Would you support the abolition of blasphemy laws in Pakistan?

[street cricketer]

So is there any way out longer term?

Or just don’t go near it?

Well there's no quick cure. If I were the PM though, I would start with the school text books. The best way to start societal transformation is to start with the children, because they are going to form the next generation of adults. You have to raise a tolerant generation of kids for the future through school education. You also have to make sure that they don't get the wrong interpretation of religion from outside sources of education other than schools.

 

[shah_1]

The whole country will burn badly.

Don't think the country is ready for it.

 

[MenInG]

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday acquitted a man after 11 years, as it set aside life imprisonment awarded to him by a trial court on charges of blasphemy, saying that the case was just a plot.

No lawyer pleaded the convict’s case at the trial court stage. At an early stage, a state counsel pleaded the case but soon he stopped appearing on his behalf. Finally, the accused decided to plead his case himself but he could not protect himself from the charges.

The convict had been in jail for 11 years. He wrote to the superintendent of the Sheikhupura District Jail for his appeal in the LHC. And this time, state counsel Shabbir Ahmad Bodla Advocate was appointed as the state counsel.

According to the case details, on January 12, 2009, complainant Abdul Ghani, who was selling salty ‘Taangri’ on his pushcart in Mananwala, heard a woman’s voice from inside a house that a Nuskha (manuscript) of the Holy Quran was burning.

On that the complainant, his brothers and other residents entered the house and saw accused Liaquat Ali burning the Holy Quran on a gas stove. When they attempted to save the Holy Quran, the accused attacked them with a stick and injured them.

It is pertinent to mention that initially the injured, Abdul Ghafoor, brother of the complainant, had claimed his brother took him to hospital, while the police had claimed that they took him to hospital.

Bodla had argued that no proper assistance was provided to the trial court. Only one out of total four witnesses from the police side were cross examined. Some prosecution witnesses could also not be cross-examined.

The mother of the convict was also not summoned to the courtroom for recording her statement, it was pointed out. Important features of the case were ignored owing to the absence of the lawyers. There was only the accused who was fighting his case but could not prove his case.

Justice Shehram Sarwar questioned how it was possible that a man enters the house and then the second one and then the third one. “What was recovered,” he further asked. The complainant’s counsel told the court that ‘Raakh’ (ashes) of the pages of the Holy Quran were collected.

Justice Shehram Sarwar observed that how it would be established that it was the Raakh (ashes) of the Holy Quran. “It seems that something is behind this matter,” Justice Shehram Sarwar observed. There are loopholes in the case and it did not seem to be premised upon substantial grounds.

The court allowed the convict’s appeal and the decision of the trial court was set aside.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2333116/blasphemy-convict-acquitted-after-11-years

 

[MenInG]

The government is determined to punish all those who make false allegations of blasphemy to curb the misuse of the sensitive laws, a key aide to the prime minister said after a meeting with the church leadership on Saturday.

Addressing a joint press conference, Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Religious Harmony Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi said that following the unfortunate lynching of Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara in Sialkot, the government and state institutions had decided to take stern action against those who misuse the blasphemy laws for personal motives.

“We have decided to take punitive action against those who are maligning Islam and Pakistan for their vested interests,” he said.

On the issue of forced conversion and marriage of underage minority girls, Ashrafi said that the concerns of the church leadership were legitimate and the government would work hard to make sure that no woman was subjected to forced marriage.

“We have decided to make a council in collaboration with the church both at the government and organisational levels to investigate cases of forced conversions of minority girls,” he said, vowing that the state was responsible for the protection of all minority communities in Pakistan.

Addressing the media, Church of Pakistan Moderator/President Bishop Dr Azad Marshall condemned violence in the name of religion and urged the state authorities to take practical measures to protect all citizens, especially members of the country’s vulnerable communities.

Speaking on behalf of the Christian community, Bishop Marshall condemned the gruesome killing of the Sri Lankan national, saying the incident had brought shame to the country.

“We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate incident, and as Pakistanis, our heads hang in shame. Mr Kumara’s killing is not the first such incident carried out in the name of religion, therefore we demand the State authorities and the government to stop the misuse of the blasphemy law by cracking down on elements and groups that seek to sow discord in society,” said Bishop Marshall.

He said that huge public outcry over the Sialkot incident showed that a majority of Pakistani citizens were concerned about the direction in which Pakistani society was headed.

“We appreciate the stance taken by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, government ministers and Islamic religious scholars but we expect that they will come up with a mechanism to stop these atrocities and make Pakistan safe for all,” he said.

Reiterating his suggestion for setting up a special task force comprising officials of the Pakistan Army and intelligence agencies to investigate blasphemy allegations, Bishop Marshall said the issue had gone beyond the control of the police.

“Police cannot sustain pressure in blasphemy cases. If the task force comprising army officials finds the allegations false and clears the accused, I don’t think any religious party or group will have any objection to that. Similarly, any person found guilty of the charge should be prosecuted according to the law,” he said.

The senior church leader also criticised the government for ignoring leaderships of the religious minorities while formulating legislations pertaining to their communities.

“The government did not take us on board when it rejected the anti-forced conversion draft bill. It also ignored us in the drafting of the national curriculum. Has the government made sure that the new curriculum does not promote discrimination and hatred towards religious minorities?” he questioned.

The senior church leader said that religious minorities of Pakistan had always stood by the state but it was unfortunate that their voices were often ignored.

Others who spoke on the occasion included Roman Catholic Archbishop of Lahore Sebastian Francis Shaw and Church of Pakistan Sialkot Diocese Bishop Alvin Samuel. The participants of the meeting included senior bishop Mano Rumal Shah, Presbyterian Church of Pakistan Moderator Majeed Abel, Father James Channan, Pakistan Ulema Council Vice Chairman Allama Zubair Abid and Genesis Media Group’s CEO Asher John.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2333505/false-blasphemy-accusers-to-meet-same-fate-says-ashrafi

 

[KB]

For anyone interested in a deeper understanding of how we got here, Farhat Haq wrote an excellent book, which I have just read called, Shari’a and the State in Pakistan: Blasphemy in Politics.

