Killing someone because you don't like their views is the real blasphemy

Yesterday I published a post on this blog condemning the murder of three Muslims in America, which, without wishing to pre-judge the result of the forthcoming court case, appears to have been because of their beliefs.

The same day a meeting about free speech was attacked by a terrorist gunman who killed one person and wounded three police officers, apparently because one of the people present was a cartoonist who had depicted the prophet in the past.

It cannot be said too many times that murdering people because you don't like views they express is wrong whoever does it and whoever is the victim.

One of my beliefs happens to be that you should try treat other people's views with respect. I won't be posting any cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed on this blog, and that isn't just from fear of being attacked: I won't be going online under a false name and posting them anonymously either.

But the fact that I am in generally favour of treating the religious faith of others with respect does not give me or anyone else the right to murder those who take a different view.

And anyone who imagines that they have the right to kill someone because they think that person has insulted their religious faith is not just a murderer if they act on that opinion. They are also guilty of the ultimate blasphemy, because they have done far more damage to the reputation of their religion than any cartoon or statement ever could.

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