Possible 10 years in jail for “defaming” a religion


In Bangladesh, police have arrested three atheist bloggers for “defaming” Islam and Mo. This is at the behest of Islamists who want to impose their bullshit deference on the internet.

The arrest of the three, who were paraded in handcuffs at a news conference, followed pressure from Islamists who have organised a march from all over the country to the capital to demand the death penalty for atheist bloggers.

“They have hurt the religious feelings of the people by writing against different religions and their prophets and founders including the Prophet Mohammed,” said deputy commissioner of Dhaka police, Molla Nazrul Islam.

The three could face 10 years in jail if convicted under the country’s cyber laws which outlaw “defaming” a religion, Islam said.

Well the Islamists have hurt my secular feelings by imposing their baseless beliefs and pathetic slavishness on everyone within their reach.

Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan said the three arrested men were among 84 “atheist bloggers” named in a list handed over by an Islamist group to a government panel probing alleged blasphemy against Islam on the Internet.

“The arrests were made on primary information” and further investigation is underway, Khan said, adding the government would act toughly to prevent any attempt to upset “communal harmony” via the Internet.

Oh yes? Well Islam is a bossy domineering sexually warped abusive misogynist sack of shit. How’s that for blasphemy?

Meanwhile, a group of bloggers protested the overnight arrests of the three men and said their detention meant the government is caving in to pressure from Islamist groups.

“We demand their release. The future of Bangladesh is bleak if the freedom expression of the bloggers is curbed,” Fahmidul Haq, a blogger and Dhaka University professor, said at a news conference.

Haq said the lives of the 84 bloggers who were named in the list prepared by Islamists now were at risk.

Scores of bloggers held hands to form a human chain in Dhaka to protest the arrests while a popular blog site, Amarblog.com, said it was shutting down until the bloggers were freed “unconditionally”.

The Islamists don’t own Bangladesh. Never lose sight of that.

Comments

  1. Ulysses says

    Islam must be a very weak religion if it needs government protection against blasphemy.

  2. great1american1satan says

    Thanks to the shahada, I know how to render “There is no God” in Arabic, and I’ve been wanting to get this as a tattoo on my wrist. But as muslims are an oppressed minority in this country, it feels a bit dickish. But then I see a piece of news like this and I want to find out how to write “Fuck God” all over my arm, in every language moslems speak, including English. What’s a good middle ground?

  3. bonobrat says

    @great1american1satan: If you must decorate your body, I suggest only things that you consider beautiful and make you feel good rather than things that make you angry. Not to mention that your marking your body with insults does little to fight the theocrats. For the latter, find a cause or causes, write letters, connect with others, organize, send what money you can. You might even have a little victory once in a while. We need those victories.

  4. says

    Its weaker than Christianity, I never hear of Mo appearing on toast.

    I wonder how Muslims would react to that. After all, you’re not supposed to depict Muhammad. Would they destroy the offending toast or would it be ok because it was a miracle? Questions, questions.

  5. Pierce R. Butler says

    “They have hurt the religious feelings of the people by writing against different religions and their prophets and founders including the Prophet Mohammed,” said deputy commissioner of Dhaka police, Molla Nazrul Islam.

    Why didn’t Dep. Comm. Islam – or the prophets and founders – just call them up on the phone to work things out?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *