THIS PAGE INCLUDES THE WRITINGS AND JOURNALISM OF A CHRISTIAN PAKISTANI, XAVIER PATRAS WILLIAM, WHO HAS GRANTED PERMISSION TO PUBLISH HIS WORK. HE IS BASED IN PAKISTAN NOW AND PROVIDES SUCH INSIGHT TO THE REALITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
| A Female student expelled on Blasphemy Allegations in Lahore Rabia Saleem a female Ahmadi student of the final year has been expelled from CIIT (COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Lahore on allegations of Blasphemy. According to sources Rabia Saleem was accused of Blasphemy by the student wing of the a banned organization TKN (Tahaffuz-e-Khatam-e-Nabuwwat) her removing the poster and created a scene and exploited the situation accusing her of committing blasphemy by dishonoring the verses of the Quran. According to Nasreen Ghulam a CIIT student, the banner displayed at the hostel door had material against the Ahmadis, but didnt have any quranic verses, she was falsely accused for her faith. Rasheed Ahmed Khan, the Registrar of the institute denied any connection of the removal with the student’s faith. “Rabia Saleem has been expelled for violating the discipline of the Institution and not complying with the rules and regulation.” He refused to provide a copy of the notice that was served to the student. A faculty member on the condition of Anonymity said," It was a petty matter, could have been resolved by the warden and the administration, but the warden along with the security guard and CIIT administration exploited the situation against the Ahmadi student, the administration has a very discriminating attitude towards the religious minorities and never leaves a chance to take action against them. In the past several similar incidents took place, but the administration allowed the Tahaffuz-e-Khatam-e-Nabuwwat to continue their propaganda against the Ahmadis, the administration allows the TKN to act, because of the support from the administration they have become strong. The religious organizations should be barred from all the educational institutes, they are harboring terrorists by allowing such organizations to act freely and do whatever they like." The TKN has been displaying banners against the Ahmadis, the administration has expelled the student with TKN`s support and allowed them to display banners containing hatred against the religious minorities and protest against the Ahmadis. They announced that they will not allow any Ahmadi student to live in the campus and will even kill if any of them resists. TKN has also started campaigns against the Ahmadis on various social networks as well. The CIIT administration is allowing such extremist activities to continue in the campus, the concerned authorities and the ministry of education is silently observing the situation allowing the propaganda against the Ahmadi Students. The Ahmadis have been living in continuous fear, earlier this year an Ahmadi Seminary was attacked in Lahore, hundreds of innocent people were killed. In past several years the persecution against the Ahmadis has been on the rise. In September an 8th grader was expelled for a spelling mistake in the Urdu exam in Abbotabad. Her mother was also transferred from Abbotabad. Humanitarian Organizations Masihi Foundation and Life for All Pakistan have also condemned the incident and issued a joint statement," We strongly condemn the incident, the administration of the institution must be condemned for supporting a religious organization and allowing them to act against the code of conduct. The Institution`s spokesperson said that the Ahmadi student was expelled for violating discipline, displaying banners against the religious minorities is not a violation of the discipline? Openly announcing a religious minority liable to be killed is allowed in an educational institution, is this not violation of the regulations and humanity? Where are we headed? Why was a banner against a religious minority allowed to be displayed at the hostel door? Many students suffer discrimination in the educational institutions, but no one addresses the matter. I fail to understand the role of the education Ministry, if they dont do anything for the education, then what is the need of having such an department, it is merely a burden on the nation, simply abolish such ministries which are not performing their designated duties. The state is allowing the religious hatred to grow and is not taking notice of the growing persecution. The extremist mind set is growing and taking over, if this continues Pakistan will lose all the sane people alive. Ensuring the safety of the minorities is the state`s responsibility, Quaid-e-Azam the founder of Pakistan said every citizen has the right to practice his / her religion freely, anyone`s religion is their personal mater and not the matter of the state. Is today`s Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam`s Pakistan? The Director COMSATS must have immediately resigned on such a shameful incident. This is the reason religious and state affairs should be kept separate. The concerned authorities must intervene and take the necessary action. The growing extremism in the educational institutions must be checked, no one should be allowed to speak or do anything against any religion. Tolerance and Harmony must be promoted, the religious leaders must play a positive role and condemn such incidents, so that in future students like Rabia Saleem dont suffer. The Only Pakistani who won the Noble peace prize Abdul Salam was never given the place he deserved only because he was an Ahamdi. It is about time the government takes steps to end the religious extremism before it consumes the nation like a plague." XAVIER PATRAS WILLIAM |
A Pregnant maid tortured
Salma Emmanuel 30, a Christian maid was tortured on Sunday and admitted at the hospital in a critical condition.
