IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 290 
Calling for the global repeal of blasphemy laws. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 2, 2015 
Mr. PITTS (for himself and Ms. JACKSON LEE) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Calling for the global repeal of blasphemy laws. 
Whereas Article 18 of the International Declaration of 
Human Rights affirms that everyone has the right to 
freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; 
Whereas this right includes freedom to change one’s religion 
or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with 
others and in public or private, to manifest one’s religion 
or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; 
Whereas many countries have blasphemy laws that punish ex-
pression deemed blasphemous (contemptuous of God or 
sacred things), defamatory of religion, or insulting to reli-
gion or religious symbols, figures, or feelings, and such 
punishment can include fines, imprisonment, and even 
death; 
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•HRES 290 IH 
Whereas blasphemy laws are inconsistent with international 
human rights standards, as they protect beliefs over indi-
viduals and often result in violations of the freedoms of 
religion and expression which are protected under inter-
national instruments, including Articles 18 and 19 of the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 
(ICCPR); 
Whereas the United Nations Human Rights Committee stat-
ed in General Comment 34 that ‘‘[p]rohibitions of dis-
plays of lack of respect for a religion or other belief sys-
tem, including blasphemy laws, are incompatible with the 
[ICCPR].’’; 
Whereas an international group of experts convened by the 
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for 
Human Rights recommended in the 2012 Rabat Plan of 
Action that ‘‘[s]tates that have blasphemy laws should re-
peal 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 also are inconsistent with consensus 
United Nations resolutions adopted since 2011 that rec-
ognize that religious intolerance, discrimination, and vio-
lence are best fought through positive measures, such as 
education, outreach, and counter-speech, and that crim-
inalization is appropriate only for incitement to imminent 
violence; 
Whereas the United States Commission on International Reli-
gious Freedom (USCIRF) has found that blasphemy 
charges often are based on false accusations and used for 
political purposes, and exacerbate religious intolerance, 
discrimination, and violence; 
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•HRES 290 IH 
Whereas the Pew Research Center has found that 44 coun-
tries 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 Sub- 
Saharan African countries; 
Whereas the Pew Research Center also found in 2011 that 
countries with laws against blasphemy, apostasy, or defa-
mation of religion were more likely to have high govern-
ment restrictions on religion or social hostilities based on 
religion than countries that do not have such laws; 
Whereas Saudi Arabia has used criminal charges of blas-
phemy to suppress discussion and debate and silence dis-
sidents, and publicly flogged Raif Badawi 50 times as 
part of a punishment for a blasphemy conviction; 
Whereas Badawi was sentenced in May 2014 to 10 years in 
prison and 1,000 lashes, and fined $1,000,000 SR 
($266,000) for, among other charges, insulting Islam and 
religious authorities; 
Whereas USCIRF also reports that Egypt has seen a signifi-
cant increase in the use of blasphemy-type laws since the 
January 25, 2011, revolution, including during and after 
the Morsi era; 
Whereas in January 2015, Egyptian atheist student Karim 
Al-Banna was given a 3-year prison sentence for blas-
phemy because a court found some of his Facebook posts 
to ‘‘belittle the divine’’; 
Whereas in June 2014, Coptic Christian Kirollos Shawqi 
Atallah was sentenced to 6 years in prison for ‘‘defaming 
Islam’’ on a Facebook page; 
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•HRES 290 IH 
Whereas USCIRF has found that in Pakistan and Egypt, the 
blasphemy laws have been used more against Muslims, 
but disproportionately impact these countries’ small 
Christian minorities; 
Whereas according to a Pew Center Report on Religion and 
Public Life, Pakistan is one of a handful of countries 
that stand out as having the highest levels of restrictions 
on religion when both government restrictions and social 
hostilities are taken into account; 
Whereas USCIRF has found that the most egregious example 
of the enforcement of blasphemy laws and vigilante vio-
lence connected to blasphemy allegations is Pakistan, 
where blasphemy charges are common and numerous in-
dividuals are in prison, with a high percentage sentenced 
to death or life terms; 
Whereas, as of February 2015, USCIRF is aware of 18 indi-
viduals on death row for blasphemy in Pakistan, and 20 
serving life sentences; 
Whereas Aasia Bibi was sentenced to death for blasphemy in 
2010, and the Lahore High Court upheld the conviction 
in late 2014; 
Whereas her case is on appeal to the Supreme Court; 
Whereas blasphemy laws in Pakistan have fostered a climate 
of impunity, as those who falsify evidence go unpunished 
and allegations can result in mob attacks or assassina-
tions, with little to no police response; and 
Whereas in November 2014, Christians Sajjad Maseeh and 
his wife Shama Bibi were beaten to death and thrown in 
a brick kiln after allegations of blasphemy were made 
against them, and in May 2014 Muslim human rights at-
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•HRES 290 IH 
torney Rashid Rehman was assassinated for defending 
someone accused of blasphemy: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes that blasphemy laws inappropri-
ately position governments as arbiters of truth or re-
ligious rightness as they empower officials to enforce 
particular religious views against individuals, minori-
ties; 
(2) calls on the President and the United 
States Department of State to make the repeal of 
blasphemy laws a priority in its bilateral relation-
ships with all countries that have such laws through 
direct interventions in capitals and in multilateral 
fora; 
(3) encourages the President and the United 
States Department of State to oppose any efforts at 
the United Nations or other international or multi-
lateral fora to create an international anti-blasphemy 
norm, such as the 1999–2010 ‘‘defamation of reli-
gions’’ resolutions, or attempts to expand the inter-
national norm on incitement to include blasphemy or 
defamation of religions; 
(4) supports efforts at the United Nations to 
combat intolerance, discrimination, or violence 
against persons based on religion or belief without 
restricting expression, including United Nations 
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