Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan: A Legacy of Tragedy and Controversy
Pakistan must strive towards a system that upholds the fundamental rights and dignity of all individuals, regardless of their beliefs or backgrounds.
A magazine on religious liberty and human rights
Pakistan must strive towards a system that upholds the fundamental rights and dignity of all individuals, regardless of their beliefs or backgrounds.
A 40-year-old Muslim woman from Punjab shares the same name but is not a relative of the famous Christian from Sheikhupura District. Both are victims of the blasphemy laws.
A mob misunderstood the word “sweetness” for a Quranic quote. The Muslim woman was saved by a Christian shopkeeper and the police but was compelled to apologize.
A judge ruled that charges of Quran-burning were fabricated but she lost her job and has to live in hiding.
Anti-blasphemy statutes are being amended to make them even more dangerous for religious minorities, says the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
It also reports eleven “Internet blasphemers” have been sentenced to death, and two of the sentences have already been confirmed on appeal.
A comparatively rare enforcement of Article 298-A of the Criminal Code shows that a private “Internet police” looks for blasphemy everywhere.
International institutions asked Pakistan to repeal the blasphemy laws. But the government now plans more anti-blasphemy repression rather than less.
After a court sentenced an illiterate Hindu youth to ten years in jail, a mob tried to lynch another man for allegedly offending Prophet Muhammad.
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