There Are 13 Countries Where Atheism Is Punishable by Death

[ZombieHorde]

Atheists living in 13 countries risk being condemned to death, just for their beliefs (or non-belief) according to a new, comprehensive report from the International Humanist and Ethical Union out on Tuesday. All 13 countries identified by the study are Muslim majority.

The countries that impose these penalties are Afghanistan, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. With the exception of Pakistan, those countries all allow for capital punishment against apostasy, i.e., the renunciation of a particular religion. Pakistan, meanwhile, imposes the death penalty for blasphemy, which can obviously include disbelief in God.

The study's interactive map gives a good, broad, overview of which countries punish apostasy and blasphemy by death (black), with prison time (red), or place legal restrictions on (non-)religious speech and thought (yellow):

More at the link: http://www.thewire.com/global/2013/12/13-countries-where-atheism-punishable-death/355961/

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

1. Wow, thanks for the list!

None of the destinations listed are places I will have difficulty in keeping my hind parts out of. It's simple, stay out if officially one has worry about thought.

[longship]

2. Does anybody not believe that many who loudly claim Christian persecution the loudest...

would not enthusiastically support such a thing here?

Well, maybe not all. But there some who take Christian reconstruction much too seriously for my comfort. Far too many IMHO.

[rug]

3. Iceland?

[struggle4progress]

6. Perhaps it refers to Article 233a of the Penal Code:

Anyone who in a ridiculing, slanderous, insulting, threatening or any other manner publicly assaults a person or a group of people on the basis of their nationality, skin colour, race, religion or sexual orientation, shall be fined or jailed for up to 2 years

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_speech#Iceland

[rug]

10. That must be it. Not exactly an anti-atheist statute, though.

[struggle4progress]

13. No.They seem to have included Australia on the list for similar reasons

[eqfan592]

14. Please go back and read the OP again.

The study's interactive map gives a good, broad, overview of which countries punish apostasy and blasphemy by death (black), with prison time (red), or place legal restrictions on (non-)religious speech and thought (yellow)

Pretty clear to me that it wasn't claiming every nation highlighted had a specifically "anti-atheist statute."

EDIT: Also, you'll note that many religious types find the open existence of atheists to be a direct insult to them and their religious beliefs.

[rug]

19. I read the article at the link.

BTW, the IHEU has the interactive version.

https://mapsengine.google.com/map/viewer?mid=zH9P2guHFIOM.kH4-y4DXwCwY&cid=mp&cv=eujSsK0Ub7A.en_US.

It gives the status of Iceland as "Severe Discrimination".

http://freethoughtreport.com/map/

[Dorian Gray]

26. I was under the impression

that the Icelandic were pretty non-religious. Sure, there's a state religion (Lutheran church?), but the majority don't practice and there is a high number of avowed atheists there.

Weird.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Republic of Ireland ?

.p

[struggle4progress]

8. Ireland's so-called "blasphemy law" was modified in 2009:

... blasphemy in Ireland is now a crime punishable with a fine of up to €25,000 (£22,000). It defines blasphemy as "publishing or uttering matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters sacred by any religion, thereby intentionally causing outrage among a substantial number of adherents of that religion, with some defences permitted". The justice minister, Dermot Ahern, said that the law was necessary because while immigration had brought a growing diversity of religious faiths, the 1936 constitution extended the protection of belief only to Christians ...
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jan/01/irish-atheists-challenge-blasphemy-law

[dipsydoodle]

15. Probably find that's part of the hate crime laws

in which case given the UK is the same law its odd that the UK isn't on the list.

[Humanist_Activist]

36. Actually Blasphemy and Blasphemious libel were abolished in common and statutory law...

in England And Wales by 2008, Scotland the same year, and Northern Ireland in 2009.

[Humanist_Activist]

35. No law should punish people over percieved(or real) insults to their religion...

that's just abhorrent, and elevating religion above other ideas, and elevating all of them above civil rights.

[cbayer]

5. Iceland and New Zealand can put you in jail?

Really?

The most disturbing thing about this is the increase in the number of countries.

