How Pakistan's Blasphemy Law Works

[Lux de Veritas]

Pakistan: How the Blasphemy Law Really Works

Sawan Masih, a poor Pakistani Christian who had been working as a sanitary worker in a section of Lahore surrounded by factories, was accused during the course of a conversation with a Muslim friend of insulting the Prophet Mohammed on March 6, 2013.

When the police arrested him two days later, he was accused of allegedly saying, "Jesus is true. He is the Son of God. He will come to save me, while Muslims' Prophet is fake."

After the accusation, based on the verbal statement of a Muslim barber Shahid Imran, more than 3,000 Pakistani Muslims rioted and torched about 100 Christian homes in a small neighbourhood of Christians called Joseph Colony. While the Christians fled, the police silently watched as the Muslim protestors destroyed the Christians' homes and stole their possessions.

Since the accusation, Sawan Masih has been in jail. On March 27, 2014, a court of additional session Judge Chaudhry Ghulam Murtaza handed down the death sentence to Sawan Masih after "finding him guilty of blasphemy" and also ordered him to pay fine of 200,000 Pakistani rupees, equivalent $2,044 USD.

Masih denied the charge against him. The Center for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement [CLAAS], an interdenominational organization working for Christians persecuted because of their faith in Pakistan, has provided lawyers for Masih. On April 1, CLAAS's lawyers appealed the verdict to the Lahore High Court.

The trial was conducted in prison for Masih's safety, after the rights organization said that his life could be in danger and requested the case to be heard in jail.

"This is not the only blasphemy case where this has happened," said the director of the UK-based division of CLAAS, Nasir Saeed. "There are examples including the trial of Younis Masih. Several blasphemy-law victims have been killed during their hearings, including Rashid Emannuel and Sajid Emannuel who were killed by extremists in broad daylight in 2010 in front of hundreds of people in the district court's compound in Faisalabad."

"Unfortunately," Saeed said, the blasphemy law has become a powerful tool in the hands of extremists and is continually being used to attack churches, burn down Christian towns and villages and kill innocent people. The government is under pressure from extremist groups, and hesitates to bring this matter to the parliament. A week ago, a Hindu temple and other properties in Larkana-Sindh were torched and a man was taken into police custody without any proof that he had burnt the holy Quran."

According to Saeed, religious minorities, particularly Christians, live in constant fear for their lives, and have quietly begun migrating to different countries to save their lives.

After the judgment, only two National Assembly members out of 342 spoke out -- interestingly, both female. Pakistan Teherik-e-Insan [PTI] party legislator Dr. Sheerin Mazari called it a travesty of justice that more than 3,000 people who burned the Christian neighbourhood in Lahore were free while one man tried for a disputed charge has been sentenced to death.

Pakistan Peoples Party [PPP] legislator Sahazia Marri raised question: Sawan Masih has been sentenced, but what about those found guilty of inciting and committing violence and arson?

A week later, on April 4, 2014 the court in Toba Tak Singh announced a death sentence for a Christian couple, Shafaqat Emmanuel and his wife, Sagufta Kauser, accused of sending blasphemous text messages. The couple was arrested on July 21, 2013. World Vision in Progress [WVIP] reported that the couple were not fluent enough to write the alleged texts in English, and that the SIM card cited was not registered.

A Pakistani businessman (who said he wished to remain anonymous) said, "The Pakistani Christians are like martyrs. They are just sacrificing blood without an iota of fault, just for their religious beliefs."

The Pakistani businessman said, "I am damn sure that the poor Christian man, Sawan Masih, had not the least idea or knowledge about the Muslim prophet. The officials of Pakistan are just going with the sentiment of Muslim population." He said that Pakistan's administration, police, military, and courts want somehow to contribute to their religion by punishing the non-Muslims.

 

[Sliver]

@Zarvan is the above a conspiracy too?
if its not a conspiracy and if the above is indeed true, do you support disbanding the blasphemous blasphemy law?