Amongst the many points she makes, she argues forcefully that there was a the shift in the modern period with how shari’a law was perceived. The classical position adopted by scholars was that individuals were inherently limited in understanding fully God’s will and so the implicit contemporary notion that any “man-made statute could so perfectly capture God’s will that it is beyond any discussion” would have been considered unwarranted. Starting from the onset of colonial period, there have also been attempts at codification of the shari’a (or the transformation from shari’a as ‘process’ to shari’a as ‘content’ in Nathan Brown’s telling words). This has elevated the idea of the state as the primary agent, responsible for implementing the shari’a, even though the state’s commitment to religion is viewed with deep suspicion by the religious lobby. In contrast, she quotes Noah Feldman who pointed out that “during the classical period the answer to the question ‘where is the law?’ would be answered by pointing to scholars and saying, ‘the shari’a is with them’.” Ultimately, the attempts at codification have, in spite of the arguments of the Islamic modernists, led to the shari’a becoming unmoored from its ethical sensibilities and reduced to a discrete set of laws.

There are other important points. She argues that the fragmentation in religious authority and the existence of a crowded religious marketplace often pushes the pendulum towards intolerance, as it creates an incentive for more marginal ‘Islamist’ groups to weaponise blasphemy laws in order to garner influence.

She also points out that the ulama have often ‘teamed up ‘ with the Islamists represented by the Jamaat-i-Islaami. There has always, in fact, been tension between these two groups (and of course the ulama themselves are hardly an entirely united group) but when it comes to putting pressure on the state and its modernist representatives, as on the blasphemy laws, the religious parties have often come together. Indeed the very criticism from modernists that the religious parties cannot agree amongst themselves on key issues has in fact ended up encouraging them to present a united front on religious matters that they have considered too important to be left to a modernist elite. In relation to the blasphemy laws, there have been at least four attempts to reform or repeal them - in 1995, 2006, 2011 and 2015 - but opposition from religious groups and their potential power to generate public disorder have ultimately vitiated any such efforts.

 

[world cup captain]

Muslim woman, 26, is sentenced to death by hanging for blasphemy in Pakistan

A Muslim woman has been sentenced to death in Pakistan for sending caricatures of Prophet Muhammad over WhatsApp, a court said.

Aneeqa Ateeq, 26, was arrested in May 2020 and charged with posting 'blasphemous material' as her WhatsApp status, according to a summary issued by the court.

When her friend urged her to change it, she instead forwarded the material to him, according to the court.


Blasphemy is an act punishable by the death sentence in Muslim-majority Pakistan, although an execution has never been carried out for the crime.

Aneeqa Ateeq, 26, was arrested in May 2020 and charged with posting 'blasphemous material' as her WhatsApp status, according to a summary issued by the court. Caricatures of Mohammed are forbidden by Islam.

Ateeq's sentence was announced on Wednesday in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, with the court ordering her to be 'hanged by her neck till she is dead'.

She was also handed a 20-year jail sentence.

Up to 80 people are known to be jailed in Pakistan on blasphemy charges - half of whom face life in prison or the death penalty - according to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Pakistan has strict blasphemy laws which carry a death penalty for people who insult the Prophet Muhammad, Islam, the Quran or certain holy people.

The Pakistan Penal Code states: 'Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.'

But nobody has ever been executed under the blasphemy laws in Pakistan as higher courts have overruled or commuted the sentences.

The laws have long been criticised by rights groups because they are seen as vague and widely abused in order to dangerously discriminate against religious minority groups in the Muslim-majority country.

An overwhelming 98 per cent of the population follows Islam and critics say the law targets members of other religious groups including Hindus and Christians.

Domestic and international human rights groups say blasphemy allegations have often been used to intimidate minorities and settle personal scores.

In December, a Sri Lankan factory manager working in Pakistan was beaten to death and set ablaze by a mob after being accused of blasphemy.

Priyantha Kumara was accused by factory workers of desecrating posters bearing the name of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

The lynching was widely condemned by Pakistan’s military and political leadership, prominent social and religious figures and civil society members.

It came less than a week after a Muslim mob burned a police station and four police posts in northwestern Pakistan after officers refused to hand over a mentally unstable man accused of desecrating Islam’s holy book, the Quran.

Last August, an eight-year-old Hindu boy, who was not named, became the youngest person in Pakistan to be charged with blasphemy.

Pakistan has strict blasphemy laws which carry a death penalty, but nobody has ever been executed under the laws as higher courts have overruled the sentences (stock image)

But Pakistan police dropped the charges against the boy after pressure from the government and media over his arrest.

The boy was originally arrested on charges of intentionally urinating on a carpet in the library of a madrassa, or religious school, that houses religious books in July 2021.

His release on bail prompted a mob to damage a Hindu temple in the conservative town of Bhong in the Rahim Yar Khan district, Punjab. The boy and his family were put in protective custody.

The country's government has long been under pressure to change the country’s blasphemy laws, first introduced by British colonial rulers in 1860.

In 2011, a Punjab governor was killed by his own guard after he defended a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, who was accused of blasphemy.

She was acquitted after spending eight years on death row in a case that drew international media attention.

Faced with death threats from Islamic extremists upon her release, she flew to Canada to join her daughters in 2019.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10419575/Muslim-woman-26-sentenced-death-hanging-sending-caricatures-Prophet-Mohammed.html

____________________________________________

Surprised that nothing regarding this has been posted on the forum despite the sentence being announced four days ago.

 

[JaDed]

Unfortunate, hopefully can escape and be careful next time.

 

[sweep_shot]

Really stupid from her (if true).

What was she thinking?

 

[PakLFC]

I don't know what blasphemy in Pak really is. Hopefully as in most cases commonsense will prevail over stupidity.

 

[moghul]

A Muslim woman has been sentenced to death in Pakistan for sending caricatures of Prophet Muhammad over WhatsApp, a court said.

Aneeqa Ateeq, 26, was arrested in May 2020 and charged with posting 'blasphemous material' as her WhatsApp status, according to a summary issued by the court.

When her friend urged her to change it, she instead forwarded the material to him, according to the court.


Blasphemy is an act punishable by the death sentence in Muslim-majority Pakistan, although an execution has never been carried out for the crime.

Aneeqa Ateeq, 26, was arrested in May 2020 and charged with posting 'blasphemous material' as her WhatsApp status, according to a summary issued by the court. Caricatures of Mohammed are forbidden by Islam.

Ateeq's sentence was announced on Wednesday in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, with the court ordering her to be 'hanged by her neck till she is dead'.

She was also handed a 20-year jail sentence.

Up to 80 people are known to be jailed in Pakistan on blasphemy charges - half of whom face life in prison or the death penalty - according to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Pakistan has strict blasphemy laws which carry a death penalty for people who insult the Prophet Muhammad, Islam, the Quran or certain holy people.

The Pakistan Penal Code states: 'Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.'

