The author of this JURIST dispatch from Pakistan has requested that their identify be withheld attributable to circumstances throughout the nation.
On Thursday final week, a blasphemy suspect was shot useless whereas in police custody in Quetta, a southwestern metropolis in Pakistan, after a policeman opened fireplace on him contained in the police station the place he was being held. The day earlier than, the suspect had been arrested following a criticism from native non secular leaders and others, accusing him of creating derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) throughout a reside dialog on social media. An FIR (First Data Report) was filed in opposition to him beneath Part 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, charging him with blasphemy. Following the arrest, violent protests broke out, with an enraged mob demanding the suspect be handed over to them. Protesters even attacked the police station with a grenade. Ultimately, after negotiations involving district administration officers and senior cops, the protesters have been dispersed, and blocked roads have been reopened. Nevertheless, regardless of efforts to take care of order, a police officer, claiming to behave in protection of spiritual honor, shot and killed the suspect whereas he was nonetheless in custody.
This tragic occasion, whereas surprising, shouldn’t be unprecedented in Pakistan. Related incidents have occurred over time. A examine by the Centre for Analysis and Safety Research (CRSS) highlights the rising variety of blasphemy accusations and the disturbing penalties that observe. Since Pakistan’s creation in 1947 up till 2021, round 89 individuals have been killed extra-judicially in reference to roughly 1,500 blasphemy accusations. The escalation is alarming: between 1948 and 1978, there have been solely 11 reported circumstances of blasphemy accusations, main to 3 extrajudicial killings. Nevertheless, from 1987 to 2021, these numbers surged, with accusations growing by 1,300 p.c.
Worldwide organizations just like the United Nations have voiced considerations about Pakistan’s blasphemy legal guidelines, blaming them for the present state of affairs. The 2024 Annual Report by the UN Fee on Worldwide Non secular Freedom strongly criticized Pakistan’s blasphemy legal guidelines and referred to as for the instant launch of “blasphemy prisoners” in addition to the “repeal of blasphemy and anti-Ahmadiyya legal guidelines.” The argument is that these legal guidelines permit for false accusations, placing harmless individuals in danger.
Whereas there may be fact on this criticism, it doesn’t paint the total image. The true drawback lies not solely within the existence of those legal guidelines, however within the socio-religious components that drive individuals to take issues into their very own palms. Most victims of blasphemy accusations are harmed not due to the legal guidelines, however regardless of them. Even with out these legal guidelines, people accused of blasphemy would nonetheless face violence or loss of life by the hands of mobs. The truth is, with out these legal guidelines, many accused is likely to be at even better danger, because the authorized system, nevertheless flawed, gives some safety from instant hurt.
The basis explanation for the difficulty is much less about authorized frameworks and extra about socio-religious indoctrination. This stems from a fanatic narrative that some non secular leaders have deeply ingrained into society—that any type of blasphemy is the best menace to the faith, and it’s the responsibility of each believer to hunt revenge. Whereas there’s a consensus amongst Islamic jurists that it’s the state’s accountability to resolve guilt and innocence by means of honest trials, that is typically undermined by non secular leaders. These leaders use incendiary rhetoric, inciting their followers to take issues into their very own palms. Usually, political motives are intertwined with non secular fervor, with leaders utilizing this rhetoric to achieve public favor. A current instance is when a high chief of a distinguished non secular occasion incited hatred in opposition to Chief Justice of Pakistan Faez Isa, who was dealing with a blasphemy case, providing a bounty of Rs. 10 million to anybody who would “carry the pinnacle” of the Chief Justice. Peculiar individuals are typically pushed to commit violent acts due to the excessive honor and reward related to such actions. Historical past provides quite a few examples: Mumtaz Qadri, who assassinated Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer in 2011 for advocating reform of blasphemy legal guidelines, was hailed as a hero and earned the title of Ghazi (Islamic warrior). Equally, in 2020, a youngster named Khalid shot and killed a blasphemy suspect in a courtroom throughout a listening to and was totally supported and praised. These people are glorified for his or her supposed “faithfulness” regardless of their crimes.
This deeply ingrained mindset doesn’t stem from the blasphemy legal guidelines themselves however from socio-religious indoctrination. Many people who commit these acts might not even pay attention to the particular authorized framework surrounding blasphemy accusations. As an alternative, they’re pushed by the idea that their actions will elevate their standing within the eyes of their neighborhood and faith.
Merely altering or repealing blasphemy legal guidelines is not going to resolve the difficulty. The true problem is to deal with the deep-seated non secular fanaticism that has no reference to the true teachings of Islam. A lot groundwork is required inside society to assist individuals unlearn distorted non secular beliefs and acknowledge that Islam, at its core, doesn’t condone violence or the killing of individuals in its identify. It have to be taught that harming or killing others is simply as blasphemous as utilizing derogatory language in opposition to Islam—each are violations of Islamic teachings. Solely by means of this shift in mindset can lasting change be achieved.
Source / Picture: jurist.org
