Blasphemy laws in Islam and in Muslim-majority countries

Announced by the University of Pittsburgh:

Blasphemy laws in Islam and in Muslim-majority countries

Do blasphemy laws in Muslim-majority countries violate Qur’anic teachings?

We believe the penalty of death, imprisonment and torture carried out as punishment for the crime of blasphemy are arbitrary, used frequently to justify mob violence and vigilantism, and as a pretext to settle personal scores - all clear violations of Qur'anic principles of human rights and dignity. The recent attack against author Salman Rushdie was widely condemned, and has tarnished the image of Islam and Muslims in America and in the World. The time to speak against it is now!

We are reaching out to American Muslim scholars across the nation who have written or spoken against blasphemy laws to participate on the panel, in order to have a frank, open, and honest discussion on this very important and timely topic.

Professor Sahar Aziz (Moderator)

Panelists:
1. Prof. Khaled Abou Elfadl, UCLA Law School
2. Dr. Mustafa Akyol, CATO institute
3. Prof. Ahmet Kuru, San Diego State University
4. Dr. M. Basheer Ahmed, Southwestern Medical
School, Dallas TX
5. Dr. Radwan A. Masmoudi, CSID