 

[Zarvan]

@Zarvan is the above a conspiracy too?
if its not a conspiracy and if the above is indeed true, do you support disbanding the blasphemous blasphemy law?

Blasphemy law will be there and will not be finished only method of implementation needs to be improved and death punishment for the one who falsely accuses someone

 

[Gunsnroses]

Christians or any other minority needs to understand the simple law of respect. What is use of saying 'my Prophet is right, your Prophet is fake?' It means he is more radicalised than Muslims by the missionaries working in Pakistan or the church he attends where he is being taught in this way. Muslims can never and I repeat can never utter any word against Jesus as He is part of our religion. Ball stays in Christians court as deradicalisation needs to be done there and not Muslims. Muslims radicals are more busy into killing Muslims than Christians.

Agree, blasphemy law should be revised.

@Lux de Veritas almost all your posts are against Islam, congrats. I doubt now you are a teacher and your parents taught you tolerance as you claimed in your other post.

 

[acid rain]

Inter national community should try and help the few remaining christians there to escape before all of them are killed or burnt on trumped up fake charges.

 

[Lux de Veritas]

Christians or any other minority needs to understand the simple law of respect. What is use of saying 'my Prophet is right, your Prophet is fake?' It means he is more radicalised than Muslims by the missionaries working in Pakistan or the church he attends where he is being taught in this way. Muslims can never and I repeat can never utter any word against Jesus as He is part of our religion. Ball stays in Christians court as deradicalisation needs to be done there and not Muslims. Muslims radicals are more busy into killing Muslims than Christians.

Agree, blasphemy law should be revised.

@Lux de Veritas almost all your posts are against Islam, congrats. I doubt now you are a teacher and your parents taught you tolerance as you claimed in your other post.

I am not against Islam, I am against those who shit on people, those who murder people in the name of Allah. They are disgrace to Allah, and they are the one who make people turn away from Islam.

 

[Lord ZeN]

Christians or any other minority needs to understand the simple law of respect. What is use of saying 'my Prophet is right, your Prophet is fake?' It means he is more radicalised than Muslims by the missionaries working in Pakistan or the church he attends where he is being taught in this way. Muslims can never and I repeat can never utter any word against Jesus as He is part of our religion. Ball stays in Christians court as deradicalisation needs to be done there and not Muslims. Muslims radicals are more busy into killing Muslims than Christians.

Agree, blasphemy law should be revised.
i
@Lux de Veritas almost all your posts are against Islam, congrats. I doubt now you are a teacher and your parents taught you tolerance as you claimed in your other post.

And you are saying this staying in United Kingdom, a christian majority country. No wonder anti - Muslim sentiments are on rise in U.K.

 

[Pakistani E]

Blasphemy laws are an invention of the Mullahs to keep people in line. All these man made laws that discriminate between citizens should be abolished, until that happens the cancer of extremism and bigotry will continue to flourish in Pakistan.

Stupid Jahil Mullahs and their equally ignorant flock

 

[Lux de Veritas]

And you are saying this staying in United Kingdom, a christian majority country. No wonder anti - Muslim sentiments are on rise in U.K.

The absence of reciprocity among many Muslims is a big reason for hatred within Muslims towards the white man. On one hand, Muslims even those living in white man land, can defend their rights in shitting on homeground minorities. On the other hand, those Muslims staying in white man land demand to be treated equal or even better than natives.

When their entitlement mentality is not fulfilled by white man, some get so bitter that they want to bomb their host, who are kind to take them onboard and give them a life.

 

[Gunsnroses]

I am not against Islam, I am against those who shit on people, those who murder people in the name of Allah. They are disgrace to Allah, and they are the one who make people turn away from Islam.

Agree, with you on that.

And you are saying this staying in United Kingdom, a christian majority country. No wonder anti - Muslim sentiments are on rise in U.K.

