IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 349 

Calling for the global repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 22, 2017 

Mr. RASKIN (for himself, Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia, 

and Mr. CICILLINE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for the global repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and 

apostasy laws. 

Whereas Article 18 of the International Declaration of 

Human Rights states that ‘‘[e]veryone has the right to 

freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in 

public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in 

teaching, practice, worship and observance’’; 

Whereas many countries continue to have criminal blasphemy 

laws and punish people who engage in expression deemed 

by the government to be blasphemous, heretical, apostate, 

defamatory of religion, or insulting to religion or to religious symbols, figures, or feelings, and such punishment 

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can include fines, imprisonment, and capital punishment 

including by beheading; 

Whereas blasphemy laws have affected Christians, Muslims, 

Hindus, Baha’i, secularists, and many other groups, are 

inconsistent with international human rights standards 

because they establish and promote official religious orthodoxy and dogma over individual liberty, and often result in violations of the freedoms of religion, thought, and 

expression that are protected under international instruments, including Articles 18 and 19 of the International 

Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR); 

Whereas the United Nations Human Rights Committee stated in General Comment 34 that ‘‘[p]rohibitions of displays of lack of respect for a religion or other belief system, including blasphemy laws, are incompatible with the 

[ICCPR].’’; 

Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has found that blasphemy 

charges are often based on false accusations, are used for 

sectarian or political purposes, and foster religious intolerance, discrimination, and violence; 

Whereas the Pew Research Center has found that 44 countries had blasphemy laws as of 2012; 

Whereas these laws were present in 14 Middle East and 

North African countries, 11 countries in the Americas, 9 

Asia-Pacific countries, 7 European countries, and 3 SubSaharan African countries; 

Whereas the Pew Research Center also found that countries 

with laws against blasphemy, apostasy, or defamation of 

religion were more likely to have severe governmental restrictions on religion, and to experience social hostilities 

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based on religion, than countries that did not have such 

laws; 

Whereas an international group of experts convened by the 

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for 

Human Rights recommended in 2012 that ‘‘[s]tates that 

have blasphemy laws should repeal the[m] as such laws 

have a stifling impact on the enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief and healthy dialogue and debate about religion.’’; 

Whereas blasphemy laws are inconsistent with United Nations resolutions adopted by consensus since 2011 recognizing that religious intolerance is best fought through 

positive measures, such as education, outreach, and 

counter-speech, and that criminalization of speech is warranted only for the prevention of imminent violence; 

Whereas according to the annual religious freedom report 

published by the Department of State in 2015, attackers 

in Bangladesh killed five allegedly anti-Islamic or 

secularist writers and publishers, and injured three others; 

Whereas in response to these killings, the Home Minister of 

Bangladesh, rather than condemning the murders, called 

on bloggers and others to refrain from writings that 

could hurt the religious feelings of others and added that 

violators of the warning would be subject to prosecution 

under the restrictive religious freedom laws of Bangladesh; 

Whereas a 2016 report by USCIRF on Bangladesh found 

that religious and civil society groups fear that increasing 

religious extremism will result in more criminal attacks 

and threats; 

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Whereas restrictive religious freedom laws validate and promote social violence targeted at religious minorities and 

dissenters, whether Christian, Muslim, secularist, or 

other; 

Whereas USCIRF has found that in Pakistan, blasphemy 

laws have been used to prosecute and persecute Muslims, 

Christians, secularists, and others; 

Whereas according to a Pew Center report on religion and 

public life, Pakistan stands out for having one of the 

highest levels of restrictions on religion when both government restrictions and social hostilities are taken into 

account; 

Whereas USCIRF has found egregious examples of the enforcement of blasphemy laws and vigilante violence connected to blasphemy allegations in Pakistan, where blasphemy charges are common and numerous individuals are 

in prison, with a high percentage sentenced to death or 

to life in prison; 

Whereas, as of February 2015, USCIRF is aware of 18 individuals on death row for blasphemy in Pakistan and 20 

serving life sentences; 

Whereas Asia Bibi was sentenced to death for blasphemy in 

2010, and the Lahore High Court upheld the conviction 

in late 2014, and her case is on appeal to the Supreme 

Court of Pakistan; 

Whereas blasphemy laws in Pakistan have fostered a climate 

of impunity, as those who falsify evidence go unpunished 

and allegations often result in violent mob attacks or assassinations, with little to no police response; 

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Whereas in 2017, the Christian Governor of Jakarta, Indonesia, was convicted for blasphemy of Islam and sentenced to two years in jail; 

Whereas the application of blasphemy laws is on the rise in 

Europe; 

Whereas in 2017, a 42-year-old man was charged with blasphemy in Denmark for burning a copy of the Koran and 

posting the video on Facebook; 

Whereas no one has been convicted of blasphemy in Denmark 

since 1946; 

Whereas in 2014, a Greek court sentenced Filippos Loizos to 

10 months in prison for committing malicious blasphemy 

by hosting a satirical and irreverent Facebook page; 

Whereas blasphemy laws in the United States were invalidated by the adoption of the First Amendment to the 

Constitution, which protects the freedoms of thought, 

conscience, expression, and religious exercise; and 

Whereas the United States has become a beacon of religious 

freedom and tolerance around the world: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes that blasphemy, heresy, and 

3 apostasy laws inappropriately position governments 

4 as arbiters of religious truth and empower officials 

5 to impose religious dogma on individuals or minori6 ties through the power of the government or through 

7 violence sanctioned by the government; 

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1 (2) calls on the President and the Secretary of 

2 State to make the repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and 

3 apostasy laws a priority in the bilateral relationships 

4 of the United States with all countries that have 

5 such laws, through direct interventions in bilateral 

6 and multilateral fora; 

7 (3) encourages the President and the Secretary 

8 of State to oppose— 

9 (A) any efforts, by the United Nations or 

10 by other international or multilateral fora, to 

11 create an international anti-blasphemy norm, 

12 such as the ‘‘defamation of religions’’ resolu13 tions introduced in the United Nations between 

14 1999 and 2010; and 

15 (B) any attempts to expand the inter16 national norm on incitement to include blas17 phemy or defamation of religions; 

18 (4) supports efforts by the United Nations to 

19 combat intolerance, discrimination, or violence 

20 against persons based on religion or belief without 

21 restricting expression, including United Nations 

22 Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18 (2011) and 

23 the Istanbul Process meetings pursuant to such res24 olution, that are consistent with the First Amend25 ment to the Constitution; 

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1 (5) calls on the President and the Secretary of 

2 State to designate countries that enforce blasphemy, 

3 heresy, or apostasy laws as ‘‘countries of particular 

4 concern for religious freedom’’ under section 

5 402(b)(1)(A)(ii) of the International Religious Free6 dom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442(b)(1)(A)(ii)) for 

7 engaging in or tolerating severe violations of reli8 gious freedom, as a result of the abuses flowing from 

9 the enforcement of such laws and from unpunished 

10 vigilante violence often generated by blasphemy alle11 gations; 

12 (6) urges the governments of countries that en13 force blasphemy, heresy, or apostasy laws to amend 

14 or repeal such laws, as they provide pretext and im15 punity for vigilante violence against religious minori16 ties; and 

17 (7) urges the governments of countries that 

18 have prosecuted, imprisoned, and persecuted people 

19 on charges of blasphemy, heresy, or apostasy to re20 lease such people unconditionally and, once released, 

21 to ensure their safety and that of their families. 

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