Faith and commerce: is there a Saudi link?

RECENTLY I saw a report announcing that the Tánaiste was going to lead an Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. I was disgusted that Ireland would trade with Saudi Arabia which allows fathers to marry off their child daughters to old men and which cuts off hands for theft and beheads more than 100 people a year.

Then I learned we and all other EU members voted against an Organisation of the Islamic Conference-proposed UN resolution last December on combating defamation of religion, and how Foreign Minister Micheál Martin justified Ireland’s vote by saying we believed the concept of defamation of religion was not consistent with the promotion and protection of human rights.

This strong defence of free speech against attempts to gag critics of religion, and of the Islamic religion in particular, is contradicted by the Government’s decision announced on April 30 that a law against blasphemous libel with severe penalties is now to be introduced. In effect, Ireland now appears to be supporting the position taken by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. Considering the trade mission was announced on April 27, and the blasphemous libel law on April 30, I wonder if introducing such a measure has anything to do with the upcoming trade mission to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.