According to Emmanuel Masih her husband, Salma Emmanuel is from Mohallah Raja Sultan Rawalpindi and got married to Emmanuel Masih over a year ago and moved to Kunj Jadeed Mohalla, Abbotabad. She was working as a maid at Ghazal Riaz`s house at the post office building, Abbotabad.
Salma Emmanuel was five months pregnant, on Thursday she bought gold ornaments around 100 grams for her brother`s wedding in Rawalpindi. For the security reasons she requested Ghazal Riaz to keep her gold ornaments with her, she will take it when she goes to Rawalpindi.
Salma Emmanuel said, "On Saturday around 1am Ghazal Riaz called and said that there has been a robbery and took around 900,000 Rupees (10,645 $ US Dollars) and approx 300 grams gold ornaments including Salma Riaz`s gold ornaments." She asked us to come to the house immediately. We went to Riaz`s place. The police was already there with the sniffer dogs. Although Emmanuel Masih went to Riaz`s house for the first time, the dogs repeatedly went towards him. Riaz`s brother Jawad a serving Colonel was also there. He was pressuring the police and threatened us of dire consequences. The police
arrested my husband on Col. Jawad`s pressure and took him to the police station."
On Sunday afternoon the police went to Kunj Jadeed and took Salma Emmanuel to the City Police Station without arrest warrants. Inspector Nazia and two female subordinates dragged Salma Emmanuel, severely tortured her continuously for three hours, forcing her to confess her involvement in the robbery.
" I was in severe pain, I kept saying that I and my husband are innocent, but they kept kicking me. They kept threatening me that they will kill me and my child if I will not confess. The female officers kept saying that Riaz and her brother are very influential, they will have us killed and no one will even come to know about it. They severely tortured me, when I was almost unconscious they called a male officer and sent me home." said Salma Emmanuel in tears and pain.
When she reached home, her condition became worse the family immediately took her to the Benazir Shaheed Hospital. The MO ( Medical Officer) confirmed that Salma Emmanuel was tortured and her foetus was in extreme danger, she wouldn`t be able to make it.
The Police officials have denied the allegations of illegal detention and torture by the
police.
Masihi Foundation a Human Rights Organization and Life for All Pakistan a Humanitarian organization issued a joint statement, "This is not a first incident where a maid has been illegally detained and tortured. On January 23, 2010, an innocent 12-year old child Shazia was reported to have been tortured to death. She had been employed as a maid in Advocate Naeem’s house in Lahore. On 15th April 2010 Sumera Pervaiz, 14 years old Christian maid working at Wing Commander Faheem Cheema house in Pakistan Air Force Islamabad base colony was illegally detained and tortured. Unfortunately the authorities didnt take any action because the people involved were influential and were able to pressurize the legal system. These people have made the society hostage and feel that they can do anything they want. "
It further said, " It is indeed a sad incident, the wife is in the hospital in a critical condition and the husband is at an un-disclosed location. Once again the influentials in the society have used their influence against the weak and over powered the law... the concerned authorities have put a deaf ear to it and are the silent observers of the massive abuse of the human rights. They have nearly taken an innocent life which was yet to come to the world. The Christian domestic workers are rapped, kidnapped, tortured and killed, yet the authorities claim that the minorities are given equal rights."
"Joy of Giving Week"
31st October - 6th November
Mission: Bring back the spirit of Giving in our lives.
The basic idea:
The Joy of Giving Week is a new national movement that aims to engage every single individual in giving back to society in a way that she or he chooses-money, time, skills or resources.
We are not celebrating in a particular Place... it will be across the World, people can give their time, love, services and money.
The Joy of Giving Week is a "festival of giving" that aims to brings us together across the Country and Abroad through different acts of giving- money, time, skills or resources.
A platform to get involved by giving time, money, skills or love:
"An event that brings us together to Celebrate Joy in the act of giving."
You can be a part of the JGW if you are a :
• School
• College
• Corporate
• NGO
• Celebrity
• Media Org (TV/Radio/Print/Outdoor, etc.)
