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Censorship And The Satanic Verses: Policing Blasphemy In A Secular World, Alixa Brobbey
Censorship And The Satanic Verses: Policing Blasphemy In A Secular World, Alixa Brobbey
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Free speech is currently a hotly debated topic in the world of arts. This thesis traces the history and abolition of blasphemy law in England in light of its relationship with censorship in English literature. I examine the Rushdie Affair and its legacy, particularly in comparison to the Gay News trial. Building on previous scholarship, I examine the arguments that hate speech laws serve as a replacement for blasphemy law. I conclude with the suggestion that hate speech laws be amended to include a clause specifying that works of artistic merit cannot be prosecuted under such laws, mirroring the language …