Are there personalities in life that are sacred?<\/p>\n
Are there books in the world that are holy?<\/p>\n
Do people have the right to challenge and criticize things that other people consider holy and sacred?<\/p>\n
Do people have the right to kill those who offend their religious beliefs?<\/p>\n
These are some of the questions hidden behind the political dialogues, social discussions and religious debates about blasphemy law and freedom of speech.<\/p>\n
For centuries, in many religious communities, countries and cultures, blasphemy was considered a religious crime punishable by death. The common way to kill anyone who committed blasphemy was by hanging or stoning. Leviticus 24:13-16 states that God said to Moses:<\/p>\n
Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. Say to the Israelites, “If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible, anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him.”<\/p>\n