Your point has nothing to do with what I said.

Trust me, am vocal and against all this crap, many people on this forum know that.

Yes I love this country where I reside because it has PRACTICAL laws against racism and religious intolerance not like some bubble fantasies prevalent in other countries. What I said is a wise suggestion for those who are living in a country like Pakistan where everything has crossed the limits. Read it with open mind before narrowing down your choices of words.

The absence of reciprocity among many Muslims is a big reason for hatred within Muslims towards the white man. On one hand, Muslims even those living in white man land, can defend their rights in shitting on homeground minorities. On the other hand, those Muslims staying in white man land demand to be treated equal or even better than natives.

When their entitlement mentality is not fulfilled by white man, some get so bitter that they want to bomb their host, who are kind to take them onboard and give them a life.

I replied you somewhere very clearly about that, still you are chirping the same song. I told you even EU nationals living in a rational and balanced country like UK find themselves discriminated. They also want to be treated equally. Although their is a rise of anti-muslim sentiments in UK, normal day to day person dislikes what is going on on both sides.

 

[LfcRed]

The poor christian guy calling our prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H fake is a common perception among christians and nothing new. I personally found nothing wrong in his statement and exactly what is expected from non muslims. If this is how we need to deal with these kind of statements and is what some of our pakistani muslim brothers believe it should be dealt in this manner then we better ask the same lot to start practicing more of the religious act and move across the globe killing people and torching houses. There are lots of hasanat to gather on the way.

Sarcasm aside, there were people living among the messenger and his companions but still didnt take him as a true prophet. Let alone the actions of some of our muslim brothers now a days is far from convincing them. We muslims really need to take criticism and start differentiating between what is criticism and what is blasphemy.

 

[Mutakalim]

We need to understand that there is no problem with the blasphemy law itself. The problem lies with the implementation of law on grass root level. Blasphemy law is there and will be there till the end of days.

@Zarvan is the above a conspiracy too?
if its not a conspiracy and if the above is indeed true, do you support disbanding the blasphemous blasphemy law?

We muslims will not let that happen. It is there and will be there.

Inter national community should try and help the few remaining christians there to escape before all of them are killed or burnt on trumped up fake charges.

Ask your government to start helping. As you are also included in international community.

 

[acid rain]

We need to understand that there is no problem with the blasphemy law itself. The problem lies with the implementation of law on grass root level. Blasphemy law is there and will be there till the end of days.


We muslims will not let that happen. It is there and will be there.


Ask your government to start helping. As you are also included in international community.

Thousands of pakistani Hindus are fleeing to India every year while pakistani ahmedis are fleeing all over including sri lanka none want to go back...what I am talking about here is the rescue of christians from pakistan.

EDIT: thousands of christians have fled to Thailand...I think more needs to be done to save them.

 

[Mutakalim]

Thousands of pakistani Hindus are fleeing to India every year while pakistani ahmedis are fleeing all over including sri lanka none want to go back...what I am talking about here is the rescue of christians from pakistan.

EDIT: thousands of christians have fled to Thailand...I think more needs to be done to save them.

Any proof of your accused quantity. From which town, city or province they are fleeing?

 

[VCheng]

...............

After the accusation, based on the verbal statement of a Muslim barber Shahid Imran, more than 3,000 Pakistani Muslims rioted and torched about 100 Christian homes in a small neighbourhood of Christians called Joseph Colony. While the Christians fled, the police silently watched as the Muslim protestors destroyed the Christians' homes and stole their possessions.

.................

@Zarvan is the above a conspiracy too?
if its not a conspiracy and if the above is indeed true, do you support disbanding the blasphemous blasphemy law?

This is only a land grab by a member of the Provincial Assembly who wants to occupy and develop the land upon which Joseph Colony sat. That is all. The blasphemy laws merely provided the land mafia with a convenient and effective tool. This is a typical story.

That is how it really works.