But nobody has ever been executed under the blasphemy laws in Pakistan as higher courts have overruled or commuted the sentences.

The laws have long been criticised by rights groups because they are seen as vague and widely abused in order to dangerously discriminate against religious minority groups in the Muslim-majority country.

An overwhelming 98 per cent of the population follows Islam and critics say the law targets members of other religious groups including Hindus and Christians.

Domestic and international human rights groups say blasphemy allegations have often been used to intimidate minorities and settle personal scores.

In December, a Sri Lankan factory manager working in Pakistan was beaten to death and set ablaze by a mob after being accused of blasphemy.

Priyantha Kumara was accused by factory workers of desecrating posters bearing the name of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

The lynching was widely condemned by Pakistan’s military and political leadership, prominent social and religious figures and civil society members.

It came less than a week after a Muslim mob burned a police station and four police posts in northwestern Pakistan after officers refused to hand over a mentally unstable man accused of desecrating Islam’s holy book, the Quran.

Last August, an eight-year-old Hindu boy, who was not named, became the youngest person in Pakistan to be charged with blasphemy.

Pakistan has strict blasphemy laws which carry a death penalty, but nobody has ever been executed under the laws as higher courts have overruled the sentences (stock image)

But Pakistan police dropped the charges against the boy after pressure from the government and media over his arrest.

The boy was originally arrested on charges of intentionally urinating on a carpet in the library of a madrassa, or religious school, that houses religious books in July 2021.

His release on bail prompted a mob to damage a Hindu temple in the conservative town of Bhong in the Rahim Yar Khan district, Punjab. The boy and his family were put in protective custody.

The country's government has long been under pressure to change the country’s blasphemy laws, first introduced by British colonial rulers in 1860.

In 2011, a Punjab governor was killed by his own guard after he defended a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, who was accused of blasphemy.

She was acquitted after spending eight years on death row in a case that drew international media attention.

Faced with death threats from Islamic extremists upon her release, she flew to Canada to join her daughters in 2019.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10419575/Muslim-woman-26-sentenced-death-hanging-sending-caricatures-Prophet-Mohammed.html

____________________________________________

Surprised that nothing regarding this has been posted on the forum despite the sentence being announced four days ago.

People should be educate not to insult any religion , not just Islam but does not make sense to hang them just for that . I'm 100% sure this not the Islamic teaching .

 

[ishtiaq_ctg]

People should be educate not to insult any religion , not just Islam but does not make sense to hang them just for that . I'm 100% sure this not the Islamic teaching .

This topic has to be seriously discussed. Islamic scholars criticises and insults all other religions all the time but don't want to digest a single bit of criticism of Islam. Ironic.
P.S. There's no mention of a blasphemy law in Quran. The law infact is anti Quran as it's clearly unjust and cruel.

 

[Pakpak]

Noone in their right mind would ever write anything blasphemous in a country like Pakistan. Likely a stich up like all other cases

 

[MenInG]

Karachi: A Hindu teacher was on Tuesday sentenced to life imprisonment by a local court over charges of blasphemy in Pakistan's southern Sindh province.

The teacher, identified as Nautan Lal, was also fined Pakistani Rs 50,000 by Additional Sessions Judge Murtaza Solangi in Ghotki in Sindh.

The court took two years to convict Lal who has been in jail since 2019 as an undertrial prisoner. In the past two years, his requests for bail have been rejected twice.

Lal was arrested in September 2019 after a video went viral on social media in which an intermediate student of the public school alleged that the Hindu teacher had committed blasphemy against the Prophet.

The student claimed that Lal, who is the owner of the school and teaches physics at a local government degree college, had visited the school that day and committed the act.

Shortly afterwards, a leader of the Jamaat-e-ahle Sunnat party and local cleric Mufti Abdul Karim Saeedi filed a complaint with the police against Lal under the blasphemy act.

As the news spread, a protest erupted in the town and a violent mob attacked the Sacho Satram Dham Temple and damaged its idols in Ghotki.

The caretaker of the Sacho Satram temple, Jay Kumar, later said that around 50 masked men had attacked the temple but some 500 Muslims later came and guarded the temple the whole night.

Pakistan's blasphemy laws were enacted by former military dictator General Ziaul Haq in the 1980s. Nobody has been executed under these laws but several people have been killed on mere suspicion of committing blasphemy.

Human and civil rights groups have said that the blasphemy law is often misused to settle personal enmities and land disputes particularly in rural areas.

Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan.

According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan. However, the community claims that over 90 lakh Hindus are living in the country.

The majority of Pakistan's Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with Muslim residents. They often complain of harassment by extremists.

https://www.timesnownews.com/intern...fe-imprisonment-over-blasphemy-charges/857099

 

[Kriketer]

If Pakistan has to progress then this law needs to go away as it tranishes the image of Islam and Pakistan, and fanatics and personal.disputes crew end up hurting non-Muslims of Pakistan. If you want to make a law then make it for all religion as that's what Islam teaches to respect all. Pakistan ŕeally need to look after its minorities and we need to get rid of fanatics and extremists and this will be a huge step forward. It sure ll cause havoc but it has to be done. Such law only encourages them to àct like wild animals do danga fasad, damage other religious places, hurt and kill innocent, and ruin it for the majority of peaceful Muslims. This law has nothing to do with Islamic teachings, although there should definitely be a law to respect all religions and some form of penalty should be there for breaking the law, definitely not by losing life. Religion which teaches tolerance and forgiveness, this totally goes against it. Every Islamic verse we begin with "Al Rahman and Al Raheem" and here you have jahils going totally against it.

 

[transparent opacity]

Violence over blasphemy allegations against Islam: CII

Dr Qibla Ayaz condemned the incidents of taking law into own hands in the wake of blasphemy

ISLAMABAD:
The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Wednesday declared that violence against a person on allegations of blasphemy was contrary to Shariah, constitution and humanity.

The council suggested constitution of a national commission that would forward recommendations to prevent such incidents.

Addressing a news conference after chairing the CII session, Dr Qibla Ayaz condemned the incidents of taking law into own hands in the wake of blasphemy.

Reading out a statement, issued after the meeting, Dr Ayaz said culprits involved in Sialkot and Khanewal incidents should be brought to justice at the earliest, saying it would help build confidence of the people on law enforcement agencies and judicial system.

He said the major factor behind such incidents was delay in the dispensation of justice, adding that courts should expedite the judicial process against blasphemy’s real culprits and those who take law into their own hands.