• Group(Rotary,Lions,etc.)
• Individual
To be a part of "Joy of Giving Week" Write to lifeforall1@gmail.com / info@lfapk.org
We invite you to be a part of "7 days 7 gifts":
You like getting gifts? You like giving gifts? This is your week...
7 days 7 gifts - a challenging challenge
One simple idea - one big vision: For the next seven days each of us will be giving one gift per day, unimportant if it’s to a friend or a stranger. Wrap the world, watch it change. And see yourself being changed in the course of this challenging challenge...
In theory we all know it: If we make others happy we will be happy ourselves. But how often in our daily life do we put this into practise? Sometimes we are so busy with our routines that we tend to forget the simple things around us. So why not making happiness a world concept? We have come up with a simple idea that may change your live as well as others. For the next seven days each of us will try to make one gift per day. It’s not important if this will be to a family member, a friend or somebody you don’t even know yet. Also the form is unimportant. Gifts can have all sorts of forms. They can be of material or immaterial character. Love is a gift. Friendship is a gift. Giving somebody a hand is a gift. Sharing is a gift. Giving a penny to a poor is a gift. Inviting some lonely person to your home is a gift. Sometimes even a little smile is a gift.
Please join us in making a difference.
XAVIER PATRAS WILLIAM
A Christian Raped in Pakistan
Arifa Mushtaq ( name changed for security reasons) 32, mother of five was raped by 3 Muslims in village Mustafabad, Kasur district.
Arifa Mushtaq 32, wife of Mushtaq Masih and mother of five was raped by 3 Muslims. Muashtaq Masih a worker at the Kasur sanitation department, in a devastated condition said, "Arifa use to work in a garment factory,
on the Thursday evening she was coming home from work,
she got off the bus, two local residents Arif ( nick name Phallu )23 and Shera 27 grabbed her from the back. Another armed accomplice came and put a gun on her head. She yelled
for help, she begged them to let her go. She begged for the sake of her children, but those animals took her to a near by house and one by one rapped her."
The entire family is devastated, Arifa is admitted at the local hospital. Mushtaq Masih has filed a complain at the local police station and got FIR ( First Information Report) 491/11 registered. Phallu and Shera are threatening Mushtaq Masih and his family, they have threatened that if the case is with drawn, his children will have to go through what his
wife has gone through. The investigation officer Muhammad Sharif assisted the culprits to get bail before arrest and pressurizing Masih to with draw the case.
The family is seeking justice from a society where the defenders of the law are defending the criminals and pressurizing the devastated family. Humanitarian organization Life for All has condemned the insane and barbaric incident. The organization has demanded the Police officials and the judiciary to seriously look into the matter and take action against the corrupt officials who are cooperating with the criminals instead of defending the victims.
LFA official Kashif Mazhar said, " this is outrageous, the rape incidents are becoming a common practice in Punjab. The police is supporting the culprits, they have left loopholes in the FIR to give an easy escape to the culprits. The victim`s family are living in fear and the culprits are roaming free. How long do we have to see the children of God suffer? Will Mushtaq Masih and his family get justice? Will they be able to live a respectable life again? We demand that the IG ( Inspector General) Punjab Police and the Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah should take action against the officers involved in supporting the criminals and ensure justice to the victimized family."
XAVIER PATRAS WILLIAM
Pray for Pakistan
The people of Pakistan are hit by two natural calamaties, causing devastation across Pakistan. In the mid July the monsoons wreaked havoc across Sindh g over 800,000 homeles and over 3000 missing ( considered dead by the authorties). The most vulnerable of its people, the scheduled castes, have to pay an extra price. Sindh’s scheduled castes, including Christians, the Kolhis, Menghwars, Bheels and Oads, are predominantly employed as farmers in various parts of Sindh province. These farmers usually take loans from landlords and tend to the land with their families all year round to pay back. As such, they are most vulnerable to the devastating rains and ensuing floods. Most of the relief camps denied entry at the relief camps and the humanitarian aid to the religious minorties including the Christians and the Hindus. The Children of God have been denied humanitrain aid and forced to live under the open skies with hope, but pray to God for a miracle.
