Blasphemy today: In the Muslim world and beyond

Devout Muslims perceive blasphemy as an almost physical injury

Ireland’s state police recently concluded their investigation of comedian Stephen Fry, who stood accused of criminal blasphemy.

In an interview that aired on Irish public television, Fry had described God as “capricious, mean-minded, stupid,” and “an utter maniac.” And Ireland’s Defamation Act of 2009 clearly prohibits the “publication or utterance of blasphemous matter.” Yet on May 8 the police closed the case, explaining they’d been “unable to find a substantial number of outraged people.”

The mild resolution to this incident stands in stark contrast to recent news