Islam and blasphemy

Blasphemy in Islam constitutes speaking ill of God, of Muhammad, of any other prophet mentioned in the Qur'an, and of any the Biblical prophets (Jesus, Moses, Abraham, etc). The Qu'ran also implies that it is blasphemy to claim that Jesus Christ (the son of Mary) is the son of God [Qur'an Sura 5 "The Table" verses 114-118
5:114

'Lord' said Jesus, the Son of Mary, 'send to us from heaven a table spread with food, that it may mark a feast for us and for those that will come after us: a sign from You. Give us our sustenance; Your are the best Giver'

5:115

Allah replied: 'I am sending one to you. But whoever of you disbelieves hereafter shall be punished as no man has ever been punished'.
Then Allah will say: 'Jesus , son of Mary, did you ever say to Mankind: "Worship me and my mother as gods beside Allah?"
'Glory to You' he will answer, 'how could I say that to which I have no right? If I had ever said so, You would have surely known it. You know what is in my mind but I cannot tell what is in Yours. You alone know what is hidden. I spoke to them of nothing except what you bade me. I said: "Serve Allah, my Lord and your Lord." I watched over them when I was in their midst, and ever since You took me to You, You Yourself have been watching over them. You are the witness of all things. They are your own bondsmen: it is for You to punish or to forgive them. You are the Mighty, the Wise One.'
Allah will say: 'This is the day when their truthfulness will benefit the truthful. They shall for ever dwell in gardens watered by running streams. Allah shall be pleased with them and they with Him. That is the supreme triumph.'

] . British author Salman Rushdie's novel "The Satanic Verses" was seen by many Muslims to contain blasphemies against Islam, and Iranian clerical leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a "fatwa" in 1989 calling for Rushdie's death. More recently, the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons were criticised in part on the basis that they were blasphemous against Muhammad. The Egyptian government under pressure by the parliament banned the film "The Da Vinci Code" and is to confiscate the novel for containing blasphemy.

References

External links

*http://muslim-canada.org/apostasy.htm
*http://www.islamdigital.com/search/islamicsites/islam-blasphemy.html
*http://www.islamicvoice.com/April2006/QuestionHour-DrZakirNaik/
*http://shs.northernontario.org/Sharia/Sharia_2.htm

*See S. Brent Plate's "Blasphemy: Art that Offends" for more on Islam and blasphemy, especially in relation to imagery.