Kuwaiti lawmakers voted in favour of a legal amendment yesterday which could make insulting God and the Prophet Muhammad punishable by death, after a case of suspected blasphemy on Twitter caused an uproar in the Gulf Arab state.
Members of parliament must vote on the proposal again in a second session and it would need the approval of the country’s ruler before becoming law. The amendment was backed by 46 votes, while four opposed it and others abstained.
Blasphemy is illegal in Kuwait under a 1961 law and carries a jail term, the length of which depends on the severity of the comments and their perceived effect on society, lawyers say.
Islamist MPs proposed toughening the law last month after authorities arrested a Kuwaiti man they said had defamed the Prophet, his companions and his wife on Twitter. The man, identified by his lawyer as Hamad al-Naqi, has said his account was hacked and he did not post the comments.
He is now in pre-trial detention. Dozens of Sunni activists protested to condemn Naqi, who is from Kuwait’s Shia Muslim minority. Some members of parliament have called for him to be executed. – (Reuters)