blasphemy news stories on Newser

Man Arrested for Declaring Atheism on Facebook

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:24:20 CST

Indonesian atheists, look out. An angry mob attacked a civil servant in Padang after he declared his atheism on Facebook, said police—who promptly arrested the civil servant . "He is suspected of having blasphemed against Islam," a police chief said of Alexander An, 30. "The man told police investigators that...

Singer Fined for Bad-Mouthing the Bible

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:02:00 CST

A Polish pop singer has been fined for disparaging the Bible. Dorota Rabczewska, who goes by the stage name Doda, said in an interview that she doubted the Bible because "it's hard to believe in something that was written by someone drunk on wine and smoking herbs." She was fined...

Hell Breaks Loose Over Depp's Drunk Jesus Song

Mary Papenfuss — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 02:20:00 CST

Having Jesus turn up for a bachelor night is bad enough. But when Johnny Depp sang about him drinking then passing out on the floor in a new song, it was more than some Christians could bear. The Christian Coalition says Depp and members of the indie band Babybird "will...

Islamic Mickey Mouse Tweet Gets Tycoon in Hot Water

John Johnson — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:21:32 CDT

Unfortunate tweet department: A telecom mogul in Egypt thought it would be a hoot to re-tweet images of Mickey and Minnie Mouse dressed in Islamic attire. Now tens of thousands have joined Facebook groups condemning Naguib Sawiris and demanding a boycott of his company, Orascom, which happens to be the...

Pakistani Minister Assassinated

Rob Quinn — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 05:00:00 CST

Pakistan's minister for religious minorities was gunned down today in the country's capital, AP reports. Shahbaz Bhatti, himself a member of the country's Christian minority, had been threatened by Islamic militants in the past for calling for reforms of the country's strict blasphemy laws, which impose the death penalty for...

Pakistan Busts Schoolkid for Blasphemy

Mark Russell — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 04:21:00 CST

A 17-year-old boy in Karachi has been arrested for blaspheming the Prophet Muhammad in a school exam, drawing widespread condemnation, reports the BBC . Human Rights Watch called for the boy's release, saying that for police to lock him up was "mind boggling."

Pakistan Assassination Gives Rise to Extremists

Kevin Spak — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 07:48:52 CST

Yesterday’s assassination of Salman Taseer could deepen Pakistan’s political crisis, and seriously weaken the government’s ability to oppose Islamic extremists. Taseer, the governor of Punjab Province, was maybe the country’s most prominent opponent of religious parties and extremism, and a major ally of the embattled secular Pakistan Peoples Party, the...

Pakistan Sentences Christian to Death for Blasphemy

Rob Quinn — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 02:00:00 CST

Pakistan has sentenced a Christian woman to death for blasphemy against Islam, the Telegraph reports. Asia Bibi, a farmworker and mother of five, made derogatory remarks about Mohammed while arguing about religion with Muslim colleagues, say prosecutors. "Essentially the blasphemy law is used as a tool of persecution and to...

Irish Atheists Use Carlin to Flout Law on Blasphemy

John Johnson — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 11:27:41 CST

An atheist group in Ireland thinks a new law against blasphemy is "silly and dangerous," and it's using everyone from Jesus to George Carlin to support its case. The Atheist Ireland website has put up 25 quotes it says would run afoul of the 2-day-old law, which forbids "publishing or...