Kuwaiti MPs back ‘death for blasphemy’

Kuwait’S national assemby endorsed a law yesterday which could make insulting Allah and the Prophet Muhammad by Muslims punishable by death.

The proposed law still needs approval by Kuwait’s ruler before it us enacted and follows a high-profile case of suspected blasphemy on Twitter which caused an uproar in the Gulf state.

The draft now includes a new clause which will mean the death penalty will only be applied if the person stands by their actions when questioned by a judge. This would give defendants the opportunity to repent and face a prison term or a fine instead.

Around 85 per cent of Kuwait’s three million inhabitants are thought to be Muslim. Expatriate Christians and Hindus are the next largest groups.

Blasphemy is illegal under Kuwait’s publications law and under the penal code as slander or libel.

At present it carries a jail term, the length of which depends on the severity of the comments and their perceived effect on society, lawyers say.