…ist eine wichtige Grundfreiheit, ohne die es keine freie Gesellschaft geben kann. Jahrelang haben wir immer wieder die schrecklichen Fälle der Beschränkung der Meinungsfreiheit im Namen des „Respekts“ vor der Religion zur Kenntnis genommen, die sich in Ländern wie Iran, Saudi-Arabien, Ägypten abspielten.
Aber zunehmend werden auch in den freien Gesellschaften des Westens Anti-Blasphemie-Gesetze verabschiedet, und es gab kürzlich gar eine UN-Resolution, die Verunglimpfung religiöser Inhalte verbieten will. Dagegen wendet sich dieser engagierte Kommentar in der Washington Post. Auch das ist eine wichtige Osterbotschaft:
But now an equally troubling trend is developing in the West. Ever since 2006, when Muslims worldwide rioted over newspaper cartoons picturing the prophet Muhammad, Western countries, too, have been prosecuting more individuals for criticizing religion. The „Free World,“ it appears, may be losing faith in free speech.
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Emblematic of the assault is the effort to pass an international ban on religious defamation supported by United Nations General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann. Brockmann is a suspended Roman Catholic priest who served as Nicaragua’s foreign minister in the 1980s under the Sandinista regime, the socialist government that had a penchant for crushing civil liberties before it was tossed out of power in 1990. Since then, Brockmann has literally embraced such free-speech-loving figures as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whom he wrapped in a bear hug at the U.N. last year.
The U.N. resolution, which has been introduced for the past couple of years, is backed by countries such as Saudi Arabia, one of the most repressive nations when it comes to the free exercise of religion. Blasphemers there are frequently executed. Most recently, the government arrested author Hamoud Bin Saleh simply for writing about his conversion to Christianity.
While it hasn’t gone so far as to support the U.N. resolution, the West is prosecuting „religious hatred“ cases under anti-discrimination and hate-crime laws. British citizens can be arrested and prosecuted under the 2006 Racial and Religious Hatred Act, which makes it a crime to „abuse“ religion.
Mehr hier.