He asked the Ulema and Mashaikh to display with translation hidth and verses from Holy Quran pertaining to humanity and protection of lives and properties in mosques, imambargahs, khanqahs and seminaries.

Dr Qibla also proposed the media to telecast such programmes that would bring reforms in the social, political and religious spectrum of life of the people.

He appreciated the inclusion of Paigham-e-Pakista – a decree against terrorism — in parliament's agenda and said the provincial assemblies should follow suit.

He proposed the government to constitute a national commission comprising experts of sociology, psychology, law and religion in a bid to devise short term and long term policies to prevent and end incidents involving violence over blasphemy allegations.

The meeting was attended by CII members Allama Muhammad Hussain Akbar, Pir Syed Ziaullah Bukhari, Pir Habib Arfani, Mufti Muhammad Zubair, Dr Umair Mehmood Siddiqui, Pirzada Junaid Ameen, Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqani, Maulana Naseem Ali Shah, Dr Pir Abbul Hassan Muhammad Shah and Sahibzada Muhammad Hassan Haseebur Rehman besides Ulema and Mashaikh from various schools of thought including Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, Allama Ali Raza Bukhari, Allama Arif Hussain Wahidi, Allama Syed Iftikhar, Hussain Naqvi, Maulana Syed Cheeragh Din Shah, Maulana Muhammad Tayyab Tahiri and Senator Prefessor Sajid Mir.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2345062/violence-over-blasphemy-allegations-against-islam-cii

 

[MenInG]

Three female teachers of a seminary in Dera Ismail Khan were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly killing a former colleague after accusing her of blasphemy, according to District Police Officer (DPO) Najamul Hasnain.

The DPO told Dawn.com the murder occurred early in the morning outside the Jamia Islamia Falahul Binaat. According to the first information report (FIR), a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, when police reached the site of the crime, they found the victim lying in a pool of blood with her throat slashed.

Sharp objects were used in the attack on the victim, the FIR added.

DPO Hasnain said the suspects — aged 17, 21 and 24 respectively — killed the 21-year-old victim over "difference of opinion on religious issues" and allegations of blasphemy.

He said the victim was a follower of well-known religious scholar Maulana Tariq Jameel, which was not liked by the suspects.

The DPO quoted the suspects as saying that a 13-year-old female relative of theirs "saw a dream last night" in which she found out about the alleged blasphemy committed by the victim and was subsequently "ordered to slaughter her".

A register containing details of the dream has been recovered during the initial investigation, the DPO said, adding that the trio of suspects, along with their relative, have been arrested.

The women belong to the Mehsud tribe and hail from South Waziristan tribal district, he said, adding that their current residence was in DI Khan's Anjumabad area.

Following the incident, Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia Pakistan, which is a board of seminaries, condemned the murder, terming it "unfortunate".

In a statement, the board demanded an independent and fair investigation into the incident and called for arresting and punishing the culprits.

DAWN

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Maulana Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Wednesday said nobody should be allowed to misuse the blasphemy law in the country.

Reacting to former human rights minister Dr Shireen Mazari’s letter about "misusing" blasphemy law, written to the United Nations special rapporteurs, Ashrafi categorically stated in a video message that the misuse of blasphemy law would not be permitted on the basis of personal and political grudges against anyone at all costs.

He said he had already assured about it in his earlier media talk after discussing the issue in detail with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.

Related items
Shireen Mazari writes letter to UN rights chief on Rana Sanaullah's appointment as interior minister
PTI's Shireen Mazari comes under fire for 'using religion card' against Miftah Ismail
Ashrafi — who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council — proposed Mazari raise the issue, if any, at the national forums like the court of law, Muttahida Ulema Board (MUB) and Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) keeping in view the sensitivity of the subject as an international drive against the blasphemy law was already in progress.

Also read: We all are ashamed that sanctity of Masjid-e-Nabawi was violated: Tahir Ashrafi

He said blasphemy cases lodged by the people against the PTI leadership would be decided in the light of the Quran and Sunnah and the Constitution when they would come to MUB and CII through courts.

Lamenting Mazari’s letter, he said it would help provide a platform to the international conspirators for making propaganda in a bid to weaken the existing law.

The PM's special representative expressed the hope that the PTI leadership and Shireen Mazari would withdraw from it as it was not in the national interest.

Ashrafi said it was a collective responsibility of both the treasury and opposition benches in the parliament to keep it alive and further strengthen it.

He said when the PTI was in power, it was also its stance to desist from all sorts of malicious campaigns against this law.

The chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council said instead of seeking national institutions' assistance, Mazari had launched an international drive against the blasphemy law which was not acceptable in any way.

Ashrafi assured the national and international stakeholders that neither the misuse of blasphemy law occurred in the last two years, nor would be in the future and the cases pertaining to blasphemy law would be treated on merit.

GEO

 

[MenInG]

Taking notice of the blasphemy cases filed against the PTI leaders in connection with the recent incident at Masjid-i-Nabwi, the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights on Friday issued notices to the Punjab chief secretary, provincial police chief, Faisalabad City Police Officer as well as officials of the interior and human rights ministries, summoning them on May 9 and seeking an explanation for the “misuse” of articles 295, 295-A and 296 of the Constitution.

The Senate panel has also directed them to submit details of all the cases filed in connection with the incident. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has especially been invited to attend the meeting.

The Senate secretariat issued a four-point agenda for the committee’s meeting. They include a briefing from the officials on the legal formalities followed before filing the FIRs as well as if similar cases were registered in Saudi Arabia or not. In addition, they have also been told to explain why these cases had been filed in Pakistan.

On April 28, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had left for Saudi Arabia on a three-day visit, along with a delegation including Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Miftah Ismail, Khawaja Asif, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Mohsin Dawar and Maulana Tahir Ashrafi.

After their arrival in Madina, they headed to Masjid-e-Nabwi to offer prayers.

However, angry protesters, apparently supporters of the PTI, gathered around PM Shehbaz and his delegation and shouted slogans of “thieves” and “beggars” – one of the pictures captured on the scene showing the premier sitting in a vehicle visibly perturbed by the incident.

In a series of videos doing the rounds on social media, the miscreants can be seen specifically targeting Narcotics Minister Nawab Shahzain Bugti, calling him “shameless” and a “lota”. In fact, one of them even grabbed him by his hair.

One of the miscreants could be heard shouting obscenities at Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb.

In response, FIRs under blasphemy laws were lodged against former premier Imran Khan and other top brass of the previous regime. The charges were registered under Sections 295, 295-A, 296, and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The sections relate to harming a place of worship with intent to insult a religion, deliberate and malicious intent to outrage religious sentiment, disturbing religious assembly and abetment. Afterwards, the police launched a crackdown on PTI activists across the country.

