In April 2009, the Irish Justice Minister announced a proposed new crime of blasphemy. If passed, this would revive an old crime of blasphemy that the Supreme Court had found to be unenforceable.
This website is published by Atheist Ireland as part of our campaign against this proposed new law. It includes analysis and news items about blasphemy and free speech, and examples of material that could be illegal in Ireland if the new blasphemy law is passed.
Atheist Ireland is an advocacy group that promotes reason and atheism over superstition and supernaturalism, and that campaigns for an ethical and secular Ireland where state does not support or fund or give special treatment to any religion.
The officers of Atheist Ireland are:
- Chairperson – Michael Nugent (Dublin)
- Secretary – Colin Jennings (Dublin)
- Finance Officer – William Hanly (Meath)
- Membership Officer – Seamus Murnane (Meath)
- Communications Officer – Paul Lavin (Mayo)
- Public Events Officer – William Quill (Wicklow)
- Regional Officer – Grania Spingies (Cork)
Please leave a comment below if you want us to contact you with any further information, or if you want to help in any way with the campaign.
Hi. I want to help out in any way possible & due to the recession have a little more time on my hands. I’d appreciate a mail on any of your plans & how I can get more involved. Thanks.
Comment by Ciarán M — May 12, 2009 @ 3:53 pm
Could we have a post that allows us to riddicule the proposed bill?
I personally feel that highlighting the absurditys involved is one of the better ways in galvanising opposition in the first place and making people more receptive to it in the long run.
Comment by Jack Butler — May 15, 2009 @ 2:16 am
You might be interested to know that the legal advisers at the Council of Europe have said that blasphemy should not be a crime Expatica, 29 May 2009
http://www.expatica.com/de/news/german-news/Council-of-Europe-body-says-blasphemy-should-not-be-illegal_53069.html
Hopefully this will be useful in your fight against the Irish Government’s proposals. The National Secular Society, of which I am president, was successful in getting the English blasphemy law abolished last year. We have a video of the party we held to celebrate, if you would like to have a copy, please let me know.
Terry Sanaderson
Comment by Terry Sanderson — May 29, 2009 @ 7:12 am
Hi all,
I would appreciate if someone could email me to open a dialogue
about ways in which I could support.
Thanks,
Jimmy.
Comment by Jimmy — June 26, 2009 @ 11:11 am
Ye don’t have much to be doin’
Comment by Dermot Dinan — July 9, 2009 @ 1:17 pm
It’s good to see there’s some sort of movement against this ridiculous law. If you could let me know if there’s any way I could give a hand, it’d be much appreciated. Otherwise, well, I’ll wait until they try to get a conviction under the blasphemy bill. Then the picket signs’ll be coming up. *laughs*
Comment by Luke Daly — August 20, 2009 @ 11:55 pm
Would be only too glad to help combat this idiocy, drop me a line!
- Dave
Comment by Dave McKenna — August 21, 2009 @ 11:01 pm
I definitely believe that the Blasphemy Law would be a step into the completely wrong direction. If I can help, I will.
Comment by Jens — October 4, 2009 @ 11:04 pm
Your server is really overloaded. I can offer (for free) capacity on one of the dedicated servers I run.
It’s a 3Ghz Pentium, mostly idle
Please reply via email
Comment by Jamie Jones — January 2, 2010 @ 3:47 pm
Keep fighting, friends.
If you guys have 30 seconds of audio or video stating your case I’d like to add it to a YouTube project I started tonight called “30 Seconds of Blasphemy”.
I don’t have any traffic on it yet, but I’ll put the site in a list of atheist links
Comment by Mike W — January 3, 2010 @ 8:04 am
Personally I don’t think you are going to be able to challenge the law by throwing your 25 blasphemous bombshells at it. The Irish authorities will just not think there is a case against them, and if there is it would not be public policy to pursue it.
First, these quotations are already in the public domain and were made by their various authors before the coming into effect of the Act. Legislation is not, except in very special and specified circumstances, retroactive. The defence of reasonable value is so self-evident, since most of them fall well within the categories mentioned in the Act, that it would be a frivolous waste of public expense to attempt a prosecution that was bound to fail at the slightest resistance by the putative defendants.
There is another line of approach that I would take. There is another “defence”. According to the Act:
36.(4) In this section “religion” does not include an organisation or cult—
(a) the principal object of which is the making of profit, or
(b) that employs oppressive psychological manipulation—
(i) of its followers, or
(ii) for the purpose of gaining new followers.
