Copenhagen, Denmark, Jun 8, 2017 / 05:01 am
The Danish parliament has repealed an anti-blasphemy law at a time when such laws are still used around the world.
"I am glad they are dropping the law. But the law was almost never used in the last 46 years, so it is only a small step," Paul Marshall, Wilson Professor of Religious Freedom at Baylor University, told CNA. He thought it significant that it had not been used in recent instances of blasphemy against Christians.
"Throughout the world blasphemy laws and accusations are misused, and they are bad even if used as intended," Marshall said. "They are vague, and are frequently used against dissenters and critics of dominant religious and political views. Most of their use is against anyone accused of criticizing Islam."
Bruno Jerup, a spokesman on church issues for the Denmark's Red-Green Alliance political party, characterized the Danish law as "an unnecessary narrowing of freedom of speech" that "sends the wrong signal to the world that it is acceptable to be punished for criticizing God and religions," the Copenhagen Post reports.