Protestors warn of anarchy if blasphemy law changed

[DesiGuy]

LAHORE: Thousands of people rallied in major Pakistani cities on Friday threatening further protests and anarchy if the government moves to amend a controversial blasphemy law.

A ruling Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker sparked outcry last month by seeking to end the death penalty for blasphemy, after a Christian mother of five was sentenced to hang for defaming the Prophet Mohammed.

Demonstrators marched in the eastern city of Lahore, the port city of Karachi and the central city of Multan, after influential religious parties called for protests to defend the law.

A crowd of nearly 1,500 people gathered in Lahore, calling for “Jihad” and pledging to sacrifice their lives to protect the honour of Prophet Mohammad. They also warned that attempts to soften the law would trigger nationwide protests.

“Pakistan was created in the name of Islam and we will not tolerate any attempt to amend the law,” a leader of the pro-Taliban Jamiatul Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), Maulana Ahmad Khan told the participants.

Former information minister and lawmaker from the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party government, Sherry Rehman in November submitted a draft bill in the lower house seeking an end to death penalty under the existing law.

English-language newspaper Dawn had quoted Rehman as saying that the law victimised minorities in the country. Rights activists also say the law encourages Islamist extremism in a nation already beseiged by Taliban attacks.

Addressing a separate rally of over 500 people in Lahore, a leader of the banned charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Husnain Siddiqui said, “We will launch a national movement against all those lawmakers, who support efforts to amend the law.”

Politicians and conservative clerics have been at loggerheads over whether President Asif Ali Zardari should pardon Asia Bibi, the Christian mother who was sentenced to death under the blasphemy law.

Pakistan has yet to execute anyone for blasphemy, but Bibi’s case has exposed the deep faultlines in the conservative country.

In the port city of Karachi, more than 2,000 people rallied against Rehman’s proposed draft bill and demanded the government give Bibi a severe punishment for insulting Prophet Mohammad.

Bibi was arrested in June 2009 after Muslim women labourers refused to drink from a bowl of water she was asked to fetch while out working in the fields.

Days later, the women complained that she made derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed. Bibi was set upon by a mob, arrested by police and sentenced on November 8.

Leaders of JUI and radical Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party warned that the government would “face a strong reaction if Bibi was pardoned.”

”The government should forget about amending the blasphemy law as any attempt in this regard will prove fatal,” a local religious leader Yahya Ludhianvi said.

Most of those convicted of blasphemy in Pakistan have their sentences overturned or commuted on appeal through the courts.

Rights activists and pressure groups say it is the first time that a woman had been sentenced to hang in Pakistan for blasphemy. Only around three per cent of Pakistan’s population of 167 million are estimated to be non-Muslim.

Protestors warn of anarchy if blasphemy law changed | Pakistan | DAWN.COM

 

[Safriz]

The blasphamy law should persist..If anybody doesnt like our religion or religious icons...dont poke your nose ad stay away...Its same as libel and copyrights....

 

[Karachiite]

It's really sad that people are actually protesting. Blasphemy law was made by Zia ***** who was a wahabi fanatic. He is the reason why we have this taliban problem and afghani refugee problem.

Quaid e Azam, Allama Iqbal,Liaqat Ali Khan,Ayub Khan and other great secular leaders would never ever want this law in Pakistan.

This blasphemy law is only used to target religious minorities and muslims for personal gains. I can throw a paper away with the name Muhammad and I will be framed for blasphemy put on death row like Asia Bibi because she did not want to convert to Islam.

These Jamatis are the same people who opposed the creation of Pakistan.

 

[mwaqas93]

I am a muslim... And i think she should be punished not be sentenced...

 

[Karachiite]

I am a muslim... And i think she should be punished not be sentenced...

Why should she be punished for something the authorities can't prove? Just cuz some mullah with no proof says she insulted a religion does not mean she did. And even if she did then she should be allowed to because we live in a democratic country.

 

[mjnaushad]

The blasphamy law should persist..If anybody doesnt like our religion or religious icons...dont poke your nose ad stay away...Its same as libel and copyrights....

Safriz with due respect. You are a good member and i like most of your posts. I really have respect for you. And i know how it feels when someone insult prophet. Its like you want to put whole 75 rounds of AK47 in the person (Atleast i feel like that). But the point is did Islam really want us to kill the person?? or do islam want us to tolerate.



You must be aware when prophet went to Taif to spread msg of Islam. What happend there. Prophet was insulted. People threw so much stones that Prophets (S.A.W) shoes filled with blood. And then came Gibreel and said if you order i'll smash the mountains on the Taif. But Prophet raised his hand and prayed for people of Taif that they don't understand, Show them the right path. And we know people of Taif embraced Islam.



