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In The Name Of Allah
Most Gracious Most Merciful Violation By Sharique Naeem The claim by the Danish newspaper that it has not broken the law of the land is wrong, because Denmark has laws both for blasphemy as well as racism. Section 266b of the Danish Criminal Code provides: “Any person who, publicly or with the intention of wider dissemination, makes a statement or imparts other information by which a group of people are threatened, insulted or degraded on account of their race, colour, national or ethnic origin, religion, or sexual inclination shall be liable to a fine or to imprisonment for any term not exceeding two years.” Section 140, which deals with blasphemy, reads: “Those who publicly mock or insult the doctrines or worship of any religious community that is legal in this country, will be punished by a fine or incarceration for up to four months.” Similarly section 142 of the Norwegian Penal Code provides for punishment for any person: “who publicly insults or in an offensive manner shows contempt for any religious creed or for the doctrines or worship of any religious community lawfully existing here.” In the case of the publication of these cartoons, both these laws have been breached. These laws have provided no protection to the Muslims, and this brings into the limelight the fact that Muslims carry no political weight in European democracies. It is expected that the governments of the Muslim countries act swiftly, and their ambassadors in Denmark formally sue the concerned newspapers in Danish courts.
Also Published as: “Sacrilegious sketches”- The News (9th Feb 2006) The Post (13th Feb. 2006)
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