The interior minister had tweeted that there was no justification to not register a case against those who had violated the sanctity of Roza-e-Rasool (PBUH).

“The pilgrims were instigated under a plan. Some of the people had travelled to Saudi Arabia from Britain. There can be no forgiveness for what these people have done," he had written.

Talking to reporters in various places in Sindh, Federal Water Resources Minister Khursheed Ahmed Shah said cases for the Madina incident should not be registered in Pakistan. He asked the interior minister to seriously rethink the matter.

“If somebody had shown disrespect to the sacred place, only Allah and His Prophet (PBUH) would punish them for that,” he said, adding that he opposed the registration of cases against PTI leaders.

“We do not believe in political victimisation. We believe in democratic norms and will never object to Imran Khan’s democratic right to protest. Whoever wishes to bring millions of people in long march should not be barred and protesters should not be arrested for taking part in a peaceful protest.”

Earlier, PTI core committee member and former human rights minister Shireen Mazari had written a letter to special rapporteurs of the UN, calling for their intervention to cease the Pakistani government's "misuse of the blasphemy law" against ex-PM Imran and other PTI leaders.

(With input from our correspondent in Sukkur)
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2355537/officials-told-to-explain-blasphemy-cases

 

[MenInG]

Supreme Court Justice Qazi Faez Isa lambasted the prosecution on Wednesday as he questioned how the police had become party to a blasphemy case registered in Shujaabad.

The judge later granted bail to the accused citing the prosecution's lack of interest regarding the case.

“How can the police become the plaintiff in a case [when] its job is to provide security” he questioned. The SC judge also probed why the police officer register the case five days after the incident had occurred.

“The job of the prosecution is to assist the judiciary and not defend such cases,” Justice Isa chided.

Read Top court grants bail to blasphemy accused jailed for four years

“Such actions bring disrepute to the state,” added Justice Muhammad Amin.

The two-member SC bench, headed by Justice Isa, was hearing a blasphemy case registered against a 65-year-old. The defendant is accused of worshipping a local shrine in Shujaabad by circling around it.

In April this year, an anti-terrorism court had sentenced 88 convicts and acquitted one accused as it announced its verdict in the lynching case of Sri Lankan citizen Piryantha Kumara.

The trial court awarded death sentence on two counts to six convicts along with payment of Rs200,000 as compensation to the legal heirs of the deceased, under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act, 1997.

Nine convicted have been awarded life imprisonment along with payment of Rs200,000 fine each and Rs200,000 as compensation to the legal heirs.

At least 72 convicts were sentenced to two-year rigorous imprisonment each on three counts and one year each on two counts. Accused Ali Asghar has been awarded a sentence of five years and another accused Bilal has been acquitted of the charges.

Piryantha Kumara was working as a general manager at Rajco factory in Sialkot. On December 3, 2021, he was murdered by a mob on the allegations of blasphemy. Later, the mob set his body on fire. An FIR was registered in Ugoki police station in Sialkot.

Blasphemy cases in 2021

Muslims made up a large chunk of people accused of committing blasphemy in the year 2021, according to a new report.

A report titled ‘Human Rights Observer 2022’ prepared by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has revealed that every second accused of blasphemy happened to be a Muslim, adding that as many as 84 persons had been booked under blasphemy charges throughout Pakistan in 2021.

According to the report, 42 people accused of blasphemy were Muslims followed by 25 Ahmadis, seven Hindus and three Christians.

The report also noted that the issue of unverified and speculative accusations of blasphemy has deepened, leading to incidents of lynching and extrajudicial settlements.

The issue was further brought to light in the wake of a flurry of shocking incidents wherein suspects were lynched over mere suspicions.

Earlier this year, vigilantes in Khanewal village lynched a mentally unstable man for allegedly committing blasphemy. The tragedy came as a grim reminder of the Sialkot lynching, drawing condemnation from the government as well as opposition parties that believed the gruesome incident humiliated the entire nation.

 

[MenInG]

A Hindu sanitation worker in Pakistan was booked in a fake blasphemy case over alleged desecration of Quran, according to local media reports. The complaint was reportedly lodged by a local resident after his brawl with the sanitation worker belonging to Hindu minority community in Pakistan's Hyderabad. The police had to disperse a charged mob which has gathered around an apartment building to get hold of the worker, identified as Ashok Kumar.

"Hyderabad police dispersed a violent mob which was demanding handing over a Hindu sanitary worker accusing him of #blasphemy Police claims the sanitary worker was targeted because of a personal clash with a local resident," said Mubashir Zaidi in a Tweet.

Kumar was reportedly lodged at Rabia centre in Saddar of Hyderabad.

Taking to Twitter, Pakistani journalist and columnist Naila Inayat tweeted, "Hindu sanitary worker Ashok Kumar booked under 295B of blasphemy over alleged desecration of the Quran in Hyderabad. The allegation came after a brawl with shopkeeper Bilal Abbasi who then lodged the complaint against Kumar."

“Earlier, a charged mob gathered around the apartment building to get hold of the Hindu man. Police dispersed the mob and arrested the victim,” she added.

While the agitated mob wanted to attack the Hindu worker on blasphemy allegations, news agency ANI, citing local media, reported that it was actually a Muslim woman who had burned the holy book of Muslims.

Social media users lauded Hyderabad police for quickly dispersing the violent mob.

A user wrote, “excellent work by Pakistan’s Sindh police in Hyderabad city, no room for bigotry of any kind: now that a disaster has been averted, the perpetrators and instigators must be brought to justice.”

“The misuse of the draconian blasphemy laws against minorities and even members of the Muslim community to settle personal grudges is rampant in Pakistan,” another user tweeted.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/worl...alleged-blasphemy-report-101661133993586.html

 

[sweep_shot]

A Hindu sanitation worker in Pakistan was booked in a fake blasphemy case over alleged desecration of Quran, according to local media reports. The complaint was reportedly lodged by a local resident after his brawl with the sanitation worker belonging to Hindu minority community in Pakistan's Hyderabad. The police had to disperse a charged mob which has gathered around an apartment building to get hold of the worker, identified as Ashok Kumar.

"Hyderabad police dispersed a violent mob which was demanding handing over a Hindu sanitary worker accusing him of #blasphemy Police claims the sanitary worker was targeted because of a personal clash with a local resident," said Mubashir Zaidi in a Tweet.

