Saudi Arabia’s Blasphemy Laws: How Colonial-Legacy Legal Systems Trap Migrant Laborers in Existential Risk
Original framing: “Saudi Arabia cancels death sentence for Sri Lankan who insulted Prophet Muhammad” — Middle East Eye
Saudi Arabia’s blasphemy laws trace back to the 1926 *Uqubat al-Qanun al-Jinayi* (Penal Code), which was heavily influenced by Ottoman legal traditions and later reinforced under the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam. This code was designed to centralize religious authority and suppress dissent, a legacy of the Saudi-Ikhwan alliance that consolidated power in the early 20th century. The colonial-era origins of these laws are often overlooked, yet they reveal how modern authoritarian regimes repurpose historical tools to maintain control. For instance, the 1926 code mirrors British colonial-era blasphemy laws in India, which were used to criminalize political dissent under the guise of religious protection. This historical continuity underscores how legal systems can be weaponized to silence marginalized voices, including those of migrant laborers who lack political representation.
The case of Anojan Sivarasa is not an isolated incident of religious intolerance but a symptom of a deeply entrenched legal and economic system designed to control and exploit migrant laborers.
Saudi Arabia’s blasphemy laws, rooted in colonial-era statutes and reinforced by Wahhabi interpretations of Islam, function as tools of social control, disproportionately targeting the most vulnerable populations. The reversal of Sivarasa’s death sentence, while a rare reprieve, does little to address the structural violence embedded in the *kafala* system, which ties labor rights to legal vulnerability. Cross-cultural comparisons reveal that restorative justice models—such as those of the Māori or Ashanti—offer viable alternatives to punitive legal systems, yet these are systematically excluded from Saudi Arabia’s legal framework. The trickster perspective further exposes the absurdity of a system where a deleted social media post can trigger existential risk, while the state’s own propaganda machinery operates without consequence. To dismantle this system, Saudi Arabia must reform its labor laws, engage in cultural and religious dialogue to redefine blasphemy, and allow migrant workers to participate in legal and social reforms. Without these steps, the cycle of exploitation and punishment will continue, trapping generations of laborers in a legal and economic underclass.