The law against blasphemy must be removed

I refer to Dr Ali Selim's threatening of the Irish media with legal action

if they publish the Charlie Hebdo cartoon he finds offensive and while

others found so offensive that they killed 12 people 

('Islamic cleric threatens Irish publications with legal action if they publish offending cartoon', January 8).

First, how nice of Dr Selim to assure us that lives will not be in danger. It is reassuring that lives will not be in danger if a humorous cartoon is published in a democratic republic which upholds those essentials of democracy, freedom of expression and freedom of speech.

But, the reality is that people would have grounds to be worried if they were to publish the cartoon. We have been here before with the Danish cartoons, which were followed by hundreds of deaths and attacks on Christians, churches and European diplomatic missions.

When have also been here with the fatwa against Salman Rushdie in 1989, when the head of Iran's hardline theocracy backed the murder of a foreign national. Why? Because he considered the writer's work of fiction offensive. The book's Japanese translator was stabbed to death in 1991. Its Italian translator was seriously injured in a stabbing in Milan in 1991. Its Norway publisher was shot three times in an attempted assassination in Oslo in October 1993. The book's Turkish translator was the intended target in the events which led to the Sivas massacre in 1993, which caused the deaths of 37 people.

You reported that Dr Selim "insisted that he believed in freedom of expression and speech. However, he said that the image was offensive to equality". An explanation of how the cartoon is offensive to equality is not proffered. Perhaps Dr Selim might enlighten us.

This brings us to the related issue of blasphemy. Dr Ali Selim previously argued in your newspaper against the abolition of the offence of blasphemy from our Constitution ('Blasphemy offence is vital to our peaceful co-existence', February 10, 2014).

Dr Selim said that blasphemy laws are "abused" in other countries. It would be more accurate to say that blasphemy laws are not abused - but enforced - in other countries. In Egypt, insulting Islam and Muhammad has resulted in the death penalty.

Do we really want to live in a country where being involved in the likes of a humorous cartoon, 'Fr Ted' or 'The Life of Brian' could result in a fine of up to €25,000?

The law against blasphemy is an anachronism and should be removed.

Rob Sadlier

Rathfarnham, Dublin 16