World Blasphemy Day

In light of this week's expensive, overhyped mass hysteria and worshipping of false idols (of the hypocritical, old, sexist, mysogynistic male variety) - not to mention the cynical marketing exercise - and the fawning, uncritical press it has been receiving from the Murdoch tabloid and semi-tabloid media (and even bloody SBS, although they should know better), I felt it might be an appropriate time to note that in some parts of Australia, blasphemy may still be a crime.

From an article by Kate Gilchrist, published in Arts Monthly in 1997:

"The existence of blasphemous libel is unclear in Australia. Each State has its own criminal law which suggests different positions. The fact that in Victoria, under section 469AA of the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic), blasphemous publications may be seized, may indicate the possible existence of blasphemous libel in Victoria. In New South Wales the criminal offence of blasphemous libel is still recognised by explicit reference to the offence in the Defamation Act 1974 (NSW) and the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW). The Australian Capital Territory has adopted the NSW Crimes Act. In Tasmania there is express reference to blasphemous libel in the Tasmanian Criminal Code. In Queensland and Western Australia, where there are criminal codes, the offence of blasphemous libel has been abolished. The position is unclear in South Australia and the Northern Territory where there is no express mention of blasphemous libel in the criminal legislation. With respect to the Commonwealth, there is no express offence of blasphemous libel in the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth) although there is other Commonwealth legislation that refers to blasphemy.

If blasphemy is a crime, then like media-shifting and copy-control circumvention, it is an utterly victimless crime. And like those two other victimless crimes, it is one committed by thousands of people every day, and is almost never policed.

Thus, I would like to declare this week to be World Blasphemy Day (if the Catholics can string 24 hours out for an entire seven days, then so can I). Legislation should have an element of logic to it; we shouldn't have archaic, irrelevent laws created from works of fiction like the bible, that give vocal zealots a free kick at non-believers and critics, and are so vague that they present authorities with ample opportunity for victimisation of anyone they take a dislike to.

So fer chrissake, it's time to tell governments and religions where they can stick their blasphemy laws.