Crime in the name of Blasphemy

Taliban and Al-Qaeda and their religious sympathizers in the Muslim world use the concept of “Giving Takfir”, that is proclaiming another person as non-Moslem, if they do not follow their brand of Theocratic Islam, thus beyond the protection of God and punishable by death.

This proclamation is similar to being excommunicated from one’s church, which thankfully does not carry the death sentence.

Using the Quran as God’ last message on earth and completely ignoring the principles of Islam of submission to God’s will as creator and sustainer of all humanity and thus responsible for what others may believe in; these self-appointed representatives of God on earth for the protection of the Quran and Prophet Mohammad are playing havoc with minority populations.

Blasphemy law comes in very handy for a religious majority obsessed with imposing their brand of Islam on an unprotected minority.

The law of blasphemy finds its roots in the Ten commandments, If we see Exodus, Chapter 20 Verse 7, The Holy Bible, (Revised Standard Version, Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd, London 1952) namely that: “you shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain” This, like other Christian doctrines, became enshrined into the law. In the past the new connection between the Church and the State was an important one. Religious dissent and political subversion were closely linked: unity in religion meant strength in the State. Thus, to reproach Christianity was to speak in subversion of the law. This link was borne out in the blasphemy law.
Islam has given the message in the clear terms too. ” No, doubt those people who torture God and His prophet (PBUH), there is a curse on them, not only in this world but in the next world as well, and God has ordered the worst punishment for them” (Sura ul Ehzab (AL Quran).

The overriding message in the two faiths above is that we should leave it to God to punish those who commit Blasphemy. We should not become God’s self-appointed agents on earth to punish those who commit Blasphemy.

In today’s world of internet, immediate communication, freedom of speech and expression in most of the democratic world, Blasphemy laws are, out of step and indeed ridiculous. Anyone with a computer can delete the holy Quran at will. We must ask the question what law has that person broken? Who is going to punish him?

To prevent racial tension between Muslims and Hindus S295–(a) was added to the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1927 and added to the Indian Penal Code. Since then S295 –(a) apart from minor changes was added to the Pakistan Constitution of 1956.

In 1974 under pressure from the cunning religious establishment, and in full violation of freedom of religion rights, Zulifiqar Ali Bhutto’s government foolishly declared the Ahmadis as non-muslims and in the process emboldened the relgious groups. A 1974 constitutional amendment declares that Ahmadis are non-Muslims.

In December 1984, to have himself re-elected for another five year term as President of Pakistan, General Zia held a referendum with a trick question asking the people of Pakistan if they were happy with the changes he was making in line with the laws and practices of the holy prophet and whether they wanted Pakistan to be governed in accordance with Sharia laws as stated in the Quran. Of course any Muslim answering the question is only thinking about Sharia as a guide for rules that create a just and fair society and would probably answer, yes!

No one had imagined that by answering this question in the affirmative they were signing on to a Saudi-style Wahabbi Islam involving whipping, executions and complete violation of all women rights.

The Hadood ordinance was promulgated after this referendum and Pakistan was now on a fast track to destroying and burying its shared history & culture of thousands of years with our Hindu neighbors and the effects on our way of life of over three hundred years of British Raj, by embracing the Saudi Wahabbi brand of 1400 year old Islam as practiced today in oil rich Saudi Arabia

In 1984Section 298(c) of the Hadood ordinance, commonly referred to as the “anti-Ahmadi laws,” prohibits Ahmadis from calling themselves Muslims, referring to their religious beliefs as Islam, preaching or propagating their religious beliefs, inviting others to accept Ahmadi teachings, or insulting the religious feelings of Muslims. The punishment for violation of the Section is imprisonment for up to three years and a fine.

Section 295-(c) further states that “ Whoever with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class of citizens by words, either spoken or written or by visible representations insults the religion or the religious beliefs of that class, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may exceed two years, or a fine or with both.

The same law was amended by the Military dictatorship in 1986 when more offences were added and punishment for Blasphemy was increased to death and life sentence to agree with punishment in Saudi Arabia. The consequences for contravening the country’s blasphemy laws are death for defiling Islam or its prophets; life imprisonment for defiling, damaging, or desecrating the Quran; and 10 years’ imprisonment for insulting another’s religious feelings; this law was included as S295- (a), under the Hadood ordinance that also includes other laws for rape and adultery that clearly violate human rights.

Punishment for Hadood offences is already available in comparable laws in Pakistan’s penal code a legacy of British rule in on India. Hadood ordinance’s main purpose was to incorporate Saudi Arabia’s Sharia law into the legal system of Pakistan by establishing a Shariat court in parallel with the regular courts.

The blasphemy laws have in effect become legal tools allowing the majority religion to persecute minorities or the weak by falsely implicating them under charges of having defamed the Quran or the Holy Prophet.

