The right to blaspheme is fundamental—and it’s under attack.
In as many as 33 Muslim-majority countries today, most of which have Islam as their state religion, daring simply to speak out against religious customs, express one’s lack of belief, or otherwise say anything deemed offensive by religious authorities is enough to brand one a criminal. If victims are lucky, they might live in purportedly “lenient” countries and get off with a fine and a brief prison sentence. If they are unlucky, they may live in one of the roughly dozen countries in which either blasphemy or apostasy (leaving Islam) is a capital offense. That is, if violent fundamentalist militants don’t find them before the state does.
But even outside the Muslim world, intolerance for those who speak freely about Islamic doctrine is endemic. While apostates can be put to physical death in several Muslim-majority countries, they can face social death in the West, frequently cut off from friends and family and even sometimes subject to abuse.
The family of a gay man who had been working for Qatar Airways has publicized new information about the case the government is prosecuting against him. Manuel Guerrero Aviña, a “British-Mexican” man, was reportedly targeted by Qatari authorities posing as an interested man on Grindr. Manuel was subsequently arrested and charged with offenses related to drug possession. His family and human rights activists alike contend that he was targeted for his sexual orientation, denied medication for his HIV condition in custody, and pressured to reveal information about other gay men to the authorities during the 42 days he was imprisoned. He has been released pending trial, but without his passport, and his family reportedly wishes to see the UK government intervene to bring him home.
Ex-Muslims of North America’s (EXMNA) input has been included in the recent Report on Hatred on the Basis of Religion or Belief from the United Nations (UN) by the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief. It will be read and discussed as an agenda item at the upcoming 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council which is scheduled to take place from February 26th to April 5th, 2024.
