Analysis of the crime of blasphemy in the criminal law of Iran and Saudi Arabia

One of the major issues concerning the theocratic and non-theocratic religious communities is designated as blasphemy that targets religious sanctities, which has evolved into a challenging discussion in international and predominantly Islamic societies due to the rising trend observed in recent decades. Contrarily, there is not adequate discussion in jurisprudential and legal research circles that appropriately addresses the issue. Accordingly, it is deemed necessary to define and demonstrate the components of this crime, as well as the criteria dictating the execution of punishments for blasphemy in terms of jurisprudence per available sources of Islamic religion, all given that the Iranian and Saudi Arabian laws are fundamentally derived from Islamic jurisprudence. With these considerations in mind, a comparative study of blasphemy per core international human rights instruments is also deemed necessary. In Iranian criminal law, profanity targeting the Prophet (PBUH) and other divine prophets (PBUH) is considered as blasphemy or sacrilege towards the prophet(s), denoted as Sab-oul-Nabi. Similarly, if this blasphemous behavior targets the infallible Imams and Fatima (PBUH), it is once more regarded as Sab-oul-Nabbi (PBUH), both punished by the death penalty. Nevertheless, mere profanity towards the infallible prophets and Islamic personages that does not bear any blasphemy is punishable by the discretionary custodial sentence, denoted as ta'zir. In Saudi criminal law, the death penalty is executed only for those who commit blasphemous acts and blasphemy that target the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and other divine prophets (PBUH).