Kumar was reportedly lodged at Rabia centre in Saddar of Hyderabad.

Taking to Twitter, Pakistani journalist and columnist Naila Inayat tweeted, "Hindu sanitary worker Ashok Kumar booked under 295B of blasphemy over alleged desecration of the Quran in Hyderabad. The allegation came after a brawl with shopkeeper Bilal Abbasi who then lodged the complaint against Kumar."

“Earlier, a charged mob gathered around the apartment building to get hold of the Hindu man. Police dispersed the mob and arrested the victim,” she added.

While the agitated mob wanted to attack the Hindu worker on blasphemy allegations, news agency ANI, citing local media, reported that it was actually a Muslim woman who had burned the holy book of Muslims.

Social media users lauded Hyderabad police for quickly dispersing the violent mob.

A user wrote, “excellent work by Pakistan’s Sindh police in Hyderabad city, no room for bigotry of any kind: now that a disaster has been averted, the perpetrators and instigators must be brought to justice.”

“The misuse of the draconian blasphemy laws against minorities and even members of the Muslim community to settle personal grudges is rampant in Pakistan,” another user tweeted.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/worl...alleged-blasphemy-report-101661133993586.html

Not right to frame an innocent man like this.

I hope the perpetrators will be penalized.

 

[MenInG]

The Supreme Court has accepted the bail application of a Christian man, who faced charges of committing blasphemy, on a surety bond of Rs50,000.

The court observed that the State should show responsibility in cases of blasphemy.

It added that in cases of blasphemy, it was necessary to provide protection to holy personalities as well as the suspects until the allegation was proven.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah heard the bail application of Salamat Mansha Masih, who was accused of committing blasphemy by four students in Lahore’s Model Town Park.

A case was registered against him at Model Town police station.

The suspect has been in jail since January 4, 2021.

Justice Isa noted every second person rose up and accused the other of insulting their religion.

The judge added that blasphemy was not a small crime and its punishment was death.

Justice Isa further observed that the incident took place in a park and no one including the guard was made a witness.

Justice Shah also noted that there was a contradiction in the FIR. He pointed out that the FIR read that the suspect was a preacher whereas he was not.

“Why was Pakistan created?” Justice Isa asked the plaintiff’s lawyer.

The lawyer replied that Quaid-e-Azam had said Pakistan was the testing ground for Islam.

Also read: BJP receives flak from Muslim countries over Islamophobic remarks

“When did Quaid-e-Azam say this? Justice Isa inquired.

The judge added that in the past, generals had attributed a lot of sayings to Quaid-e-Azam, now lawyers should not do that.

Justice Isa informed the lawyer that Quaid-e-Azam had said that people of all faiths were free for their worship in Pakistan.

“There is already a lot of division in the society in the name of religion, don't create more,” he added.

The judge further noted that he had never come across a case where a Christian had accused a Muslim of committing blasphemy.

Justice Isa went on to ask what was the profession of Salamat Masih.

Salamat’s lawyer told the judge that his client worked as a garbage collector in the Lahore Waste Management Company.

Justice Isa wondered why Muslims did not work as garbage collectors.

“Cleanliness is half faith. The Holy Prophet's (PBUH) Sunnah includes cleanliness but we do not follow it,” he observed.

“We should be grateful to our Christian brothers for picking up our garbage for us,” he added.

Express Tribune

 

[Champ_Pal]

I heard from many Muslim apologists that Punishment by death for Blasphemy is only possible in a Caliphate.
Pakistan is not a Caliphate. So they should do away with it.

 

[MenInG]

The Lahore High Court (LHC) quashed a first information report (FIR) registered under blasphemy charges, observing that a person could not be prosecuted merely on the basis of what he sees in his dreams or for sharing his thoughts, visions, or emotions with others.

Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh held that the police failed in collecting substantial evidence to establish the offence against the accused and observed that those suffering from mental illnesses should be provided treatment and protection against punishment.

 

[MenInG]

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has sacked an employee who allegedly threatened a female Christian security officer with blasphemy charges over a parking row in Karachi.

According to the footage of the incident at Karachi airport, the incident occurred when a female security officer chastised a man for allowing an acquaintance’s vehicle through security without a vehicle pass.

The man allegedly threatened the female officer with blasphemy charges, saying he would “call preachers … I am mad and will cut [you] up”.

The female officer can be heard calling the man out for threatening her with blasphemy allegations and daring him to register a blasphemy case against her.

Express Tribune

 

[daytrader]

Zardari seeks protection of woman threatened with blasphemy charge
Zardari took a serious notice of an incident at the Karachi airport, where a man threatened a female security officer belonging to a minority community with a blasphemy charge

Former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday took a serious notice of an incident at the Karachi airport, where a man threatened a female security officer belonging to a minority community with a blasphemy charge.

Zardari said it was shameful to accuse a female security in-charge of blasphemy to prevent her from performing her duties.

The former president asked the federal and provincial governments to provide security to the female security officer. Zardari said if the accusation against the female security officer was proven false, the accuser should be severely punished. The accusation of blasphemy against the female security in-charge should be investigated. “Accusing someone of blasphemy is a very serious matter,” he added.

...
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/10...ion-of-woman-threatened-with-blasphemy-charge

 

[SalimBhai]

Yes I willl

 

[MenInG]

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Monday formed a committee to probe the incident of an official allegedly threatening a security officer with a blasphemy case during a parking dispute at Jinnah International Airport’s cargo area last week.

According to footage of the incident, the male official had issued the threat to the female officer after she did not allow him to enter the cargo area in his friend’s vehicle that too without number plate.

The man, in the video, allegedly threatens the female officer with blasphemy accusations, saying he will “call preachers … I am mad and will cut [you] up”.

The video further showed that when the man named Saleem uttered the word “blasphemy”, the woman official told him that he was free to implicate a “Christian” woman in a blasphemy case but in fact it was him who was committing disrespect to his religion.

 

[MenInG]

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Friday expressed its deep concern over a recent amendment in the blasphemy laws aimed at increasing punishment for disrespect of Ummahatul Momineen, Ahl-e-Bait, Khulfa-e-Rashideen and Sahaba-e-Kiram.

 

[sweep_shot]

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Monday formed a committee to probe the incident of an official allegedly threatening a security officer with a blasphemy case during a parking dispute at Jinnah International Airport’s cargo area last week.

According to footage of the incident, the male official had issued the threat to the female officer after she did not allow him to enter the cargo area in his friend’s vehicle that too without number plate.

