India’s secularism is under threat as Punjab considers harsh new blasphemy laws. Plus: an attempted honor killing in the U.S. heads to trial, and Persecution Tracker updates from Turkey and Pakistan.

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Your Updates Are Here

This week in the Unbelief Brief we cover India’s latest “anti-sacrilege” bill, as well as a Washington state trial of parents accused of an attempted honor killing. And on our Persecution Tracker, we’ve provided updates on cases in Turkey and Pakistan.

Unbelief Brief

The government of the Indian state of Punjab is considering a new “anti-sacrilege” bill [[link removed]], referred to as the “Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scriptures Bill, 2025.” For anyone found to have committed sacrilege, the law would mandate “a minimum sentence of 10 years, extendable to life imprisonment,” along with additional fines.

In India, prosecutions for the crime of “hurting religious sentiments” are frequently weaponized against the country’s Muslim minority, which reflects the strong influence Hindu nationalism currently exerts on its government and society. But reportedly, members of India’s Muslim community have also expressed support [[link removed]] for this particular bill, so long as it applies to all of India’s major religions. Nonetheless, the motivation for the bill is undeniably Hindu nationalist at its core.

The proposed law in Punjab comes as the Organiser magazine, a staunch right-wing mouthpiece for Hindu nationalism, argues that the words “secular” and “socialist” should be removed [[link removed]] from India’s constitution. While this is far from the first time such a proposal has been made, the will to vigorously defend secularism in the country seems to grow shakier and weaker by the day. It is certainly an idea that many in the current government would find appealing.

Stateside: two Washington parents accused of an attempted honor killing of their daughter last year are finally facing trial [[link removed]]. The father was caught on video keeping his daughter in a chokehold, and if not for bystander intervention, she may have been killed. This occurred after the daughter “refused to travel abroad to Iraq for an arranged marriage with an older man.” We will withhold absolute judgment until the verdict is reached, which is expected to happen next month. That said, based on the information that is already publicly available, the case seems open and shut.

Persecution Tracker Updates

The case of the Turkish magazine staff who have been charged with “insulting religious values,” previously covered in volume 61 of this newsletter, is now up [[link removed]] on our Persecution Tracker, along with the case of an unnamed man who was sentenced to death [[link removed]] in Pakistan earlier this month.

Until next week,

The Team at Ex-Muslims of North America

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