On December 7, 2020 USA Congressman Jamie Raskin's (MD-08) bipartisan House Resolution 512,
calling for the global repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws,
passed the House of Representatives by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote
of 386-3; see https://raskin.house.gov/2020/12/house-passes-raskin-resolution-calling-global-repeal-blasphemy-heresy-apostasy . A description of the bill says "The Resolution also calls for the
immediate release of religious prisoners of conscience worldwide. As
more than 80 countries
use blasphemy laws to persecute and imprison religious minorities and
dissenters, the House asserted the essential importance of freedom of
religion and liberty of conscience globally."
The text of the bill is stated at https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-resolution/512/text . Some things mentioned therein are the following.
"Whereas Article 18 of
the International Declaration of Human Rights states that “[e]veryone
has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right
includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either
alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest
his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance”;
Whereas
many countries continue to have criminal blasphemy laws and punish
people who engage in expression deemed by the government to be
blasphemous, heretical, apostate, defamatory of religion, or insulting
to religion or to religious symbols, figures, or feelings, and such
punishment can include fines, imprisonment, and capital punishment
including by beheading;
Whereas
blasphemy laws have affected Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Baha’i,
secularists, and many other groups, are inconsistent with international
human rights standards because they establish and promote official
religious orthodoxy and dogma over individual liberty, and often result
in violations of the freedoms of religion, thought, and expression that
are protected under international instruments, including Articles 18 and
19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR);
...
Whereas restrictive laws
beyond those penalizing blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy further limit
religious freedom, such as extremism laws—
(1)
in Russia that have been used to ban Jehovah’s Witnesses as an
extremist organization and fueled persecution of this religious group;
...
(3) in North Korea, to detain an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 Christians
in labor camps because they followed the tenets of Christianity;
...
Whereas blasphemy laws in the United States were invalidated by the
adoption of the First Amendment to the Constitution, which protects the
freedoms of thought, conscience, expression, and religious exercise; and
Whereas the United States has become a beacon of religious freedom and tolerance around the world: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1)
recognizes that blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws inappropriately
position governments as arbiters of religious truth and empower
officials to impose religious dogma on individuals or minorities through
the power of the government or through violence sanctioned by the
government;
(2)
calls on the President and the Secretary of State to make the repeal of
blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws a priority in the bilateral
relationships of the United States with all countries that have such
laws, through direct interventions in bilateral and multilateral fora;
...." [The emphasis is mine.]
I was informed of the legislation by a letter (asking for a donation) I received from the American Humanist Association, dated May 2021. The letter mentioned the activities and accomplishments of the Association and it says their "Policy and Social Justice Director Rachel Deitch authored new drafts of the "congressional blasphemy resolution and the National Day of Reason Resolution at the request of Rep. Jamie Raskin's (D-MD) office." The letter further says that "These resolutions work to ensure that individuals of a minority faith--or no faith at all--have the latitude to question religion and religious practices without fear of repercussions, and reason, not prayer, prevails in the halls of government." [The emphasis is mine.]
