Rushdie Haunted by his unholy Ghosts — Page 118
118 Mohamed Arshad Ahmedi Perhaps, it is time now to seriously review the blasphemy laws as ‘a law that protects only one religion has no place. ’ So says Geoffrey Robertson QC, in The Times (25 July 1989). He goes on to make another interesting point that ‘Rushdie’s own eagerly awaited evidence would be inadmissible’ because ‘in 1979 the House of Lords decided by a 3-2 majority, that an alleged blasphemer’s inten- tions are irrelevant. Only the consequence matters. ’ Furthermore, Robertson adds that ‘literary merit is no defence to a blasphemous libel charge. ’ He also faults the present laws regarding blasphemy as ‘it is so uncertain in scope that nobody can establish in advance whether a publication would constitute an offence. ’ This shows the blasphemy laws to be weak compared to others like ‘the web of prohibitions on obscenity and indecency in the media protect sacred subjects from pornographic representation; the Public Order Act punishes the use of threatening, insulting or abusive words or writing that might provoke a breach of the peace; and several laws specifically punish anyone who disturbs religious devotions. ’ It appears to be the case that Muslims generally have a strong adherence to their faith. A faith which encompasses belief in all the prophets of God. As such they will always jump to the defence of their beloved prophets - be it Mohammadsa, Jesus(as), Moses(as) or any other prophet for that matter. This was clearly exemplified upon the release of the film ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’. In fact some argued that the Muslims were more vociferous in their objections than any other religious group. This may be so, but it surely proves that the Muslims are consistent in their beliefs and that they fully respect the prophets of other religions. It would be nice if this feel- ing was reciprocated. Furthermore, the fact that Britain, a ‘Christian’ society, allowed the film to be broadcast, sheds some light on the general public’s attitude towards religion in general. It is no wonder that they fail to understand the outrage of the Muslims over matters concerning faith! It would be true to say that the decline in morality world-wide, and especially in Britain, and more and more people turning away