Thousands in Bangladesh Rally for Anti-Blasphemy Laws

Hundreds of thousands of Hifazat-e-Islam activists gather for a rally to demand authorities enact an anti-blasphemy law punishing people who insult Islam, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Apr. 6, 2013.

Thousands of members of a hardline Muslim group protested Saturday in the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh, demanding the government enact anti-blasphemy laws.

Members and supporters of the group Hifazat-e-Islam are calling for the law in reaction to a group of bloggers the Muslim activists accuse of being atheists who have been insulting Islam.

The bloggers have been under pressure in recent weeks for writings critical of Islam. The bloggers are demanding capital punishment for militants found guilty of war crimes during the nation's 1971 war for independence.

Earlier this week, four bloggers were detained on charges of damaging religious sentiment. An anti-Islam blogger was reported to have been murdered in Dhaka in February.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP and Reuters.