In an Orwellian twist of logic, Gulf states are once again pushing to restrict religious freedom under the guise of promoting tolerance, combating extremism and protecting human rights.
At a conference in France at the weekend, a Saudi official from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs called for the worldwide introduction of blasphemy laws, as a matter of urgency.
The situation, he said, "requires everyone to intensify efforts to criminalise insulting heavenly religions, prophets, holy books, religious symbols and places of worship".
The kingdom, of course, has been setting an example in this respect. It was under such laws that Saudi blogger Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1,000 lashes, 10 years in jail sentence and fined of one million riyals ($266,000). [al-bab.com] Read more