The man, in the video, allegedly threatens the female officer with blasphemy accusations, saying he will “call preachers … I am mad and will cut [you] up”.

The video further showed that when the man named Saleem uttered the word “blasphemy”, the woman official told him that he was free to implicate a “Christian” woman in a blasphemy case but in fact it was him who was committing disrespect to his religion.

The guy needs to be punished. He maliciously tried to frame an innocent woman.

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan has further tightened its strict blasphemy laws by extending the punishment to those who are convicted for insulting religious figures connected to prophet Muhammad.

The Pakistan National Assembly unanimously passed the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill which will not only widen the ambit of the law, but increase punishment and fines for those convicted under it.

The move has raised concerns among human rights activists and observers who say it will increase the prospect of persecution for some, especially religious minorities like Hindus and Christians.

In Pakistan, an insult to the prophet Muhammad or Islam carries a potential death sentence. The laws have also been used to persecute and target minority faiths and sections in the Muslim-majority country.

Under the law, those convicted of insulting the prophet’s wives, companions or close relatives will face 10 years in prison or life imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 1m Pakistani rupees ($4,500 or £3,489). It also makes blasphemy charges a non-bailable offence.

Abdul Akbar Chitrali, the lawmaker who drafted the bill, said: “The punishment for insulting a member of parliament is five years, while the punishment for insulting the sacred personalities is three years.”

“This is an insult in itself,” Mr Chitrali told the house during the passing of the law last week.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/worl...sedgntp&cvid=72393a0408eb46b185f7de01449d177c

 

[MenInG]

An anti-terrorism court in northwest Pakistan has convicted and sentenced a Muslim man to death after he was accused of posting blasphemous content in a WhatsApp group.

Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unproven allegations can stir mobs and violence.

Syed Muhammad Zeeshan was convicted under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and Anti-Terrorist Act by the court in Peshawar on Friday.

"Accused Syed Muhammad Zeeshan, son of Syed Zakaullah in custody has been convicted and sentenced after being found guilty", the court order said, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.

Zeeshan, who is a resident of the northwest city of Mardan, was also fined 1.2 million rupees ($4,300) and handed a total of 23 years imprisonment.

NDTV

 

[MenInG]

A woman was accused of blasphemy and subsequently arrested after videos of her went viral wherein she claimed that her sister was a 'prophet who received holy revelations'.

According to the first information report (FIR) registered at the Nishatabad police station in Faisalabad, the police received information that a mob had gathered outside the woman’s residence.

Police personnel reached the location and learned that the accused was living in the house and claimed that her sister – who lives in a posh Lahore locality– claimed to be a 'prophet' and had 'revelations'.

The primary accused and her husband 'bore witness to the claims' and supported the woman.

In a video now viral on social media, the woman claims that there her sister was under "spiritual tutelage" for seven years.

She further claimed that her sister offered 50 prayers every day, similar to those offered on the Night of Ascension, and had received "revelations"

The police also detained the woman's spouse for supporting his wife and sister-in-law.

Local people, especially workers of a religious party, demanded the arrest of the woman and a mob gathered outside her Faisalabad residence.

City Police Officer (CPO) Faisalabad Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, while addressing the charged mob, said belief in the finality of Prophethood and the protection of that belief was the “goal of his life”. He assured the mob that the “cursed” woman and others involved in the matter would be brought to justice in accordance with the law.

Express Tribune

 

[MenInG]

A Chinese national, arrested on charges of blasphemy, was shifted from Upper Kohistan to Abbottabad in a Pakistan Army helicopter on Monday afternoon over safety fears, Komila Station House Officer Naseeruddin said.

The accused, who works at the Dasu Hydropower Project, was taken into police custody on Sunday night after labourers at the site accused him of blasphemy.

SHO Naseeruddin, while confirming the arrest, said that a first information report (FIR) had been registered against the Chinese national at the Komila police station.

The complaint, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, invokes Section 295-C [use of derogatory remarks, etc., in respect of the Holy Prophet (Peace be Upon Him)] of the Pakistan Penal Code. It was registered on the complaint of Gulistan and Yasir — both of whom are heavy vehicle drivers.

Dawn

 

[SalimBhai]

He will be released. We owe too much money to china

 

[saeedhk]

The Chinese engineer was displeased with the lazy attitude of the labourers and had scolded them over poor performance. Reportedly, the workers would spend hours away from work, claiming they were praying Ramazan prayers. This is another case of false blasphemy allegation. The same happened with the Sri Lankan manager who was burned to death over blasphemy.

This country is beyond repair and extremism and fanaticism has fully taken over. The majority of the public is extremely fanatical and ready to kill!

 

[daytrader]

Chinese man flatly denies blasphemy accusation

A Chinese national taken into custody after a mob accused him of committing blasphemy said he never made any remarks that could hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims or even hidebound Kohistanis.

The Chinese citizen, who was being kept at Police Lines in Abbottabad after the district administration declared the premises a sub-jail and beefed up its security, said he was arrested under trumped-up charges.

“I can’t even contemplate offending sentiments of Pakistanis and Muslims but whatever I have been facing here is nothing but a lie,” he told a Joint Investigation Team (JIT), constituted by the government to investigate the matter, as this was apparently the third attempt to sabotage the 3,420-megawatt Dasu hydropower project.

The JIT has already probed the 2021 attack on a bus carrying Chinese nationals to the dam sites that claimed the lives of 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, as well as a blaze that broke out at a Chinese worker’s residential camp earlier this month. The team was now investigating the latest episode.

...
https://www.dawn.com/news/1748415/chinese-man-flatly-denies-blasphemy-accusation

 

[Theanonymousone]

Blasphemy laws should be abolished everywhere in the world.

Most of the countries will have laws protecting the religious sentiments of the people in their constitution.

I don't understand what is necessity of these blasphemy laws separately then.

And having capital punishments for blasphemy laws is one of the most cruel things.

Even if someone commits blasphemy, does that mean they need to be put to death?
This has to be the most uncivilized thing equivalent to murder/rape crimes, but difference is, it is done by the law.

This actually sets the wrong precedent for muslims in the West too. That, killing someone for blasphemy is not wrong, as it is done by the law itself in other parts of the world.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

This law does not need to be abolished BUT it does need two amendments -

No 1. There shouldn’t be capital punishment. Nowhere in Quran it’s mentioned to take life of such a person - or at least I am not aware of it.

