia where people face the death penalty. Conversely, the abolition of these laws can be a declaration to the world that free speech should not be a crime.
As part of its campaign, Northern Ireland Humanists is asking the public to write to their Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), calling on them to follow in the footsteps of other countries, which have abolished their blasphemy laws, such as New Zealand, Canada and the Republic of Ireland.
Iain Deboys, Northern Ireland Humanists Chair, said: āIt is appalling that we still have blasphemy laws in Northern Ireland ā these laws are used by some of the worldās most horrific regimes to justify the killings of people for exercising their fundamental right to freedom of expression.
āThe vast majority of people would surely agree that these archaic laws are damaging and have no place in a democratic society like ours that values both freedom of religion or belief, and freedom of expression. It is crucial that we uphold our rights to legitimate criticism of religious beliefs when necessary and that we are protected by the law in doing so.
āWe urge the public to add their voice to our campaign and bring Northern Ireland into line with other progressive countries which have repealed their blasphemy laws.ā
To see the campaign, click here:
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