Blog Post #8: Regulation of Religious Expression

    One argument in favor of regulating religious expression: shutting down people who infringe on other people’s rights (I.e., religious beliefs that try to eliminate the right to have an abortion or criticize the LGBTQ+ community, etc.).  

 

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I cannot think of another argument that would support the general public. However, if you are a part of a popular, state recognized religion you might feel empowered that your beliefs are the ones being circulated in media. Another argument for regulating religious expression would be from the perspective of the government. Many states create their laws and principles off religious ideologies so having a public who believes in the same religion might create the illusion that there will be less disobedience and chaos. An ideal amount of regulation would be allowing as much religious freedom as possible but to restrict religious freedom that violates other peoples’ rights.  

Let’s look at the regulation of religious expression in Yemen. Yemeni legislation is founded on principles of Islam, because Islam is the official religion there. Media that doesn’t align Islamic values is censored heavily. Over 99% of people identify as Muslim. There is is a law that prohibits Muslim men and women from marrying people outside of their religion. The state does not keep records of its citizens’ religious identities since there is such a low percentage of non-Muslims; these interreligious relationships are at the discretion of these individuals, which leads to regulation of religious expression through self-censorship. Furthermore, it is legal to not identify as a Muslim, as long if you don’t marry someone who is Muslim or identify with any non-religious NGO (I.e., Humanist, Atheist, or Secularist). 

 

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Additionally, all organizations, in Yemen and those who work with Yemen must respect Shariah law. This means that organizations must carefully align their advertising and production strategies with the Shariah law even if the owners don’t interpret Islam the same way a religious figure or person in legislation might (high v. low Islam).

I believe that Yemen does not fall into the lines of acceptable regulation of religious expression because citizens are not given autonomy to make their own decisions, decisions that don’t affect the order of the state, or the right to formulate their own opinions about their religion anywhere else but in their own heads.