During the recent attacks on Christians in Pakistan, the mob of attackers invoked the Blasphemy Act. What is it about?
The Reuters agency outlined this complicated situation in its August 17 Factbox column. Among others, author-expert Minister of Pakistan Affairs Asif Shahzad stated that “in fact no one in Pakistan has died because of the death penalty for blasphemy … and the attacks on social minorities (especially Christians, sometimes killing people) are not the result of the application of these laws.”
Blasphemy law
Shahzad remembered some important facts. Indeed, the blasphemy law provides for the death penalty for anyone who insults Islam, the Quran and Muhammad. According to the rules, “insulting remarks against the Holy Prophet – whether spoken, written or conveyed by imagination … directly or indirectly – should be punishable by death, life imprisonment or heavy fines.” These provisions are based on 19th century British colonial law, designed to protect praying Muslims and their places of worship. These regulations were further tightened and began to be implemented during the Islamization of the country under the dictatorial rule of General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq (1924-88) in 1986.
On this basis, the courts in Pakistan often pronounce harsh sentences, but so far no one has died. This is because most allegations are dismissed or transferred to higher legal authorities. The problem, however, is the behavior of mobs that arbitrarily enforce the law, even when the verdict in a particular case has not yet been formally pronounced.
The persecution of Christians continues
Only 2% of the population is Christian. of the country’s 241 million inhabitants, have recently become a favorite target. According to the author of ‘Fakty’, they are accused of ‘blasphemous acts’, although in reality it is about very different things, such as personal scores or the looting of property. (…) Muslim fanatics sometimes even drag Christians out of police stations and commit lynchings against them without regard to any regulations.”
The Punjab province in the east of the country has long been the scene of such acts. In February, an angry mob indiscriminately killed a Christian there, and more recently, on August 16, there was a spate of attacks on Christian homes, shops and churches in the town of Jaranwala in the Faisalabad district of the province.
On the other hand, the political right in Pakistan blocks any attempt to change this. The governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer (1941-2011), found out, opposed this legislation and was killed by his own bodyguard for it.
Current Pakistani authorities do not want to repeal the blasphemy law, believing that “it protects anyone accused of blasphemy, and its repeal would lead to more lynching”.
The analysis of the situation shows the shadows, but also the advantages of these facilities. “They are unlikely to change in the foreseeable future, and many of those who invoke them do not follow them at all,” Asif Shahzad concluded.
Source: Do Rzeczy
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