What I would do is to attack just one religion and three aspects of it. I would focus on Islam because it is the most virulent and dangerous religion in the world today. I also suspect that it is because of pressure from Muslim sources to have a blasphemy law applicable to all religions that this piece of nonsense was introduced.
I would say that without a belief in the afterlife there would be no suicide bombers. That the religious divide that spawned Pakistan and India is the most likely spark of any future nuclear annihilation. That a belief in a better world to come defeats any attempt at cultivating risk awareness and is allowing thousands of people to die unnecessarily because they believe their fate is in Allah’s hands and is similarly allowing the forests of Indonesia to burn. I would say these things because it is my firm and deliberate intention to cause outrage because the religion which so manipulates their minds is outrageous itself. Unless the adherents stir out of their stupor this planet is on a rapid countdown to extinction. I would make it absolutely clear that if indicted I would intend to call no evidence in my defence that what I say or publish has any value under any category.
What I would claim in my defence is that Islam is not a religion as defined by the Defamation Act 2009 because it employs oppressive psychological manipulation of its followers. I would adduce evidence about how children are educated in madrassas and pasenterens. I would adduce evidence about the way women are made to feel ashamed of their bodies. I would adduce evidence about the effects of standing in rows for long periods of time and continuous repetition of chants.
This is not just a silly and purposeless piece of legislation just to fill an outdated constitutional hole. It is dangerous. Ireland is ill-advisedly trying to keep a low and sycophantic profile while its brave European brothers in Denmark have to face the torches in their embassies and mad axemen attacking their cartoonists in their homes.
It won’t work. Just one case would pull this piece of nonsense to bits – and the crowds would be milling and screaming outside Irish embassies too.
I am an Irish citizen but I am living far away in Indonesia so it is difficult for me to do what I suggest – although given the opportunity I would. I relish the thought of appearing in an Irish court on such a charge. The prospect of appearing in an Indonesian court (where less circumscribed laws prevail) is, I admit, somewhat less appealing.
I have written to my embassy, however. Anything else I can do, please let me know.
Comment by Rafiq Mahmood — January 3, 2010 @ 3:49 pm
If there are any online petitions, addresses to send letters to, anything to support the campaign to get this medieval law revoked please, please, please say! I am disgusted that this is law and terrified of the consequences should other countries follow suit.
Comment by Jennifer Mitchell — January 3, 2010 @ 6:00 pm
You have my best wishes in combating law. I am currently writing a blog on your problem, and am repeating some of your statements. Unfortunately, my blog has about five readers and there are largely old military chums, but I will spread word of this unjust law as far as possible in the US.
Comment by AuBricker — January 3, 2010 @ 6:13 pm
We at The Church of the Simply Divine are a very fundamental religion. That is to say we revere the Great Spiritual Fundament: our one and only one tenet. We believe – okay, let’s be perfectly accurate, we KNOW – you can only approach Divinity through a Same-Sex Mindset.
And so it followeth, as the Night the Day, that every homosexual IS AT BIRTH a Member and a Minister in our church – whether they like it or not – and anything and everything that queer does with regard to his/her sexuality is a bona fide religious act!
Well, you can imagine that we are THRILLED by the Irish Parliament’s decision to return to the good old days of punishing blasphemy. Given our ONE tenet, we obviously consider BLASPHEMOUS TO THE EXTREME any statements made by anyone disparaging gays or lesbians (bisexuals, however, *can* be disparaged, but only half the time and only with regard to their damnable heterosexual urges).
We are in the process of informing the Irish Government that we expect FULL AND IMMEDIATE ENFORCEMENT from them regarding blasphemies against our one and only sacred tenet. As we have only ONE tenet, it will naturally make enforcement of blasphemies against us far simpler to process than those of other religions which have very long and sometimes quite unintelligible lists of possible blasphemies.
WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP YOU CAN AFFORD US TO MAKE SURE THAT BLASPHEMERS AGAINST US ARE THOROUGHLY (AND EXPENSIVELY) PUNISHED FOR THEIR SINS.
Unless, of course, you’re too busy repealing the law. Still, while it’s in force, let’s do some good, yes?
Comment by Dr. Grabham Young — January 3, 2010 @ 9:11 pm
[...] http://blasphemy.ie/about-this-website/ [...]
Pingback by The Irish and insanity « One Furious Llama — January 3, 2010 @ 9:25 pm
Congratulations on your blasphemy statement. There’s something there for everyone!