Another epidemic is the Dengue and Dengue Hermorrhagic which has spread panic across Pakistan. Over 8000 effected and over 100 dead and the number is growing day by day. Hundreds of people have been visiting government and private hospitals every day to get their blood tests done as a precaution. During such trying times, hospitals have imposed an emergency and have converted administration blocks into dengue wards. There is a shortage of the testing machines which is used to test the patients for the disease.
Life for All a Humanitarian organization is requesting for prayers for the people of Pakistan and the LFA teams which are working for the flood effected serving the Children of God and trying to play it`s role for the epidemic that has spread fear among the people across Pakistan. The people of Pakistan are awaiting a miracle.... Pray for us so that we become the miracle for Pakistan.
XAVIER PATRAS WILLIAM
Homage to the Un-Sung Heroes of September 6th, 1965
Pakistan day is celebrated on September 6th, in remembrance of the Pakistan -India war on 1965. Brave soldiers of the Armed forces sacrificed their lives to protect their homeland.
Each year the Armed Forces and the Government pays homage to the heroes of the 1965 war. The Pakistan day used to be celebrated by a parade by the armed forces in the federal capital Islamabad. Each year the un-sung heroes from the religious minorities are ignored by the authorities.
In Lahore Life for All a humanitarian organization organized a seminar to highlight the services of the religious minorities in the armed forces. The officials from the Catholic Church were also present at the event. LFA Representative Mr. Rizwan Paul on this occasion said, "the services of the religious minorities have been sidelined by the government, their names and services have even been excluded from the history books and the text books taught in the schools. Notable names like Wing Commander Cecil Chaudhry (Sitara-e-Jurat, Tamgha-e-Jurat), who protected the airspace of this country, Air Vice Marshall Michael John O’Brian, Wing Commander Mervyn Middlecoat (Sitara-e-Jurat, Sitara-e-Basalat), Air Vice Marshall Eric Hall (Hilal-i-Jurat, Sitar-e-Jurat), GoC ( General Officer Commanding) 23 Div Major General Noel Israel Khokar, Air Commodore Wladyslaw Jozef Marian Turowicz the man who headed SUPARCO (Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission) in its days of glory and the father of our space and missile programme and countless others besides the hundreds of great teachers who have, continue to, and will go on to further enlighten students at the historically magnificent missionary and convent schools in this country. have never been mentioned in any history book or paid the homage they deserved. We salute these great names for their outstanding services for Pakistan. Their services must be highlighted on Pakistan day."
Paul further said, " these names must be included in the history books, text books and the syllabus, so that the nation can know the services of the religious minorities who have always served their homeland."
Kashif Mazhar the Regional Director addressing the occasion said, "today we pay homage to the un-sung heroes of the Pakistan day, who fought bravely for their Country, they fought as Pakistanis, the sons of the soil. I ask the government why their names are not included in the history books? why they were never mentioned anywhere after getting the medals of honor? Hindus in Pakistan are discriminated against and remain stuck in the worst of economic conditions, besides being forced into conversions. Ahmedis cannot even proclaim their religion openly and are murdered in broad daylight round the year. Jews just ran away from this country knowing what was in store for them. Christians, Pakistan’s second largest minority, are discriminated against and killed in the name of blasphemy laws. Recently I have been told that two Christian brothers John and James were barred from playing in a play ground located in central Lahore, their father is a serving Lieutenant Colonel in the Pakistan Army, their only crime is that they are Christians. The Nine year old children already know enough to hate friendly and happy going people of other faiths based just on their religion. How long will this continue? How much more blood shed will make us realize enough is enough."
In Faislabad a Ahmedi, Naseem Ahmad Butt was gunned down by four students from Khatam-e-Nabuwwat Federation in broad daylight on Monday. Naseem Ahmad Butt had been declared wajib-ul-qatl (worthy of being killed) in a pamphlet distributed by Aalmi Majlis Tahaffuz Khatam-e-Nabuwwat. The pamphlet contains 50 names and reads, " a person who kills all these 50 Ahmedis will get a straight entry into the heaven, he will have the opportunity to live under the shadow of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)".
The police authorities turned a blind eye to the incident, they didn`t even bother to visit the crime scene. This is the second Ahmedi murder in one week, the government has failed to control the extremists who continue to run a parallel government within the state. Faisalabad for a long time dominated by the Deobandi schools of thought but the the Barelvis are also gaining in influence, and they are not to be left behind in their persecution of the Ahmadi community. The extremist groups have been very strong in this region and have been [persecuting the religious minorities from two decades.