Now things to note about the story above; Here Prophet was insulted, He was insulted personally, Then its not he didn't had power to kill them. He had the power and choice that by his one word the whole Taif will be destroyed. But He prayed? why? Because he wanted to give lesson of tolerance. Not lesson of voilence. Today we ourself don't have tolerance in us thats why we are just changing islam and making Islam a religion which can say that we did the right thing. The mullahs can't argue on this matter and don't want to accept that they themselves are low on tolerance thats why they'll issue fatwa as soon you'll start talking about this matter.


Forget the loopholes in the law and how its been misused just tell me when there are many examples are present in Prophet's life in which he tolerated then who are we to say that there should be no tolerance on this matter. Its not Islam saying this its our intolerance coming out and we are using islam to cover our own personal insecurities.

Thanks.

 

[Xestan]

It's really sad that people are actually protesting. Blasphemy law was made by Zia ***** who was a wahabi fanatic. He is the reason why we have this taliban problem and afghani refugee problem.

Quaid e Azam, Allama Iqbal,Liaqat Ali Khan,Ayub Khan and other great secular leaders would never ever want this law in Pakistan.

This blasphemy law is only used to target religious minorities and muslims for personal gains. I can throw a paper away with the name Muhammad and I will be framed for blasphemy put on death row like Asia Bibi because she did not want to convert to Islam.

These Jamatis are the same people who opposed the creation of Pakistan.

Oh hello? What's up? Go get some sleep Brother!

 

[Karachiite]

Oh hello? What's up? Go get some sleep Brother!

Secularism does not mean rejecting a religion or being atheist. Secularism is simply separation of religion and state.

 

[Xestan]

Safriz with due respect. You are a good member and i like most of your posts. I really have respect for you. And i know how it feels when someone insult prophet. Its like you want to put whole 75 rounds of AK47 in the person (Atleast i feel like that). But the point is did Islam really want us to kill the person?? or do islam want us to tolerate.



You must be aware when prophet went to Taif to spread msg of Islam. What happend there. Prophet was insulted. People threw so much stones that Prophets (S.A.W) shoes filled with blood. And then came Gibreel and said if you order i'll smash the mountains on the Taif. But Prophet raised his hand and prayed for people of Taif that they don't understand, Show them the right path. And we know people of Taif embraced Islam.



Now things to note about the story above; Here Prophet was insulted, He was insulted personally, Then its not he didn't had power to kill them. He had the power and choice that by his one word the whole Taif will be destroyed. But He prayed? why? Because he wanted to give lesson of tolerance. Not lesson of voilence. Today we ourself don't have tolerance in us thats why we are just changing islam and making Islam a religion which can say that we did the right thing. The mullahs can't argue on this matter and don't want to accept that they themselves are low on tolerance thats why they'll issue fatwa as soon you'll start talking about this matter.


Forget the loopholes in the law and how its been misused just tell me when there are many examples are present in Prophet's life in which he tolerated then who are we to say that there should be no tolerance on this matter. Its not Islam saying this its our intolerance coming out and we are using islam to cover our own personal insecurities.

Thanks.

Brother, I respect your view BUT the thing is most of the people are confused about the law because they know Prophet [S.A.W] did forgive many blasphemers BUT here the point to be noted is THAT it was Rasool ALLAH [S.A.W] himself, NO one except Him [S.A.W] has the right to do so..

So this is the reason from start of the Khilafat e Rashida, till now, Muslims have consensus on the issue and Scholars of every sect have same views about it..

We should not forget the incident of the Beheading of the Masjid Imam by Hazrat Umar [R.A] when he just spoke a single blasphemous sentence.

And according to the Hadith,I don't remember the Reference but it's in Sahih Muslim, Hazoor [S.A.W] said : Context : that No one of you can be a Muslim until he/she loves me more than his/her Children, parents and whole of the mankind

So you cannot forgive the one who commit blasphemy

If you say, we can start a thread for this, I can prove it you that indeed the punishment for Blasphemy is DEATH sentence, whether Muslim or Non Muslim.

 

[Xestan]

Secularism does not mean rejecting a religion or being atheist. Secularism is simply separation of religion and state.

I KNOW! None of our founding fathers wanted any secular state..

Even none of them ever used the word "Secular", quote one speech of Quaid where he even used the word "Secular".

And apart from this, Are we NOT a Muslim Nation, came into being in the name of Islam? Pakistan ka mutlub kya La ILLAhA ILALLAH!

A Muslim can NEVER support this theory of separation of State and Islam BECAUSE Islam is NOT a Religion, it's a complete code of LIFE, The way of Life.

 

[scrumpy]

and people tell me that religion is good...

 

[Karachiite]

I KNOW! None of our founding fathers wanted any secular state..

