"Blasphemy"

When:

Lookups spiked on December 7, 2011.

Why:

A Saudi Arabian court sentenced a man to a year in prison and 500 lashes for the crime of "blasphemy."

Blasphemy means "great disrespect shown to God or to something holy," and comes from a Greek word that means "evil-speaking."

The Australian citizen was making a religious pilgrimmage to Mecca when he was arrested for allegedly insulting the companions of the Prophet Muhammed.

Photo: hajj2006 / flickr