Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-9q27g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-17T17:30:47.187Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Legal Limits of a Permissible Criticism of Religion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2019

Christian Hillgruber

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In its present state, Article 166 StGB does not satisfactorily achieve its purpose of ensuring the effective enforcement of the ban on insulting of religious beliefs and religious communities. This is largely because of the difficulty satisfying the “disturbance of the public peace” requirement. In this paper, I first refer to the legal limits of the freedom of opinion in consideration of religion and then argue with regard to Article 166 StGB that the disturbance of peace criterion ought to be eliminated because abuse of religion, in itself, already disturbs the public peace.

Type
Developments
Information
German Law Journal , Volume 17 , Issue 2 , 01 April 2016 , pp. 265 - 275
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 by German Law Journal GbR 

References

1 Charlie Hebdo is a French satire magazine that describes itself as secular, political, and jubilant. Its editorial department was the target of terrorist attacks on January 7, 2015. For more information on Charlie Hebdo, see Charlie Hebdo, https://charliehebdo.fr/en/ (last visited Mar. 27, 2016).Google Scholar

2 The Grundgesetz is the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is the German constitution including fundamental rights and articles on state organization. It was approved on May 8, 1949 in Bonn and came into effect on May 23, 1949. Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland [Grundgesetz] [GG] [Basic Law], May 23, 1949, BGBl. I (Ger.).Google Scholar

3 GG, supra note 2, at art. 5(2).Google Scholar

4 European Convention on Human Rights, Nov. 4, 1950, art. 10(2) [hereinafter ECHR], http://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Convention_ENG.pdf.Google Scholar

5 For more information, see Mohammed-Karikaturen bei “Legida”—Demo doch erlaubt, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Jan. 12, 2015), http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/leipzig-erlaubt-mohammed-karikaturen-bei-legida-demo-13365659.html; Leipzig Lifts PEGIDA Charlie Hebdo Caricature Ban, DW.com (Jan. 12, 2015), http://www.dw.com/en/leipzig-lifts-pegida-charlie-hebdo-caricature-ban/a-18186190.Google Scholar

6 Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court], Mar. 23, 1971, 30 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 336 (347) (Ger.); Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court]“ Mar. 14, 1972, 33 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 1 (14 f.) (Ger.); Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court], June 22, 1982, 61 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 1 (7) (Ger.); Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court], Oct. 9, 1991, 85 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 1 (15) (Ger.); Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court], Oct. 10, 1995, 93 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 266 (289) (Ger.).Google Scholar

7 It is irrelevant whether the expressed opinion is wrong or right, worthless or absurd, rational or emotional, unfounded or even derogatory. Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court], Mar. 14, 1972, 33 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 1 (15) (Ger.); Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court], May 11, 1976, 42 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 163 (171) (Ger.); Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court], Oct. 9, 1991, 85 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 1 (15) (Ger.); Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court], Oct. 10, 1995, 93 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 266 (289) (Ger).Google Scholar

8 Freedom of opinion as guaranteed by Article 5(1) GG finds its limits according to Article 5(2) GG in general legislation, general youth protection provisions, and the law of personal honor. Additionally, constitutional limits inherent in the Basic Law may also restrict the freedom of opinion. For the concept of practical concordance, see Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court], Jan. 25, 1984, 66 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 116 (136) (Ger.); Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court], June 23, 2004, 111 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 147 (157) (Ger.).Google Scholar

9 For the freedom of opinion, compare with Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court], Nov. 4, 2009, 124 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 300 (320 f.) (Ger.) For the artistic freedom, Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court], June 3, 1987, 75 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 369,(377) (Ger.).Google Scholar

10 GG, supra note 2, at art. 4.Google Scholar

11 Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court], Nov. 4, 2009, 124 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 300, para. 54.Google Scholar

12 The freedom of religion also includes the so-called negative freedom, meaning that everyone can decide not to have a religious belief and not to follow religious or ideological rituals. See Martin Morlok, Artikel 38—Wahlrechtsgrundsatze/Abgeordnete, in 1 Grundgesetz Kommentar (Horst Dreier ed., 2013), art. 4, para. 69.Google Scholar

13 Rechtsprechung der Oberlandesgerichte in zivilsachen [OLGZ] [Higher Regional Court), July 10, 2012, 324 O 406/12 (Ger.).Google Scholar

14 See Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court], Oct. 10, 1995, 93 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 266 (concerning the defamation of all soldiers as murderers, which was not necessarily to be understood as a personal defamation of all soldiers).Google Scholar

15 GG art. 1(1) declares human dignity inviolable.Google Scholar

16 Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, Schriften 135 (Henning Ritter ed., 1978).Google Scholar

17 Bundesverfassungsgericht [BVerfG] [Federal Constitutional Court], Oct. 10, 1995, 93 Entscheidungen des Bundesverfassungsgerichts [BVerfGE] 266 (299) (Ger.).Google Scholar

18 Knies, Wolfgang, Schranken der Kunstfreiheit als verfassungsrechtliches Problem 268 (1967).Google Scholar

19 Strafgesetzbuch [StGB] [Penal Code], Nov. 13, 1998, Reichsgesetzblatt [RGBl.] I, § 166 (Ger.).Google Scholar

20 Verwaltungsgerichtshof [VGH] [Higher Administrative Court] Koblenz, Dec. 2, 1996, Neue Juristische Wochenschrift [NJW] 1174 (1176) 1997 (Ger.); Oberlandesgericht [OLG] [Higher Regional Court], Nov. 11, 1981, Neue Juristische Wochenschrift [NJW] 657 (657) 1982 (Ger.); Oberlandesgericht [OLG] [Higher Regional Court], Oct. 17, 1985, 1986 Neue Zeitschrift für Strafrecht [NStZ] 363 (365) 1986 (Ger.).Google Scholar

21 Oberlandesgericht [OLG] [Higher Regional Court], Mar. 16, 1984, Zeitschrift für Urheber- und Medienrecht [ZUM] 595 (595) 1984 (Ger.); Oberlandesgericht [OLG] [Higher Regional Court], Oct. 8, 1985, Neue Juristische Wochenschrift [NJW] 1275 (1276) 1986 (Ger.); Oberlandesgericht [OLG] [Higher Regional Court], June 23, 1998, Neue Zeitschrift für Strafrecht Rechtsprechungs-Report [NStZ-RR] 238 (240) 1999 (Ger.).Google Scholar

22 Reichsgericht [RG] [Supreme Court of the German Reich], June 5, 1928, Entscheidungen des Reichgerichts in Strafsachen [RGSt] 62 (183 ff.) (Ger.).Google Scholar

23 For further information, see Michaela Wiegel, Zwischenfälle an Schulen während Schweigeminute, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Jan. 12, 2015), http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/europa/terror-in-frankreich-zwischenfaelle-an-schulen-waehrend-schweigeminute-13366059.html.Google Scholar