Dutch authorities have decided1 to approve a motion abandoning a law under which it is a crime to insult God.
荷兰当局决定通过废弃侮辱上帝是一项罪名的提议。
A majority of parties in parliament said the
blasphemy2（亵渎神明） law was no longer relevant in the 21st Century.
The legislation, introduced in the 1930s, has not been
invoked3 in the last half century.
However, it still
remains4 illegal under Dutch law to be disrespectful to police officers or to insult Queen Beatrix, the country's
monarch5.
Freedom of speech is a much-cherished right in the liberal and traditionally tolerant Netherlands.
The BBC's Anna Holligan, in The Hague, says that there was much debate about the issue after a Dutch court ruled that the far-right anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders should be allowed to
criticise6 Islam, even if his
outspoken7 opinions offended many Muslims.
In 2008, a
coalition8 government decided against
repealing9 the blasphemy law in order to maintain support from a conservative
Christian10 political party.
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