Even none of them ever used the word "Secular", quote one speech of Quaid where he even used the word "Secular".

And apart from this, Are we NOT a Muslim Nation, came into being in the name of Islam? Pakistan ka mutlub kya La ILLAhA ILALLAH!

A Muslim can NEVER support this theory of separation of State and Islam BECAUSE Islam is NOT a Religion, it's a complete code of LIFE, The way of Life.

Quaid e Azam also said that Pakistan will never be a theocratic state. Please read his August 11th speech.

Also if Pakistan was meant to be an Islamic state then why did we not have a state religion until 1973? Before that every religion was given equal status and Quaid e Azam also said that the state will not interfere in the religious matters of it's citizens.

 

[DesiGuy]

it's not religion, it's the people who are not good.

 

[Xestan]

Quaid e Azam also said that Pakistan will never be a theocratic state. Please read his August 11th speech.

Also if Pakistan was meant to be an Islamic state then why did we not have a state religion until 1973? Before that every religion was given equal status and Quaid e Azam also said that the state will not interfere in the religious matters of it's citizens.

I knew you were gonna talk about the 11th August speech lol

This is the ONLY speech which contains some sentences which StILL are a matter of confusion.. Anyways..

No one is talking about a theocratic state BUT a STATE which is based on Qur'an and Sunnah..

This is what a Muslim is BOUND to follow.. If you don't want Sharia'ah rules THEN Why the hell are you calling yourself Muslim? Muslim is who submits his will to ALLAH, means obey ALLAH and His Messanger [S.A.W].

Coming back to what Quaid wanted..

Here are some samples of Quaid-e-Azam’s speeches that prove beyond any doubt that he was not a proponent of Western-style secularism This will also prove that no matter what words he has used to describe his vision of Pakistan, at the core, he was very much influenced by the Quran and the character of our Prophet (PBUH).

Quaid-e-Azam said in his presidential address in 1940:

“It is extremely difficult to appreciate why our Hindu friends fail to understand the real nature of Islam and Hinduism. They are not religions in the strict sense of the word but are, in fact, different and distinct social orders… The Hindus and Muslims belong to two different religious philosophies, social customs, literatures. They belong to two different civilizations which are based mainly on conflicting ideas and conceptions. Their aspects of life and our life are different.”

In his speech at the Frontier Muslim League Conference on
November 21, 1945, he said:

“We have to fight a double edged battle, one against the Hindu Congress and the British Imperialists, both of them being capitalists. The Muslims demand Pakistan where they could rule according to their own code of life and according to their own cultural growth, traditions and Islamic laws.”

In a message to NWFP Muslim Students Federation in April 1943, he said:

“You have asked me to give a message. What message can I give you? We have got the great message in the Quran for our guidance and enlightenment.”

In an Eid message to the nation in 1945, he said:

“Every Muslim knows that the injunctions of the Quran are not confined to religious and moral duties. Everyone except those who are ignorant, knows that the Quran is the general code of the Muslims. A religious, social, civil, commercial, military, judicial, criminal and penal code; it regulates everything from the ceremonies of religion to those of daily life; from the salvation of the soul to the health of the body; from the rights of all, to those of each individual; from morality to crime; from punishment here to that in the life to come, and our Prophet (S) has enjoined on us that every Muslim should possess a copy of the Holy Quran and be his own priest. Therefore, Islam is not confined to the spiritual tenets and doctrines and rituals and ceremonies. It is a complete code regulating the whole Muslim society in every department of life, collectively and individually.”


Now tell me, if he wanted to create a Secular state then why he always emphasized on Islamic Ideology, Qur'an Islamic values etc etc..

And the point that you raised about why we didn't have any state religion till 1973..

Well.. In 1948, Liaqat Ali khan, who was a "secular" according to you, passed this OBJECTIVES RESOLUTION..

1.Sovereignty belongs to Allah alone but He has delegated it to the State of Pakistan through its people for being exercised within the limits prescribed by Him as a sacred trust.

2.The State shall exercise its powers and authority through the chosen representatives of the people.

3.The principles of democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice, as enunciated by Islam, shall be fully observed.

4.Muslims shall be enabled to order their lives in the individual and collective spheres in accordance with the teachings of Islam as set out in the Qur'an and Sunnah.

5.Adequate provision shall be made for the minorities to freely profess and practice their religions and develop their cultures.

6.Pakistan shall be a federation.

7.Fundamental rights shall be guaranteed.

8.The judiciary shall be independent.


NOW Please answer my dear brother, What in this context our elders wanted ?

 

[scrumpy]

it's not religion, it's the people who are not good.

Religions preach that their world view is the right world view and doesn't tolerate any dissenting voices. What do you think happens when such thoughts are mixed with people with a narrow world view?