Repeal Blasphemy Laws Now!
Let’s examine the laws, shall we.
“§ 298-B and § 298-C prohibit the Ahmadiyya from behaving as Muslims behave, calling themselves Muslims, proselytizing, or ‘in any manner whatsoever’ outraging the religious feelings of Muslims. Violation of any part of § 298 makes the violator liable to imprisonment for up to three years and liable also to a fine.”
This refers to a small unorthodox Muslim sect in Pakistan who are highly discriminated against because they believe in an extra prophet. During the floods, for example, many starving Ahmedis were not allowed to get aid. During the terrorist attack on a Sufi shrine this summer committed by hardline Islamists who are against all “devient” forms of Islam, including the Ahmedis, the locals falsely accused the Ahmedis themselves. They are regularly threatened, harassed, and even attacked by hardline Islamic students in universities (a few years ago they were forceably kicked out and had their property confiscated at a university, and the school did nothing to stop it). Hateful propaganda against them is common.
What this law means is that mainstream Muslims can proselytize, which they regularly do, but the Ahmedi cannot. And what, exactly, constitutes the “feelings” that can be “outraged”? Anything that Muslims deem “offensive.” It’s just a poorly written, biased, bigoted law. If a Muslim doesn’t like that another person has different religious beliefs, for example, they can cite this law and say that the accused “hurt my feelings,” leading them to be fined, or even put to death.
There is no law to specifically stop Muslims from outraging the feelings of others, although “§ 295-A forbids outraging religious feelings.” Yet, I’ve heard them say the most vile, untrue, offensive things about Jews, Christians, Hindus, even Buddhists, on a regular basis – on the streets, in the schools, in work places, in the media, in mosques – and yet I know of no case in which Muslims have been punished for this. And if you think blasphemy laws don’t unfairly punish Muslims too, think again!
“On 4 August 2009, a Muslim mob attacked a factory-owner by the name of Najeebullah and others at Sheikhupura in the Punjab. The mob killed Najeebullah and two others, and set fire to the factory. The mob complained that Najeebullah had placed an outdated calendar, which contained verses from the Quran, on a table. For that offense, a worker accused Najeebullah of blasphemy. The workers may have been in a dispute with Najeebullah over wages.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10696762
“In October 2000, Pakistani authorities charged Younas Shaikh, a physician, with blasphemy on account of remarks that students claimed he made during a lecture. The students alleged that, inter alia, Shaikh had said Muhammad’s parents were non-Muslims because they died before Islam existed. A judge ordered that Shaikh pay a fine of 100,000 rupees, and that he be hanged. On 20 November 2003, a court retried the matter and acquitted Shaikh, who fled Pakistan for Europe soon thereafter.” http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/shaikh_free.htm
The former incident is just not absurd on its own merits, but probably stems more from an issue having nothing to do with religion, one that could be simply settled by a workers union. It was “offensive” because the qur’anic calendar was outdated and was placed on a table! That notion of respect borders on idolatry, which Islam is supposed to reject.
I’ve yet to hear a well-thought, compelling argument in support of these laws. I’m done trying to patiently reason with otherwise normal, educated Pakistanis who defend them. It’s time for the liberals in Pakistan to pick up the slack and make their case. If this happens, more will probably die for it. I don’t want that. I want the liberals to be protected and to have a strong voice, so at the very least they can bring about a larger, more mainstream culture of enlightenment that isn’t restricted to an elite, cloistered few.
Yes, major changes in education, both in terms of greater access for the poor, and a major overhaul over what’s taught (and not taught), must happen for this enlightened culture to emerge, but that will take decades, if at all. The change has to start somewhere, and it’s overdue.
