2022, like every other year, was cruel to so-called blasphemers. I wrote about how people continue to suffer under blasphemy laws and norms, and how some countries are currently trying to make it even less safe for dissenters.

New post on Substack: https://sarahemclaugh.substack.com/p/2022-this-year-in-blasphemy

2022: This Year in Blasphemy

The world isn’t safe for blasphemers. That much has long been clear. One incident from this year’s review of blasphemy arrests and attacks will, of course, stand out: The horrific act of violence against Salman Rushdie, committed by a 24-year-old man from New Jersey who was not even alive when Rushdie published

The Other Sarah McLaughlin's Newsletter
Salman Rushdie was stabbed. A Pakistani woman was sentenced to death for blasphemy—likely set up by a man who wanted revenge. A college student in Nigeria was beaten to death by a mob for a message in a group chat. An atheist was given 24 years in prison. A Polish painter was fined for bringing a painting to a protest. Indonesia just made it illegal to "persuade someone to be a nonbeliever." Around the world, activists, dissenters, scholars, students, and religious minorities continue to suffer.