If Ireland revives its blasphemy laws, Irish artists and other citizens could face extradition to States like Greece or Turkey under the terms of the 2004 European Arrest Warrant. This allows one State to issue warrants for the arrest of citizens of another State, if the crime involved is a crime in both jurisdictions.
Already, in 2005, an Austrian cartoonist has faced extradition to Greece on blasphemy charges, when a book of his cartoons was published there. And Turkey, which may soon be a European Union member, is this month trying a novelist for blasphemy. This is yet another reason stop the proposed Irish blasphemy law.
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Many important ideas in the history of humankind have been considered offensive when they were first proposed. Indeed, the people proposing such ideas often did so knowing that they would cause offense. Here are some articles defending the right to offend as a necessary part of free speech.
The following is an extract from a speech by Pope John Paul II in May 2003, addressing the new Ambassador to the Holy See from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
“Your Excellency, I am pleased to acknowledge the considerable political reforms which have recently been implemented in Pakistan for the improvement of civic life… Nevertheless it must also be noted that the grievances which continue to be felt particularly among the Christian minority in your country detract from the overall well-being of the nation. The grave difficulties that the Blasphemy Laws cause and the incidents of violence and vandalism against Christians and their properties have been well documented.”
Pope John Paul was right about this. And blasphemy laws are as wrong in Ireland in 2009 as they were in Pakistan in 2003.