European Convention of Human Rights and religious Denigration
Martyn McGeown analyzes a landmark 2018 European Court of Human Rights ruling that upheld the conviction of an Austrian woman for statements critical of Islamic theology, specifically regarding Muhammad's marriage to a child. The article examines the tension between Article 10 protections of freedom of expression and European laws against religious denigration, raising important questions about religious liberty and the limits of speech in contemporary secular societies. This resource addresses how Reformed Christians should understand and respond to legal restrictions on religious critique in the modern West.
The European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) states in Article 10: Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This Article shall not prevent States from requiring the licensing of broadcasting, television or cinema enterprises. The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org