Senate Bill 2219 to Regulate Media that Insults or Offends Islam in U.S.-Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
This is a forwarded email that warns of a law that is making its way through both the House of Representatives and the Senate that would criminalize speech that offends or insults Muslims or is considered blasphemy to Islam. The email alleges that Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) introduced the Hate Crime Reporting Act of 2014 (S.2219), which seeks “to examine the prevalence of hate crime and hate speech on the Internet, television and radio to better address such crimes.”
The Truth:
The Hate Crime Reporting Act of 2014 (S.2219) is a real bill and was introduced on the Senate floor on April 8, 2014. The bill is now in the committee stage of the legislative process, where it is expected to die.
The bill does not only focus on hate speech against Islam.
Markey released a statement about the bill on his official website that said it “would create an updated comprehensive report examining the role of the Internet and other telecommunications in encouraging hate crimes based on gender, race, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation and create recommendations to address such crimes.”
According to the Govtrack.com website, the bill has a 3% chance of being enacted.
Posted 05/12/14