Overview
"The fatwa against Salman Rushdie awakened many westerners to the danger of being accused of blasphemy in the Muslim world. As this eye-opening volume reveals, accusations of ""blasphemy,"" ""apostasy,"" or ""insulting Islam"" are increasingly used by authoritarian governments and extremist forces in the Muslim world to acquire and consolidate power. These charges, which traditionally carry a punishment of death, have proved effective in intimidating not only converts and heterodox groups, but also political and religious reformers. In his foreword, the late Indonesian President Wahid observes that coercively applied blasphemy laws ""narrow the bounds of acceptable discourse...not only about religion, but about vast spheres of life, literature, science and culture in general.""Silenced provides the first survey of such accusations in the contemporary Muslim world, in international organizations, and in the West. The authors describe hundreds of victims, including political dissidents, religious reformers, journalists, writers, artists, movie makers, and religious minorities throughout the Muslim world. They also document the political effects in Muslim societies of blasphemy and apostasy laws, as well as non-governmental fatwas and vigilante violence. Finally, they address the move toward new blasphemy laws in the West and the increasing threat of violence to stifle commentary on Islam in the West even in the absence of law."
Full Product Details
Author: Marshall ,
Shea
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:
Width: 15.60cm
, Height: 3.80cm
, Length: 23.40cm
Weight: 0.674kg
ISBN: 9780199812288
ISBN 10: 0199812284
Pages: 544
Publication Date: 31 October 2011
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Reviews
<br> Islamists, claiming they want only respect for their religion, are imposing brutal punishments for apostasy and blasphemy in the non-Muslim as well as the Muslim world. In this eloquent and definitive work Marshall and Shea make a powerful case that for us to accommodate this, anywhere, would be disastrous--weakening truly moderate Muslims and those of us who support them, and seriously crippling our own freedoms of speech and religion. -- R. James Woolsey, Chairman, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Former Director of Central Intelligence <br><p><br>
Silenced is an uncomfortable but essential contribution to a most important debate that many would prefer to sit out. Its sober, balanced, and detailed account of the threat from Islamic blasphemy laws - whether in Pakistan, at the U.N., or in Europe - lucidly demonstrates that we do so at our own peril. National Review
Author Information
Paul Marshall is Senior Fellow at the Center for Religious Freedom, Hudson Institute. Nina Shea is Director of the Center for Religious Freedom, Hudson Institute.
