In recent months Ireland's stringent
abortion ban has been cited approvingly by Islamic states as a model for
their own societies, and now Irish enacted blasphemy laws have become
the envy of nations like Pakistan.
According to the Irish Times,
Ireland's 2010 blasphemy law is being cited by fundamentalist Islamic
states 'as justification' for persecuting religious dissidents,
according to an Indian campaigner who was exiled for his belief in free
speech.
Many Islamic countries have
enacted biting blasphemy laws. In Afghanistan blasphemy is an offence
under Sharia law and may be punished by penalties up to execution by
hanging.
In Ireland, blasphemy is prohibited by the constitution and
carries a maximum fine of $32,500.
Meanwhile
Sanal Edamaruku, who is on a five-day visit to Ireland, is reportedly
facing charges of blasphemy in India after challenging the claims that
water dripping from a statue in Mumbai was a miracle.
Catholic
Church members in India complained to the police there last April,
seeking his arrest under blasphemy charges that carry a three-year
sentence.
Because of the threat, Edamaruku was forced to flee to Finland
which has granted him a residency permit.
Edamaruku
said he was 'surprised' by Ireland's decision two years ago to
introduce a law on blasphemy, something that the then Fianna Fail-led
government claimed was necessary to comply with the Irish constitution.
Since
the law passed in 2010, Irish voters have watched with disbelief as
Pakistan and other countries have cited the statute at the United
Nations to support their own blasphemy laws.
Meanwhile
Michael Nugent of Atheist Ireland, which invited Edamaruku to highlight
his plight and to host a series of public meetings, criticised the
Irish coalition government's decision to refer the issue to the
constitutional convention which meets for the first time on Saturday.
'Both
parties (Fine Gael and Labour) say they are committed to getting rid of
the law - so the effect is simply to delay it happening.'
In
India, Edamaruku established that a statue of Jesus said to 'cry' real
tears was not holy water so much as wholly ineffective plumbing.
But
the backlash was instant and severe.
Edamaruku was accused of
blasphemy, charged with offences that carry a three-year prison sentence
and eventually, after receiving death threats, forced to seek exile in
Finland.
Edamaruku is well known in
India for debunking religious myths, and was already unpopular among
Indian Catholics for publicly criticising Mother Teresa's legacy in
Kolkata.
Edamaruku reportedly travelled
to Mumbai where he found that the dripping water was due to clogged
drainage pipes behind the wall where it stood.
'India
cannot criticise Pakistan for arresting young girls for blaspheming
against Islam while it arrests and locks up its own citizens for
breaking our country's blasphemy laws,' Edamaruku said.
'It is an absurd
law but also extremely dangerous because it gives fanatics, whether
they are Hindus, Catholics or Muslims, a licence to be offended. It also
allows people who are in dispute with you to make up false accusations
of blasphemy.'