What are your plans if, as is possible, nobody rises to your bait, and the law remains untested in court? Have you thought of publishing a monthly or bi-monthly journal containing new blasphemous material in every issue?
“The Irish Blasphemer” (or something like that) could contain articles, stories, poems and cartoons all designed to challenge the blasphemy law – repeatedly, creatively, and humorously. It would be published both on the internet (on a server in Ireland), and in print. The print version could be distributed by paid subscription for a small fee, and also via sympathetic retail outlets such as independent bookshops, cafes, and pubs.
There is a lot of support for your cause throughout the world, so I’m sure there would be no shortage of quality contributions to choose from.
I am the web editor of The Freethinker magazine in the UK. I’d be happy to help out in any way with a project such as this. Email me if you are interested.
Comment by davidmww — January 4, 2010 @ 4:23 pm
I am stunned to find that the website has no link to the Tom Wait’s song “Chocolate Jesus”. No atheist’s education is complete without these wonderful blues… …humour is the deadliest weapon.
Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5kHx1itU8c
Lyrics:
Chocolate Jesus
Don’t go to church on Sunday
Don’t get on my knees to pray
Don’t memorize the books of the Bible
I got my own special way
I know Jesus loves me
Maybe just a little bit more
I fall down on my knees every Sunday
At Zerelda Lee’s candy store
Well it’s got to be a chocolate Jesus
Make me feel good inside
Got to be a chocolate Jesus
Keep me satisfied
Well I don’t want no Abba Zabba
Don’t want no Almond Joy
There ain’t nothing better
Suitable for this boy
Well it’s the only thing
That can pick me up
Better than a cup of gold
See only a chocolate Jesus
Can satisfy my soul
(Solo)
When the weather gets rough
And it’s whiskey in the shade
It’s best to wrap your savior
Up in cellophane
He flows like the big muddy
But that’s ok
Pour him over ice cream
For a nice parfait
Well it’s got to be a chocolate Jesus
Good enough for me
Got to be a chocolate Jesus
Good enough for me
Well it’s got to be a chocolate Jesus
Make me feel good inside
Got to be a chocolate Jesus
Keep me satisfied
Comment by Richard Frederick — January 11, 2010 @ 11:23 am
Just saw the piece on RTE’s Prime Time. We must have this law removed. What to do?
Comment by Paul Glennon — January 12, 2010 @ 10:21 pm
The Irish lawmakers should be asked to prove the existence of A “GOD”.Can they?,I doubt it.This law stinks of Islam and dirty MONEY.The TDs and ministers in Irish Government do nothing unless it brings them CASH.
Irish men and women fought for freedom and free speech.They have sold them down the river .This law must be stopped and those who support it kicked out of government.Religion has no place in politics,it is EVIL.
STOP ISLAM in Ireland NOW .
Mick McGann
14 January 2010
Spain
Comment by Mick McGann — January 14, 2010 @ 4:29 pm
Although I live in England, I would very much like to help the campaign in any way I can.
A question: under the terms of the new Act, would, for instance, James Joyce’s Ulysses be considered blasphemous? If so, would it be worthwhile submitting it to the Irish Censorship Board as a test case? Or would it be simply considered, as Rafiq Mahmood has suggested in his excellent posting on this page, ‘a frivolous waste of public expense to attempt a prosecution that was bound to fail at the slightest resistance by the putative defendants’? What is the current legal advice on this?
Comment by Keith Hopper — January 22, 2010 @ 4:03 pm
Hello,
I would like to avail the advertising opportunities on your website
http://blasphemy.ie
Can you please do contact me as soon as possible and give me more details.
Eagerly waiting for your reply.
Best Regards,
Aden
Comment by Aden Dexter — February 12, 2010 @ 11:08 pm
Hello,
I am keen to join your official campaign against the intellectual terrorism of censorship, especially in its base form of the protection of theocratic bullies. Please contact me with information re petitions & protests, or anything else of interest.
Regards,
Hubie
Comment by Hubie D — June 29, 2010 @ 9:47 am
The Government today announced three referendums, but not the one to remove the anti-blasphemy law that was promised during the election.
We better get the campaign up and running again.
Comment by Feardorcha — June 14, 2011 @ 4:30 pm
More Irish Catholics need to read this:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/62630233/100-Facts
Comment by T J — November 15, 2011 @ 9:12 am