[dipsydoodle]

7. Breeding ferrets is illegal in New Zealand.

In case you wondered.

I don't actually believe this list - period.

[rug]

11. The bastards!

[eqfan592]

12. You know you can look up these laws, right?

This isn't a state of mind or Santa we are talking about.

[cbayer]

16. Lol on the ferrets.

I also have some issues with this.

No link to the actual study, though they link to other things.

And the punishments are for apostasy, not atheism, except in Pakistan where is is for blasphemy.

Not defending the laws at all, but the title and article are misleading.

[eqfan592]

17. Not misleading in the least.

Unless you want to try and argue that expressing opening a disbelief in any particular god isn't a form of blasphemy against said god.

Edit: also, the report is available from the site that is linked in the article for the map.

[cbayer]

18. Actually it is misleading.

They make the claim that you can be put to death for saying you are an atheist, when, in fact, the death penalty is for apostasy, which has a much more specific definition. The death penalty is not for blasphemy (except in Pakistan) and could not be applied to someone who just said they were an atheist or a non-believer who was never a Muslim.

Still a bad thing, but the fact that it is misleading in a rather alarming way detracts from it's importance, imo.

[eqfan592]

21. So because it would only apply in a situation of a Muslim...

...renouncing their faith and religion in those nation's, it's misleading in your book? Sorry, but I have to disagree. It also clearly lays this out in the op.

[cbayer]

22. The title and his text say you could be put to death for being an atheist.

That's not accurate. There are other things that must occur for that penalty to kick in.

I read the OP. I think the information is shocking and deserves attention and action. They didn't need to make it more inflammatory. It's bad enough.

[eqfan592]

24. Disagree with your premise, but we're going around in circles now. nt

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

27. The difference between apostacy and atheism is simple

If Joe Bloggs had been brought up as, say, a Rastafarian, but later renounced it and embraced atheism or, say, Zoroastrianism, Joe would be an apostate as far as the Rastafarians were concerned. If Joe were brought up as an atheist, he would not be an apostate, since he had no religion to apostasize from.

[eqfan592]

9. Oh stop your whining! Highlighting stuff like this is just more atheist whining!!

You should just sit down and shut up and be glad we let you roam free in the US at all!!


Seriously tho, thanks for sharing this. Disturbing to say the least.

[struggle4progress]

20. Huh? I expect you'll find DUers overwhelmingly support freedom of speech -- an ideal

which is subject to practical limitations almost everywhere, including the United States where you may find such exceptions as "fighting words" or "clear and present danger"

The penal system, of course, has been used throughout history to enforce conformity; and I expect you'll find DUers overwhelmingly oppose the use of state power to enforce conformity, including religious conformity

Some examples on the map do clearly reflect the use of law to enforce conformity

Others do not. Some of us, who want to be politically effective, may try to develop a habit of factual accuracy, since that can be critical to credibility

In the Constitution of Iceland, Article 64 asserts in part

No one may lose any of his civil or national rights on account of his religion, nor may anyone refuse to perform any generally applicable civil duty on religious grounds. Everyone shall be free to remain outside religious associations. No one shall be obliged to pay any personal dues to any religious association of which he is not a member

while Article 65 asserts

Everyone shall be equal before the law and enjoy human rights irrespective of sex, religion, opinion, national origin, race, colour, property, birth or other status. Men and women shall enjoy equal rights in all respects.

This does not suggest that Iceland punishes "apostasy and blasphemy .. with prison time" as the OP claims. In effort to understand this claim, I searched a bit but could only find 233a in the Icelandic Criminal Code:

Anyone who does by means of ridicule, calumniation, insult, threat or otherwise assault a person or group of persons on account of their nationality, colour, race, religion or sexual inclination 1) shall be subject to fines or 2) imprisonment for up to 2 years

I'm no expert in Icelandic law, and perhaps I've overlooked some Icelandic statute mandating prison for apostate, atheists, and blasphemers. If so, you can correct me my finding the statute -- or by showing that Iceland does not actually give its constitution much weight when jailing folk. But my current impression is that Iceland allows you your opinions for or against religion without interference, and that what the Icelandic statute actually forbids is verbal abuse or similar embarrassment of others on account of their nationality, colour, race, religion or sexual inclination

[eqfan592]

25. Well here's asimple question for you:

Is or is not blasphemy considered to be insulting to many (if not most) religious people?

