Thousands rally in Lahore over blasphemy law

[Gazzi]

Yes but it is NOT okay for people to go around saying that they will cause mayhem and go around killing people if the blasphemy law is amended or repealed or go around supporting a murderer who has killed someone just because they didnt agree with them, which what these mullahs are saying. They do have a right to voice their opinion but not violently

Many points expressed here........

Firstly, causing mayhem and violence......... - PA is also being accused of violence and extra-judicial killings, along with support for drones and other attacks which have killed thousands of people in Pakistani territory.........now, look at it from their POV.....an entire family dies in a missile strike, mortar attack, artillery shell fired by the PA because they wanted to kill a so called terrorist driving past their house, like many innocent people get killed........does that person not then have a right to target those who kill or support those who kill...........

Dance Sir........we created a division right through Pakistan when we went into this WoT....we made the choice, now live with it..........I doubt you would be so accomodating if your family lay dead in front of you.........

The door always swings both ways..........the only way to defeat such people is through an academical and intellectual level.........WHY, becuase this is an academical issue, not a military one.......debates need to be held and discussion must be taking place expressing all Quranic and Hadith and openly challenge the Scholars of both sides to hold this debate on television for the masses to see for themselves.........

I wonder if you will call a "mullah" for a Janazah prayer for a family member of yours, or pray behind a Mullah is Salah........don't go with the flow and makie such wordings a slogan for scholars or Imams of other groups...........

 

[Ahmad]

To be fair, anti taliban protests have time and again carried out in Pakistan. e.g

Countrywide rallies against Data Darbar bombing – The Express Tribune

Dear Mehru,

yes, it has taken place, but not the magnitude of protests like this.

 

[Gazzi]

I absolutely believe in their rights, but they dont believe in other people's rights, they shoot them on sight.

The actions of one man to paint the brush of all..........with that logic, then you people are also murderers and rapists and God knows what for suporting PA, the US`, UK and others

 

[Dance]

Not Just Jamatis, JuD Chief, Hafiz Saeed, Pervez Illahi, PML-N's leaders etc.. there were so many people there and honestly, people support this law, even a liberal like Musharraf had to say that the law should stay..

And, until, this is peaceful, no one should have any problem with it, why don't so called liberals come out and protest like that, like few people claim, lets see if they can gather some 10,000 people

He said it because he didnt want a crazy mullah to kill him and for political reasons. And thats the thing, these people are not protesting peacefully. They are threatening people by saying if they even think about amending or repealing the law they will go around killing people and cause anarchy. Or if you support Salman Taseer, we will kill you.

 

[Xestan]

Dear Mehru,

yes, it has taken place, but not the magnitude of protests like this.

Those protests were even bigger..

I still remember the Long March by Sunni Ittehad council against the TTP.

 

[Ahmad]

I feel like I keep repeating myself over and over again. People do not go out in protest because they don't want to killed or they don't care. But that doesn't mean that just because they are not protesting they approve of the law. You are making a generalization that just because Jamat-ABCDEFG are going crazy, that majority of Pakistanis support the law. We can't say for SURE that the majority of Pakistanis support this law or this law has a "solid support among the masses"

Yes, non of us can say anything for sure, but looking at what goes on the streets, we can guess what could be in people's mind. tell me if the anti blasphemy law guys can gather 1000 people in support of their view?

 

[Xestan]

This forum represents elites of pak, and hence have by and large liberal view about religion. But 40000 crowd is that of masses. It will be difficult for a democratic govt to ignore masses.

It is too early for a democratic govt to repeal the law.

Now that makes sense!

 

[Dance]

Many points expressed here........

Firstly, causing mayhem and violence......... - PA is also being accused of violence and extra-judicial killings, along with support for drones and other attacks which have killed thousands of people in Pakistani territory.........now, look at it from their POV.....an entire family dies in a missile strike, mortar attack, artillery shell fired by the PA because they wanted to kill a so called terrorist driving past their house, like many innocent people get killed........does that person not then have a right to target those who kill or support those who kill...........

Dance Sir........we created a division right through Pakistan when we went into this WoT....we made the choice, now live with it..........I doubt you would be so accomodating if your family lay dead in front of you.........

The door always swings both ways..........the only way to defeat such people is through an academical and intellectual level.........WHY, becuase this is an academical issue, not a military one.......debates need to be held and discussion must be taking place expressing all Quranic and Hadith and openly challenge the Scholars of both sides to hold this debate on television for the masses to see for themselves.........

I wonder if you will call a "mullah" for a Janazah prayer for a family member of yours, or pray behind a Mullah is Salah........don't go with the flow and makie such wordings a slogan for scholars or Imams of other groups...........

Why are you brining in drone attacks? This has nothing to do with that. And a people who go around threatening to kill people if they even think about changing the law are not proper scholars or Imans (proper Maulvis,Imans, etc, would not go around inciting violence but debate peacefully) but violence, uneducated morons which is why they deserve the term Mullah.

 

[Gazzi]

The problem here is the use of this Blasphemy Law.........

It is being misused...........why then does that warrant a repeal of the Act itself........that is nothing but a knee-jerk reaction.....

The UK has Hate crime Laws and it too gets misused where people make allegations of being racially discriminated, or an offence committed with racial aspects due to its seriousness and adding an extra upto two years in prison if convicted...........should this Law too be repealed..........No, it is the job of the Police to investigate such reports and the courts to convict.............

 

[Dance]

Yes, non of us can say anything for sure, but looking at what goes on the streets, we can guess what could be in people's mind. tell me if the anti blasphemy law guys can gather 1000 people in support of their view?

I'm sure they can, there wont be any protests because some psycho might blow him/her self up in that kind of rally. But if there was a safer environment and a guarantee that your life wont be threatened then an anti-blasphemy or one to amend the laws can gather a pretty good support

 

[ares]

Violent(or vocal) minority will always have an upper hand over a silent majority..but here we have a vocal(and at times violent) majority..I am quite convinced no one in Pakistan can change the Blasphemy laws now

 

[Ahmad]

Those protests were even bigger..

I still remember the Long March by Sunni Ittehad council against the TTP.

maybe bigger, but in the above report it says about 6000.

6000 vs 40000.

 

[SMC]

I don't see this law being repealed anytime soon. Too much support at this point, plus we got more important things to worry about. I'd say give it go in 10-15 years when we have WoT over, probably less radicalization, better economic indicators, maybe a better government etc.

 

[Gazzi]

Why are you brining in drone attacks? This has nothing to do with that. And a people who go around threatening to kill people if they even think about changing the law are not proper scholars or Imans (proper Maulvis,Imans, etc, would not go around inciting violence but debate peacefully) but violence, uneducated morons which is why they deserve the term Mullah.

What these scholars have said is that this is not an Act bought forward by Lawmakers but a Shariah ruling........the debate is to prove that it is not a Shariah ruling based on Quran or Hadith but an Act of Parliament made by Lawmakers.........has this been done..........NO....

Actions of one man is not to be used to brush the 40,000 people......otherwise we Muslims would be standing next to every passed and Present Muslim tyrant

 

[Truth Teller]

Even if we were to clear the blashphemy law, the people's opinion can't change. Infact we will see more cases like Saleem Taseer. People will take the law into their own hands.

Why clear the blasphemy law? To impress the western world and other outsiders?