Take away the tool of vengeance from Muslims!
by Sheraz Khurram Khan
April 18, 2007
PAKISTAN (ANS) -- The fresh allegations of blasphemy against some five Christian residents of Toba Tek Singh, a less-privileged district in the Punjab province of Pakistan is a jarring reminder of how the country's blasphemy laws are being abused by unscrupulous Muslims for settling personal scores. Their (blasphemy laws) menacing presence is indeed a cause of concern for the vulnerable segments of the society including members of the religious minorities' communities of Pakistan, who have been paying a hefty price since the introduction of the draconian laws seen as controversial and discriminatory against the religious minorities by the rights groups. It is indeed regrettable that despite the significant damage they have done the scourge of the blasphemy laws continues to victimize people. Ironically most of the blasphemy accused, if not all, could not even imagine committing blasphemy.
In January 2007 a Pakistani Christian woman, Martha Bibi, was accused of blasphemy when she reportedly requested the return of building materials she had lent to a group of Muslims building a mosque. In the month of March one Amanat Masih, a Christian man from a village in district Sheikhupura of the Punjab province of Pakistan was held for alleged blasphemy.
Daniel, an eleven-year-old boy is from among the five Christians accused of blasphemy in a fresh blasphemy case registered during this month. Like others the fate of the Christian teenager hangs in the balance. Even if declared innocent the 'blasphemer stigma' will make life even difficult for the poor young man.
The list of the blasphemy accused is likely to swell as it has over the years, if the pernicious laws are not repealed. The radical religious fanatics of course would not like the controversial laws to be scrapped. Their 'dexterity' in exploiting peoples' religious sensibilities with the help of the potent tool of vengeance-the Blasphemy Laws--------has been "remarkable". They are quick to ring out provocative speeches and shouts from the loudspeakers of mosques exhorting their followers to attack Churches in the wake of levelling of blasphemy accusations against some Christian.
The SanglaHill tragedy is a case in point. The existence of the blasphemy laws affords them an opportunity to incite their followers' sentiments in the name of the religion. Sadly, presence of the blasphemy laws means continued marginalization and oppression of the members of the religious minorities' communities.
Accusations of theft, dacoity, rape, swindling or arson may not send the accused as swiftly to a prison as the allegations of blasphemy can in Pakistan. Even the Police who have acquired the notoriety for apathy, corruption and arriving late on the scene of crime arrest the blasphemy accused promptly.
It is argued that the accused is taken in police custody for his safety. The arrest of the 'blasphemer' helps pacify the complainant and often a large army of local supporters. It (the arrest of the accused) also marks the initiation of hardships for the accused and his family. If past is any guide the lower courts convicted and sentenced the blasphemy accused, leaving the complainants, clerics and the supporters euphoric. Conversely, the accused continued to rot in the jail and in many cases it took several years before the accused were acquitted by the High Court. The High Court's verdict of acquittal of course can't undo harm already done to the accused. Ranjha Masih, a Christian man accused of blasphemy was acquitted by the High Court in November, 2006 after some eight years and seven months incarceration. Blasphemy stigma can always provoke a Muslim fanatic to take life of a man who has been acquitted by the court.
There are three worth-mentioning points vis-à-vis blasphemy accusations. One, given his relatively fragile socio-economic standing in the society how come a Christian or a member of some other religious minority community can dare committing blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad or desecrate the Quran, the Muslim holy book, let alone doing that publicly. It is an open secret that the members of the religious minorities are already confronting a plethora of problems on social, economic and political fronts. Why would they like to invite trouble for themselves and for those associated with them by offending their dominant countrymen especially the fiery Muslim clerics who do not let go any chance of preaching hate against people of other faiths? Where would a marginalized non-Muslim Pakistani citizen bring this audacity to commit blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad?
The likelihood of his committing blasphemy in a predominantly Muslim country is next to impossible. Isn't it strange that a sanitary worker who does not even have the gall to raise his voice against delayed payment of his salary or a Christian tenant of an influential Muslim landlord who has only learnt submission all his life or a Christian woman servant who ekes out her humble income by doing house chores would commit blasphemy? Strangely enough, they may commit 'blasphemy' but they do not have nerves to fight for their inalienable rights.
The abuse of the law has become so widespread that even the insane took the hammering of the controversial law. Islam places a high premium on Huqooq-al-Ibad (the rights of people). One wonders why the Muslim complainants lodged fake blasphemy cases against Sohail Masih, an insane man from Rawalpindi, Shahbaz Masih alias Kaka and Naseem Bibi of unsound mind from district Kasur of Punjab province of Pakistan. Ostensibly, the Muslim complainants in each of these cases did not even seem to have an iota of compunction in making life even difficult for those who already had daunting odds stacked against them on health front.
Two, why is it that the "blasphemers" pattern of committing blasphemy is uniform. If non-Muslims commit blasphemy quite often in Pakistan then why is it that the fashion in which they are said to have allegedly committed blasphemy is same? Do the worn-out accusations in every blasphemy case's First Information Report not reinforce the widespread notion that most of the blasphemy cases are contrived merely to penalise the victim by invoking the draconian laws? Following leveling of the blasphemy charges life for the victim and his family takes a turn for worse.
Three, Pakistani non-Muslims are non-violent. Even amid worst of pandemonium ever created by the Muslim mobs at the behest of their firebrand Muslim clerics Pakistani religious minorities' communities including Christians have kept their tempers cool. One argues if Pakistani Christians did not commit blasphemy during anti-cartoon or anti-Pope protests why would they resort to committing blasphemy in the absence of any provocation by Muslims. Many a times they let peace reign rather than opting for a tit-for-tat move when their religious sentiments are hurt either in the wake of attacks on churches or a terrorist attack on a missionary school or by the painting of cross on Pakistani roads.
When some alleged injustice is done with Muslims in the western world, angry Muslim mobs spearheaded by the radical Muslim leaders commit blasphemy of horrendous magnitude by setting churches to fire, desecrating altar and torching religious books placed in the Church that becomes victim of the Muslim fury.
At the height of caricature issue of the Prophet Muhammad last year, the Danish flag bearing a cross, was painted on Pakistani roads. It was run over by motorists and pedestrians alike. If contrasted against registration of the baseless blasphemy cases this horrible desecration of cross was committed in a broad day light and this continued to happen for a couple of months. Why this despicable incident did not draw any condemnation from among those Muslim politicians and religious leaders who claim to be moderate? True, people were enraged since their sentiments had been hurt by the controversial drawings but they could have registered their protest in other ways too.
It was obvious enough that the anger was being let out against Denmark or against other western countries the protesters and their instigators must have given it a thought that the cross is a universal symbol of Christianity and the Christians across the globe highly venerate it. It is about time the conservative and myopic Muslim religious leaders preached love, peace, harmony and tolerance rather than advocating hate in their sermons and speeches.
© 2007 ASSIST News Service, used with permission.