This law is a poorly written one that opens itself to clear abuse and usage as a means to suppress freedom of speech. Any law that uses such nebulous terms (without clear definitions) should be called into serious question.

As to the first part of your post, I've seen posters here on several occasions accuse non theists of "whining" when highlighting institutionalized discrimination. That's what my sarcasm was directed towards.

[struggle4progress]

28. Again I'm not an expert in Icelandic law, and my ability to read Icelandic roughly matches

my ability to read Rongorongo, so I can't tell whether the law is badly written in Icelandic or badly translated -- or conversely rather clear according to the Icelandic jurisprudence

But since you seem to be our resident expert on Icelandic law, perhaps you might be good enough share with us the actual horrors of this law, such as names and case details of persons recently imprisoned in Iceland for apostasy, atheism, or blasphemy

And when we're done discussing Iceland, maybe we can turn to the shocking cruelties the Australian state visits upon atheists unable to escape the theocratic regime there

I feel sure many will find it an eye-opening discussion

[eqfan592]

31. Ah yes, laws are only open to such abuses if they have been previously abused.

By that logic, every law written is automatically a fantastic piece of legislation, completely free of any potential for abuse...right up until it's not.

I never claimed to be an expert in Icelandic law, and I'll admit that I'm working from the assumption that every translation found is a somewhat accurate one. Anybody capable of speaking the language is more than welcome to chime in on this any time they wish.

[hunter]

23. What kind of god needs help killing people for apostasy or blasphemy?

Is there a heavenly shortage of lightning bolts or meteors?



You'd think if a god wanted someone dead, they'd be dead, a smoldering hole in the ground the instant they blasphemed.

[struggle4progress]

29. That would seem to me a reasonable point of view

[parkia00]

30. Ah crap! I'm gonna be put to death soon. Bummer!

Malaysian here. From Malaysia. In Asia of all places. I see we have been labelled black! Totally not cool! Seriously, never heard of anyone being put to death here for atheism. But thanks for the warning though. I need to warn my Muslim friends about this. One who loves bacon and the other, single malt whiskey. Though honestly, I would not try this lifestyle in Afghanistan.

[rock]

32. Religious folks are thin-skinned n/t

[Donald Ian Rankin]

33. Worth noting that all 13 are Islamic countries

(With an asterisk next to Nigeria, which I believe is roughly half Muslim and half Christian).

Also, almost all of them have poor to appalling human rights records in other respects too.

I'm not sure there are many common denominators beyond that - they're spread across the Islamic world, and some are Sunni and others Shia; some are rich and others are poor.

[Act_of_Reparation]

34. Nigeria is a somewhat complicated example

The country's population is roughly 50/50 Christian/Muslim, with the majority of Muslims living in the comparatively impoverished north. Twelve states have instituted Sharia law and have adopted Muslim courts, while the remaining states remain secular. In the secular states, "blasphemy" is a misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in prison, while in the Muslim-majority states, blasphemy is a more severe offense.

Nigeria's constitution supposedly guarantees freedom of expression. The only case I have found in which a person was actually convicted of blasphemy in an Islamic court and sentenced (in this case to three years in prison) was overturned by the federal government. To my knowledge, only one prisoner officially tried and convicted by an Islamic court has been put to death.

This, of course, is not for lack of trying. At least two women have been sentenced to death for adultery, but the resultant international outrage prompted the Nigerian government to overturn the convictions.

But here's the rub: the people tend to take care of this stuff themselves. Even if the Nigerian government were willing to intercede in every possible instance, they are not equipped to deal with mob justice. Local authorities are torn by the same sectarian sympathies as are the general population, and despite their oaths to uphold the constitution they often step aside and allow vigilantism to go unpunished.