Religious Offence and Human Rights by Lorenz Langer

Religious Offence and Human Rights by Lorenz Langer

Should international law be concerned with offence to religions and their followers? Even before the 2005 publication of the Danish Mohammed cartoons, Muslim States have endeavoured to establish some reputational protection for religions on the international level by pushing for recognition of the novel concept of 'defamation of religions'. This study recounts these efforts as well as the opposition they aroused, particularly by proponents of free speech. It also addresses the more fundamental issue of how religion and international law may relate to each other. Historically, enforcing divine commands has been the primary task of legal systems, and it still is in numerous municipal jurisdictions. By analysing religious restrictions of blasphemy and sacrilege as well as international and national norms on free speech and freedom of religion, Lorenz Langer argues that, on the international level at least, religion does not provide a suitable rationale for legal norms.

'Langer provides one of the most compelling accounts of the background to, and story of, the 'defamation of religions' debate across the UN throughout the 2000s.. This book needs to be read.' Malcolm Evans, Ecclesiastical Law Journal

Lorenz Langer is a lecturer at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and a Senior Research Fellow at its Centre for Research on Direct Democracy. He is also the managing editor of the Swiss Review of European and International Law.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781107612204
ISBN 10	1107612209
Title	Religious Offence and Human Rights
Author	Lorenz Langer
Series	Cambridge Studies In International And Comparative Law
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Year published	2016-03-31
Number of pages	490
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.