Turkey calls for extended blasphemy laws

According to The Telegraph, Abdullah Gul, the Turkish foreign minister, was at a meeting with his EU and Balkan counterparts in Salzberg last weekend. He wants the absurd and outdated blasphemy laws which exist in several European states to be reviewed and broadened to outlaw the “defamation” of all religions, not just Christianity.

If he wants a level playing field, the real answer is to scrap all blasphemy laws.


8 Responses to “Turkey calls for extended blasphemy laws”

  1. Olly says:

    Yes, scrapping them is the best answer. There’s no reason at all for religions to have any protection against offence in a supposedly liberal country like ours.

  2. Andrew Nixon says:

    If blasphemy is extended to cover all religions, then chaos will result, as technically, most religions are blasphemous to other religions.

  3. Paul says:

    There is absolutely no place for outdated and illiberal blasphemy laws in any country which respects freedom of speech. Which nicely rules Britain out, then.

  4. G. Tingey says:

    No “technically” about it.
    If you are stupid enough to believe in a religion, then, by your definition, ALL other religions, and even other sects, are “blasphemous”.

  5. martyn says:

    Ahh, Turkey. The country that wants to join the EU. A country where you can stab people to death in the street if it’s deemed you ‘disrespek’ the flag. Marvellous human rights record. Turkey will get into the eu because of it’s strategic air force bases. Moi? Cynical?

  6. sconzey says:

    @Tingey

    Including Humanism?

  7. Marc Draco says:

    Sconzey – since when is Humanism a religion? Only if you attach a religious rider to it, but then it’s not Humanism any more.