Ethical-Legal Investigation of the Crime of Blasphemy in the Light of Legal System of Iran and United Kingdom with Emphasis on the Aggravated Responsibility of States
Akhlāq-i zīstī i.e., Bioethics Journal,
Vol. 11 No. 36 (1400),
17 Mordad 2021
,
Page 1-19
https://doi.org/10.22037/bioeth.v11i36.35393
Abstract
Background and Aim: Governments have a duty to guarantee the right to freedom of expression for the people. In the 1980s, with the rise of ideas about freedom of expression, this idea entered the field of law and politics that restrictions on insulting and ridiculing religions and sanctities were a violation of the right to freedom of expression. In this regard, some governments have decriminalized blasphemy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the crime of blasphemy from the perspective of ethics and law in the legal systems of Iran and the UK with a view to the aggravated responsibility of the government.
Materials and Methods: This research is of theoretical type and its method is descriptive-analytical. The method of data collection is library and it has been done by referring to documents, books and articles.
Ethical Considerations: In this research, while paying attention to the originality of the texts, honesty and fidelity have been observed.
Findings: The research findings show that, blasphemy is not allowed within the framework of the basic principles of ethics, which are commonly accepted in different moral schools. In the Iranian legal system, blasphemy is not limited to the sacredness of Islam. In English legal system, only blasphemy was forbidden and finally after 2008, it was removed from the criminal code altogether. The decriminalization of blasphemy leads to a violation of the right to religious freedom and non-discrimination on the basis of religion.
Conclusion: It seems the state's commitments to guarantee religious freedom and non-discrimination on the basis of religion has described as "peremptory" requirements. As a result, in the area of international liability law, it is possible for states to adopt a pattern of aggravated liability (or liability for breach of peremptory rules).
Cite this article as: Ghorbani A, Shadmanfar MR, Heidari M, Ashrafi M. Ethical-Legal Investigation of the Crime of Blasphemy in the Light of Legal System of Iran and United Kingdom with Emphasis on the Aggravated Responsibility of States. Majale "Akhlāq-i zīstī" (i.e., Bioethics Journal). 2021; 11(36): e14.
- Blasphemy; Human Rights; States’ Liability; Peremptory Norms
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