In the Name of Religion_the Blasphemy Laws of Pakistan http://www.newslinemagazine.com/2011/02/in-the-name-of-religion/Statistics are enough to make one shudder, but case studies reveal the even more ugly side of the picture.
Those who claim to be the defenders of the dignity of the Prophet (PBUH) and the sanctity of the Quran are the biggest offenders of the crime they accuse others of, unashamedly spewing lies and hatred in the name of the Prophet (PBUH) and religion. A look at the numerous – in fact too many – cases of blasphemy and of defiling the Quran reveals the dynamics at work and the ulterior motives behind the framing of such cases.
A resident of Mansehra, Nasreen had been turned out of her husband’s home by his second wife, and with no place to go, she made her way to the shrine of Data Ganj Baksh in Lahore. But something worse than homelessness awaited her. Nasreen Bibi was booked under 295-B by police officer ASI Bashir Ahmed, who accused her of burning portions of the Holy Quran. What had actually happened was revealed much later through advocate Pervez Aslam Chaudhry of the Legal Aid Centre for the Destitute who had taken up her case. When he met Nasreen in jail, she told him how the police officers had abducted her from outside the shrine, tortured and gang raped her when she had refused their advances, and to prevent her from lodging a complaint against them, falsely accused her of desecrating the Quran.
Another woman, who turned down the advances of her neighbour, had to pay the penalty like Nasreen. Naseem Bibi, along with her two sons, was booked under 295-B and all three were put behind bars.
Akhtar Hameed’s is one such case. Remembered as the visionary behind the Orangi Pilot Project, Hameed was framed by an ex-employee whom he had fired and sued for misappropriation. In 1989, Mubin Afzal (who had links with the Jamaat-e-Islami) retaliated to his sacking by accusing Hameed of blasphemy, presenting Hameed’s interview in Takbeer (a Jamaat-run paper), as evidence. Numerous court cases and death fatwas followed, as well as an arrest without a warrant by a captain of the Pakistan Army. A year later, Maulana Ehteshamul Haq Thanvi also filed a case against Hameed for a poem he had written, claiming Hameed had insulted the Prophet (PBUH) and Hazrat Ali.
Niamat Ahmar, a Christian and the headmaster of a school in a district of Faisalabad, was accused by a fellow worker who wanted to move into Ahmar’s position. Ahmar became the victim of not only a false case, but also a brutal murder. In broad daylight, he was stabbed to death in the presence of many witnesses. The killer, who butchered Ahmar’s body to pieces, instantly became a hero for killing a “Christian blasphemer.”
Sometimes, verbal accusations serve as enough ground for murder. No FIR was lodged against 22-year-old Jagdesh Kumar, who hailed from Mirpurkhas but was working in a leather garments factory in Karachi. Instead, co-workers played judge, jury and executioner and beat the young man to death over an alleged case of blasphemy.
In 2002, Zahid Shah from Chak Jhumra was stoned to death. The charge levelled against Shah dates back to 1994, when he was booked under 295-B, on the basis of an FIR lodged against him by the village imam, who accused him of blaspheming against the Prophet (PBUH). Granted bail in 1997, he left his village and moved elsewhere. On his return to his former abode for a visit, he got into an argument with a few locals who reported the matter to the same imam who had filed the FIR against Shah. The imam responded by telling people to kill him. Four hours later, when the police arrived, Shah was already dead from the stoning
In 2007, what began as a minor quarrel between children in the Bakhshi Park neighbourhood of Toba Tek Singh district, developed into a full-scale fight between the parents which was mediated by the elders of the neighbourhood but eventually assumed the shape of a blasphemy case. Without any investigations, one boy’s uncle, Abdul Ghaffar, with the assistance of police officials managed to slap charges against Salamat Masih and four other members of the Christian community under 295-A and 295-C.
And it didn’t end there. Abdul Ghaffar proceeded to instigate a crowd at a seminary by telling them that Christians had desecrated the Quran and trampled on the Prophet (PBUH)’s name with shoes. Upon hearing this, a mob of 80 attacked a Christian colony near Bakhshi Park. Several residents were injured and some homes were burnt down too.
Well when I read those real life stories.. I really don't care if some one burns some silly religious book and These religious bums must be desensitized in every way possible..
Topic: Save Asia Bibi. The Rampant Terrorization of Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan