Rejecting "Blasphemy" Laws

There are spiritual forces at work all around our world who seek to undermine the one true God, and we have to be aware that those who serve this Almighty King have opposition from those who have aligned themselves with systems and philosophies that are aligned with the one who desires to destroy our witness and thwart the work of the Kingdom. In John 18, Jesus declared before Pilate about the nature of His Kingdom:

36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."
37 Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
38 Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all.

The spread of radical Islam beyond the Middle East is a danger to our world today. And, out of fear, ignorance, or both.  It was reported on the Worthy News website in March that:

British Christian leaders and politicians fear a new working group advising the government on “anti-Muslim hatred /Islamophobia” will lead to blasphemy legislation that would further limit freedom of expression.

In a statement obtained by Worthy News, Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, said that the “rise in anti-Muslim hate crime is unacceptable and has no place in our society. That’s why we’ve committed to defining Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia as a crucial step forward in tackling it and creating a society where everyone feels safe and welcome.”

David Alton leads Britain’s Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, issued a stern warning: “The U.K. should tread very carefully before incorporating anything which resembles a blasphemy law into British Statute,” adding, “In jurisdictions which have such laws, I have personally seen how they can be misused against people of other beliefs or no belief – including death sentences and long-term imprisonment.”  

The article mentioned the examples of Pakistan and Iran, "where Christians and others have languished in prisons for years for alleged blasphemy against Islam while some have been killed."

Danny Webster, director of advocacy for the U.K. Evangelical Alliance, is concerned about the prospect of such laws being put in place, stating: "Any definition of anti-Muslim hatred, or Islamophobia, has to safeguard the freedom of others to criticize religious belief and support the freedom for people to change their beliefs..." He went on to say, "It is vital that we encourage good relationships between people of different faiths, and this is fostered by accepting deep differences and allowing free expression, rather than either criminalizing disagreement or pretending it doesn’t exist..."

The Middle East Forum website reported:

A British court has ruled in favor of a Christian street preacher prosecuted by the police on charges of blaspheming against the Qur’an, Islam, and its founder, Muhammad.

The judgment is a major setback for the Labour government and its Islamist supporters, who are attempting to implement a “blasphemy law” that would limit criticism of Islam by imposing a wide-ranging and disputed definition of “Islamophobia.”

The article quotes from Tim Dieppe, who is a researcher with Christian Concern.  He related that, in the words of the article, the ruling "was a major blow to the attempts by Islamists and the Labour government to impose a controversial definition of 'Islamophobia.'"  The article goes on to say:

“Allegations of ‘Islamophobia’ have been used to silence or criticize legitimate criticism of Islam the religion, which does not imply any hatred or discrimination against Muslims as people,” Dieppe warned. “The very term ‘Islamophobia’ is problematic since it conflates ‘Islam’ the religion, with Muslims the people.”

“Adopting an official definition of ‘Islamophobia’ will privilege Islam over other religions and serve to legitimize two-tier policing of speech relating to Islamic beliefs or practices..."

Again, laws of this type have been used to persecute Christians.  We should always be devoted to speaking the truth, and as Ephesians 4 directs us, to speak in accordance with God's truth "in love." Christians should be known for our conviction, but also our compassion.  Even though we may be walking in love, our devotion to truth will make us distinctive, and we should not back away from that.  We should always speak and act under the direction of the Holy Spirit. 

There are those who will reject the ways of Almighty God.  We should always love Muslim people, but we should be willing to speak the truth to those who do not believe in our Savior, with the hope that they would one day they would accept Christ and come into the kingdom of God.  And, as I have reported to you, God is moving among those who are followers of Islam throughout the world, and it's exciting to hear about the passion that new converts to Christ possess, even though there are countries who will punish, even to death, those who embrace our Savior.