In Tunisia, Yunisian President Marzouki has requsted that the parliament pass a law banning accusations of blasphemy:

Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki on Saturday called on parliament to outlaw accusations of blasphemy as a threat to public order.

“Such practices can threaten the peace between citizens living in the same country and lead to conflict,” Marzouki warned in a statement.

He asked the president and members of the Constituent Assembly which in December approved the North African country’s new government to adopt legislation “that outlaws accusations of blasphemy.”

Violators of the new law should be prosecuted “to protect the coexistence, fraternity and solidarity among Tunisians,” he said.

I think that the right to blaspheme is among the most basic of human rights, so I am heartened by this development.