Some individuals bring charges under these laws to settle personal scores or to intimidate vulnerable Muslims, sectarian opponents, and religious minorities

Miscreants and crooks in Pakistan have used these laws to attack and dispossess minorities of their property by framing them in Blasphemy cases, involving them in court proceedings they cannot afford and in the process destroying their families.

Christians as missionaries and educators have been living in the Indo-Pak subcontinent for centuries. The English speaking elite in both India and Pakistan was educated at schools established by Christian missionaries. Christians born in Pakistan are sons of the soil and must have the same and equal rights as fellow Pakistanis. Unfortunately, the Hadood ordinance denies this.

Many Christians in Pakistan have found themselves falsely accused by Muslim clerics for writing Blasphemous words on the wall of a Mosque or for burning pages from the Quran. The police using blasphemy laws unfairly charge the accused. In some cases a mad mullah will incite a crowd to physically attack the victim that in some cases has lead to the victims death.

A Blasphemy trial must be presided over by a Muslim judge in a session’s court. In practice, judges overcome by religious zeal to inflict punishment on the accused sometimes relax evidentiary requirements for witnesses.

Despite calls for the repeal of these laws from minority groups as well as human rights organisations, recent debates on the blasphemy laws in Pakistan are being directed toward the revision rather than repeal of existing legislation. Political parties more interested in votes than human rights are unwilling to yield to the Islamic establishment of Mullahs and Madrassas that openly support the Taliban and extremists. Mullahs earn their credentials as devoted believers by labeling people born to other religions as infidels who must be subdued and converted.

I

In 2009, the extremists played havoc with the peaceful Christian majority village of Gojra. I reproduce for you parts of the report by the “Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

Burning of Christian Homes in Gojra, Toba Tek Singh Pakistan, July 31, 2009-

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan found that the incident of Gojra July 31, 2009 between religious communities was engineered by Sipah-e-Sahabah-a right wing Sunni outfit. I reproduce part of thier report:

“Last week’s attacks on the Christian community in Gojra were not a spontaneous reaction to allegations of blasphemy but planned in advance, a fact-finding mission of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said on Tuesday. The mission’s report said announcements made from mosques in Gojra on July 31, 2009 urged Muslims to gather and “make mincemeat of the Christians” over allegation of desecration of the Holy Quran a week earlier. Witnesses told HRCP that when they informed the police about the announcements, the police officials also confirmed hearing the announcements.

On August 1, around 1,000 people gathered in the area and marched towards Christian Colony the HRCP said, adding that a police contingent present in the neighborhood did not try to stop the mob, which included a number of masked men.

Witnesses said the attackers appeared trained for rioting and arson, the commission reported.

The protesters carried inflammable substances and torched more than 40 houses of Christian families in less than half an hour, with many houses looted before being set on fire.

They claimed that a number of attackers belonged to the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba and other extremist organizations. The regional police officer told HRCP that many of the attackers had come from outside the district, possibly Jhang.

It said the local administration’s inaction was intriguing, adding that the tragic incidents were a “comprehensive failure” by the government to protect minorities.

Amid the assaults, the commission also noted that some Muslims in the neighborhood provided shelter to Christian women fleeing the violence.”

Lawyers defending Blasphemy victims generally we do not request bail because of security. Blasphemy suspects are often safest in prison under police protection.

My argument against Blasphemy laws:

We all believe that God is all-powerful and mighty. I do not think he needs the help of self-appointed protectors of the holy Quran to prevent Blasphemy. Who gave the Mullahs or the Sipah -e-Sihabah the mandate or authority to punish an alleged desecration of the Quran?

Even if the desecration is accidental or intentional we should leave it to God to punish the person doing the mischief. Jews & Christians are aware that Quran confirms old and the New Testament with stories about Moses & a whole chapter on Jesus Christ. So it is highly unlikely that any responsible/educated Christian would burn the Quran.

What if the person burning the Quran is an atheist? How do you punish him? The police should arrest this man for sedition but not Blasphemy, as he is a non-believer

I think true desecration of the Quran takes place when these animals burn the homes of innocent civilians. These crooks want to loot the property of innocent citizens and have found a perfect excuse under the Blasphemy law of the Hadood ordinance.

Blasphemy laws in the year 2009 are laughable laws. We live in an age where anyone can easily delete passages from the Quran in a word document. Who is going to punish them?

Muslims countries generally lack freedoms the democratic world takes for granted. In the United States the First amendment guarantees freedom of speech while the Fifth Amendment allows one to not testify and remain silent.

People are not used to freedom of speech as they live in societies ruled by dictators and kings. Clerics to remain relevant and gain prominence will attack minorities by setting them up in incidents involving burning of the Quran using false witnesses.

They will then give sermons to mostly illiterate congregations demanding the killing of those that desecrate the Quran or abuse the holy prophet. We are all sensitive about our beliefs, but we do not have to go mad and become so excited over incidents, which while deserving severe condemnation certainly do not warrant loss of life.

Many innocent Muslims lost their lives over the caricature incident in the Netherlands.

