Morocco bans French magazine for insulting Islam

The Moroccan government has banned an issue of the French magazine L’Express International, claiming it insults Islam in articles exploring the relationship between that religion and Christianity.

Information Minister Khalid Naciri said Sunday, Nov 2, that he had no choice but to ban the current issue because of the offensive nature of the articles it contained. The minister said the kingdom’s press code allows the government to shut down or ban any publication deemed to offend Islam or the king. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7...)

Russian Newsweek warned for "insulting" Muslims

Moscow prosecutors say they have warned the Russian-language edition of Newsweek magazine for allegedly insulting Muslims.

The Moscow Prosecutor’s Office says the magazine published two stories that could be "insulting or humiliating" to Muslims. It said Tuesday (Nov 18) that an article also included one of the 2005 Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

The magazine published stories about Muslims in the European Union in late October. It could not be immediately reached for comment. If prosecutors’ warnings are ignored, publications can be fined or threatened with closure. (http://centurean2.wordpress.com/200...)

Editor arrested for ’outraging Muslims’

The editor and publisher of a major Indian newspaper have been arrested for "hurting the religious feelings" of Muslims after they reprinted an article from The Independent.

Ravindra Kumar and Anand Sinha, the editor and publisher of the Kolkata-based English daily The Statesman, appeared in court yesterday charged under section 295A of the Indian Penal Code which forbids "deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings". (www.independent.co.uk/news/world/as...)

Vatican complains to Israel about ’blasphemous’ TV program

The Vatican lodged a formal complaint with the Israeli government in February over a TV programme that "ridiculed and blasphemed" Jesus and Mary. The statement said the government quickly assured the Holy See that it would intervene to interrupt the transmission and get the broadcaster to publicly apologize. (www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/20/v...).

Man arrested after criticizing Islam law on website

(02/02/09)- A Saudi Arabian man, Hamoud Bin Saleh, has been arrested and detained for writing about his conversion to Christianity and criticizing the country’s judicial system on his website. (www.christianfreedom.org/cfi-news/1...).

Calls to release Jordanian poet

Writers in Jordan are calling for the immediate release of a poet charged with insulting Islam in love poetry. Islam Samhan’s recent collection, Grace Like A Shadow, includes phrases from the Koran, viewed as sacrosanct by Muslims as the literal word of God.

One of Jordan’s leading religious figures, the grand mufti, has accused Mr Samhan of blaspheming against "God, the angels and Prophet Muhammad". Jordanian law bans publication of any material seen as harmful to Islam. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_e...).