Monday, April 19, 2010

Blasphemy Law Upheld

INDONESIA'S Constitutional Court has rejected a petition by moderate Muslims, minorities and rights groups against a 1965 blasphemy law, in a ruling seen as a test of the country's pluralism.

The court ruled that the law was imperfect but did not contravene the constitution of the world's most populous Muslim-majority country. 'The application has been rejected entirely as the reasons given by the applicants... have no legal basis and are completely unfounded,' chief judge Mahfud MD told the court. 'It's not contrary to the basic articles in the constitution but it needs to be made clearer.'

The law makes it illegal to 'publicise, recommend or organise public support' for any religion other than or different to the orthodox versions of six sanctioned faiths: Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Catholicism, Protestantism and Confucianism. It was used in 2008 to force followers of the Islamic Ahmadiyah sect to go underground and is regularly cited by minority groups as a source of discrimination and intimidation.

Rights groups and civil society organisations that value the country's secular traditions say it forces people to adhere to government-sanctioned faiths and limits religious freedom.

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