The late Khomeni of Iran made Sulman Rushdie a hero by issuing a Fatwa (order to Kill) against him. Sulman Rushdie, a hitherto unknown author in the Muslim world became a hero of “freedom of speech” overnight. The Queen subsequently knighted him for his courage.

We must remember that his knighthood is also by God’s will. I think since our God is also the God of those that create mischief we should leave it to God to sort them out.

Does the burning of the Quran extinguish God’s message? The answer is NO.

Who does the burning of the Quran upset more, God, or the fascist cleric? I think God because it was his message that has been burnt. We should therefore leave punishment of Quran burnings to God. It is insane to sentence someone to life-imprisonment for burning the holy Quran.

Why are these same clerics not upset when bombs set off by madmen trained by them destroy mosques where surely many Qurans are burnt?

Miscreants use Blasphemy laws to target Christian and minorities who are also God’s people and are Christian & living in Pakistan because of God’s will.

Why are these same clerics not upset when Taliban burn girl schools? What about all the poor civilians and policemen killed by religious extremists who share their ideology and were taught in their Madrassas?

Taliban are trained in the Madrassas of Pakistan and graduate as Mullahs. Every Taliban uses the title of Maulvi (Mullah) before his name. Why are these clerics not trying to stop their pupils from committing violence?

Jamat –e-Islami and religious parties use incidents relating to desecration of the Quran, and other incidents perpetrated by bigots as an excuse to justify their relevance. Unable to win a majority vote in any normal election cycle, these parties play the role of vultures feeding on democratic institutions whenever a General makes a kill by overturning a democratically elected government. This fact is confirmed by history.

Pakistan’s leader of the opposition during Musharaf rule was none other than Maulana Fazlulrahaman, Mullah Diesel —he is the Diesel Czar in Pakistan.

It is time the government of Pakistan inspect each Madrasa & relgious organization and arrest these armed thugs living there rent-free disguised as clerics & students.

Pakistan government should undertake an education program using TV if necessary to educate those that have only read/memorized the Quran in Arabic without understanding the meaning that Islam does not allow a Muslim to violate the rights of people belonging to other religions and that there is no compulsion in religion. They are all God’s people and Muslims are not the chosen people, but one of God’s many people. The Quran’s message is intended for those born as Muslims by God’s will and those born to other religions are entitled to practice those religions by God’s will. As Islam is religion of submission, Muslims must submit to God’s will and accept his decisions, when it comes to what religion one is born in.

We have already seen what the Taliban have done in the name of Sharia and Hadood. This brand of Islam imported from Saudi Arabia and adopted by the Throat-cutting Taliban is out of step with the people of Pakistan.

Pakistanis are not Arabs, they have a culture that is thousands of years old and is shared with Pakistan’s twin at birth India.

Hadood ordinance was imposed on the people of Pakistan by a military dictatorship, under cover of the Afghan war. Pakistan’s Islamization was funded and supported by the newly oil rich Saudi Arabia with the blessings of the United States. Madrassas were established using Saudi money to churn out Mujahideen fighters infused with Saudi brand of Wahabbi Islam ready to die in the cause of fighting the Russian infidel (communist, non believer). ’

Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah a progressive and modern man who had clearly opposed a theocratic Pakistan as confirmed by his speech to the Constituent Assembly must be turning in his grave. If the Qaid were alive today he would have been whipped by these Mullahs for having an occasional drink, and also his sister Fatimah Jinnah for going out alone without a Hijab.

Pakistan’s political parties, especially the ruling Party with a majority in the house should earn its colors by passing legislation in parliament to repeal the Hadood ordinance and use its majority to get it through. Political parties that support this ordinance, are by default supporting the Taliban and Al-Qaeda and must be identified and forced to explain their position.

Pakistan’s independent judiciary must show courage in the face of religious extremists and earn a place in Pakistan’s history by examining and advising the parliament to completely repeal the Hadood ordinance and Blasphemy laws under S 295-A in its entirety that clearly discriminates against minorities & women and violates divine human rights given to all human beings by God.

All Pakistanis must ask a question? What has Islamization forced upon the people of Pakistan given to the people of Pakistan? Has it transformed Pakistan into a model state of Pious people where there is accountability and prosperity for all? THE ANSWER IS A SAD NO.

Pakistan has been transformed from country that was simply called Pakistan, with the potential to become today’s Korea or India to a country divided by cast and creed, ruled by usurpers of every color and the headquarter of Al-Qaeda and the throat-slitting Taliban. What a shame?

My country of birth cries out for the repeal of Hadood ordinance. We must repeal this ordinance and commit it to the dustbin of follies.

We must do this otherwise every few years we will see a new resurgence of Taliban /Lal Masjid types trying to seize power in the name of Sharia/Hadood, with the promise of setting up a caliphate with someone like Mullah Sufi or Omar at the helm ordering Whipping, and amputations of head, feet & hands.