No-2
WHOEVER accuses another person of blasphemy MUST register his full name and valid address in the report.
And if there no UNDENIABLE and ABSOLUTELY SOLID evidence provided against the accused - then the accuser MUST be immediately arrested and should be given severe punishment to be made a good example of - 100 lashes would be nice.

This abusing of this law is the biggest problem - and false accusations MUST have severe consequences.

 

[RajBan]

Blasphemy laws should be abolished everywhere in the world.

Most of the countries will have laws protecting the religious sentiments of the people in their constitution.

I don't understand what is necessity of these blasphemy laws separately then.

And having capital punishments for blasphemy laws is one of the most cruel things.

Even if someone commits blasphemy, does that mean they need to be put to death?
This has to be the most uncivilized thing equivalent to murder/rape crimes, but difference is, it is done by the law.

This actually sets the wrong precedent for muslims in the West too. That, killing someone for blasphemy is not wrong, as it is done by the law itself in other parts of the world.

Correct the law is not needed for any religion or any country. Blasphemy laws are nothing but manifestation of primitive clergy politics. Live and let live should be the way forward in today's society.

 

[wasim-fan]

The Chinese engineer was displeased with the lazy attitude of the labourers and had scolded them over poor performance. Reportedly, the workers would spend hours away from work, claiming they were praying Ramazan prayers. This is another case of false blasphemy allegation. The same happened with the Sri Lankan manager who was burned to death over blasphemy.

This country is beyond repair and extremism and fanaticism has fully taken over. The majority of the public is extremely fanatical and ready to kill!

Many here live speaking about Chinese takeover. Chinese are perhaps thinking that they will need much larger scale concentration / rehab camps than they needed for Uiygurs. Till what point will Chinese see premium vs risk in the relationship. That's the question. Once it's wild wild west no one wants to get involved.

 

[Rana]

What is the point of abolishing the law if the masses lead by extremists get a hold of you and lynch you before the police can even save you?

The extremist mindset needs to be challenged, keeping or removing the law has no bearing

 

[Theanonymousone]

What is the point of abolishing the law if the masses lead by extremists get a hold of you and lynch you before the police can even save you?

The extremist mindset needs to be challenged, keeping or removing the law has no bearing

The laws, particularly capital punishment sets a precedent that killing people is justifiable for blasphemy.

I cant even fathom that one can be killed if they spoke against/ disrespected one’s faith. Barbaric to say the least.

The mob mentality should decrease as we move ahead, but even BJP brought it back in India. I support BJP over congress in few cases due to their less minority appeasement politics but, I am afraid of the price we Indians have to pay for, in the future due to this mob mentality.

Our faith’s doesn't need our protection. We only need to protect religious sentiments, but that doesn't mean the laws impose unreasonable punishments.

I have checked the Indian laws and it has up to 3 years of imprisonment for hurting religious sentiments.

But blasphemy laws with Capital punishment, life/10-20 years imprisonment, how does that makes sense?

It really feels scary to live in such a place for those belonging to minorities. You never know that, your life will change in a moment.

 

[MenInG]

For anyone interested in a deeper understanding of how we got here, Farhat Haq wrote an excellent book, which I have just read called, Shari’a and the State in Pakistan: Blasphemy in Politics.

Amongst the many points she makes, she argues forcefully that there was a the shift in the modern period with how shari’a law was perceived. The classical position adopted by scholars was that individuals were inherently limited in understanding fully God’s will and so the implicit contemporary notion that any “man-made statute could so perfectly capture God’s will that it is beyond any discussion” would have been considered unwarranted. Starting from the onset of colonial period, there have also been attempts at codification of the shari’a (or the transformation from shari’a as ‘process’ to shari’a as ‘content’ in Nathan Brown’s telling words). This has elevated the idea of the state as the primary agent, responsible for implementing the shari’a, even though the state’s commitment to religion is viewed with deep suspicion by the religious lobby. In contrast, she quotes Noah Feldman who pointed out that “during the classical period the answer to the question ‘where is the law?’ would be answered by pointing to scholars and saying, ‘the shari’a is with them’.” Ultimately, the attempts at codification have, in spite of the arguments of the Islamic modernists, led to the shari’a becoming unmoored from its ethical sensibilities and reduced to a discrete set of laws.

There are other important points. She argues that the fragmentation in religious authority and the existence of a crowded religious marketplace often pushes the pendulum towards intolerance, as it creates an incentive for more marginal ‘Islamist’ groups to weaponise blasphemy laws in order to garner influence.

She also points out that the ulama have often ‘teamed up ‘ with the Islamists represented by the Jamaat-i-Islaami. There has always, in fact, been tension between these two groups (and of course the ulama themselves are hardly an entirely united group) but when it comes to putting pressure on the state and its modernist representatives, as on the blasphemy laws, the religious parties have often come together. Indeed the very criticism from modernists that the religious parties cannot agree amongst themselves on key issues has in fact ended up encouraging them to present a united front on religious matters that they have considered too important to be left to a modernist elite. In relation to the blasphemy laws, there have been at least four attempts to reform or repeal them - in 1995, 2006, 2011 and 2015 - but opposition from religious groups and their potential power to generate public disorder have ultimately vitiated any such efforts.

This post is an important one in the context of this thread.

 

[MenInG]

A Chinese national arrested on charges of committing blasphemy was set free and shifted to an undisclosed location on Thursday after he was granted bail by an anti-terrorism court in Abbottabad.

The judge granted the suspect’s bail plea after he furnished a bond of Rs 200,000 as surety.

The petitioner was arrested in Upper Kohistan district on April 16 after a mob blocked the Karakoram Highway accusing him of committing blasphemy while exchanging arguments with labourers over long prayer breaks at the project site.

The FIR of the incident was registered at Kamila police station, Upper Kohistan, under sections 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 6/7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Two lawyers represented the petitioner in the court. The Chinese national was not brought to the court for security reasons. A deputy public prosecutor was also present in the courtroom,

 

[Major]

This law does not need to be abolished BUT it does need two amendments -

No 1. There shouldn’t be capital punishment. Nowhere in Quran it’s mentioned to take life of such a person - or at least I am not aware of it.

No-2
WHOEVER accuses another person of blasphemy MUST register his full name and valid address in the report.
And if there no UNDENIABLE and ABSOLUTELY SOLID evidence provided against the accused - then the accuser MUST be immediately arrested and should be given severe punishment to be made a good example of - 100 lashes would be nice.

This abusing of this law is the biggest problem - and false accusations MUST have severe consequences.

100 lashes, sorry but even lashes are not a proper form of punishment and just barbaric