Kuwait's Parliament Passes Death Penalty for Blasphemy

Monday, April 16, 2012

By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent

KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT (Worthy News)-- Kuwait's parliament provisionally passed amendments to its penal code Thursday requiring the death penalty for anyone who curses Allah, the Prophet Mohammad, or his many wives.

Forty-six MPs voted for the amendments: a second and final vote will take place in two weeks.

Shi'ite MPs also demanded the death penalty for anyone who curses their sect's 12 revered Imams, but the Sunni-dominated parliament rejected it.

The vote to stiffen penalties for religious crimes comes after authorities arrested Shi'ite Hamad al-Naqi last month for allegedly cursing Mohammad, his wives and some of his companions on Twitter.

Sectarian tensions often arise between Sunni and Shi'ia, who comprise about one third of Kuwait's more than one million Muslims.