All forms of defamation, derision or denigration of religions and prophets will be considered crimes

What's new here is the intention to apply this not just to Arab countries, but....everywhere. Something to look forward to:

Arab countries are working on a draft law that bans the defamation of religions and empowers them to take abusers to court even if they are not residents.

The draft, presented by Qatar, is being reviewed by delegates from several Arab countries at the Arab League.

Under its provisions, all forms of defamation, derision or denigration of religions and prophets will be considered crimes.

“The main feature of the draft is that it gives every state the right to put on trial those who abuse and hold in contempt religions even if they are outside the country,” Ebrahim Mousa Al Hitmi, the Qatari justice ministry assistant undersecretary for legal affairs, said, local Arabic daily Al Arab reported on Wednesday.

The official insisted that the draft law does not clash with freedom of expression.

“The law does not interfere in any way with the freedom of opinion and expression which is well protected and guaranteed. All penal laws in Arab countries criminalise defamation of religions but there are no specific sanctions when an abuser is outside the country. Therefore, the main goal of this law is to deter all forms of defamation of religions and give each country that ratifies it the right to file lawsuits against those who offend religions, even if they are not residents,” he said.

The official attributed the Qatari initiative to a drive to counter relentless campaigns targeting religions.

I love the way the official "insisted" that the draft law doesn't clash with freedom of expression, in the process of outlining a law that's designed, precisely, to limit freedom of expression. As though words can change their meaning if you're just brazen enough. Like a mugger, stripping you of your wallet at knife-point, insisting that what he's doing isn't robbery...

Comments

[Noga]

Anne Carson describes a similar phenomenon in her book of poems "The Beauty of the Husband: A Fictional Essay in 29 Tangos":

“What really connects words and things?

”Human beings, tend to use language as Homer says

the gods do. All human words are known to the gods but have for them entirely other meanings alongside our meanings.

They flip the switch at will”.

[Bob-B]

So are they planning to give up the right to defame Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, etc., etc? And who decides what is a religion and who is a prophet? There are all sorts of ideologies that might be called a religion and all sorts of people who might be considered a prophet.

[Dom]

Can we have a law that bans other nations from persecuting apostates? This violates western traditions and we should be able to put them on trial.

[Trofim]

Bob-B: I have been reliably informed, by the Angel Gabriel - Jibril to some people - that I am the final prophet, superseding that Mohamed bloke. Although I've made people aware, particularly people who ought to know, such as Muslims, it doesn't seem to be as widely known as it should be.
Dom: but western traditions and values are dying in the west, thanks mostly to the cowardice and stupidity of influential westerners. For example:
http://freethoughtblogs.com/maryamnamazie/2013/10/03/lse-what-happened-to-freedom-of-thought/

[Bob-B]

I guess it will be illegal to defame this prophet:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prophet-Armed-Trotsky-1879-1921/dp/1859844413

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Prophet-Unarmed-Trotsky-Paperbacks/dp/0192810650/ref=pd_sim_b_1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Prophet-Outcast-Trotsky-1929-1940/dp/1859844510/ref=pd_sim_b_1

In the third case, one commentator defames the man as 'a traitor to the revolution'. There will be none of that sort of thing in future.