Father Isaac John from the Faisalabad Catholic Diocese said, " The Punjab Government is responsible for the law and order situation, they are answerable for all the deaths not only Ahmadis, but also others, including several Christians, all killed by sectarian and jihadi organizations. The Punjab Government has been supporting and providing a safe heaven for the extremist groups and the banned organizations. The state of Pakistan, after having declared the Ahmadi community as non-Muslims, has to protect them the way it is committed, under law and religion, to protecting minority communities. Its failure in Faisalabad to come to the help of the targeted Ahmadis is symptomatic of the terminal phase of its existence. Hatred and extremism are becoming the hallmarks of the sociology of the state."
XAVIER PATRAS WILLIAM
The Slain Governor Punjab Salman Taseer`s Son Abducted in Lahore
Shahbaz Taseer son of the slain Governor Punjab Salman Taseer was kidnapped by armed men in Lahore. According to the eye witnesses Shahbaz Taseer was going towards his company office "World Call" located at 103C2 Gulberg Lahore, at around 10:54 am just a few meters away from the office a motorcycle intercepted Taseer`s Mercedes Benz SLK 200, bearing the license plate LZT 1. He stopped, more than 4 armed men came out of a black Toyota Land Cruiser and kidnapped him on gun point.
The abductors threw away Shahbaz Taseer`s iPhone, 2 cell phones and the laptop and drove towards DHA ( Defence Housing Authority) through the Calgary Bridge. According to the close family sources the Taseer family has been receiving threats from the Taliban and other extremist groups since the assassination of Salman Taseer. Salman Taseer a business tycoon had widely spoken against the Blasphemy laws, condemned them and called it the "Black law". Salman Taseer publicly supported Asia Bibi the Christian sentenced to death on the blasphemy law and appealed for Pardon to the President of Pakistan. In an interview to an international news channel in November 2010, Salman Taseer said, "If the High Court does not suspend her sentence we will pardon her. The blasphemy law is not a God-made law. It’s a man-made law. It was made by General Ziaul Haq and the portion about giving a death sentence was put in by Nawaz Sharif. So it’s a law which gives an excuse to extremists and reactionaries to target weak people and minorities.” On 4th January 2011 Salman Taseer was assassinated by his own security guard in Kohsar Market in Islamabad, who claimed that Taseer was a "Blasphemer". The cleric Muhammad Afzal Chisti who led the funeral prayer for Salman Taseer for forced to leave the country for receiving life threats for calling Taseer a "martyr" and leading his funeral prayer. Early this year Shahbaz Bhatti was also assassinated in broad day light for suggesting amendments in the Blasphemy laws.
Salman Taseer`s daughter Sherbano Taseer has already left the Country due to the life threats. She had said, " We have been trying to windup the business empire my father has built, my father has served the Country with devotion, but we are victimized for serving the Country and speaking for the voiceless." Sheryar Taseer said, " The Punjab Government has given us the police security, but today the guards were not with Shahbaz Taseer as he went to the office. Along with the threats from the religious groups, we have the business rivals who have been targeting my father and now they are after us. "
The Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has taken the notice and has instructed the law enforcing agencies to ensure the safe return of Shahbaz Taseer, he also talked to Sherbano Taseer on the phone. The Chief minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif has instructed the IG ( Inspector General) Punjab to take immediate action. IG Punjab said, " We have deployed security at the Taseers residence, all the entry and exit points in Lahore. The Investigation teams are collecting evidences from the crime scene. The security personals are also being investigated. The motive of the abduction is unclear, as the abductors left the vehicle, iPhone, laptop and the other belongings. If they had intended to kill, they had a clear chance. So far no one has claimed the responsibility. We are also investigating Mumtaz Qadri, Salman Taseer`s assassin, we are investigating all the aspects in the matter."
Shahbaz Taseer`s mother Amina Taseer is in no position to comment, earlier this year she lost her husband and now her son has been abducted. According to the analysts, this may be an attempt to rescue Mumtaz Qadri in exchange for Shahbaz Taseer, as the abductors didnt take anything from the vehicle. If it was a matter of religious extremism they would have killed him on the spot, the family has refused to comment about any specific business rival, so the only option left is the rescue for Mumtaz Qadri as the court is delaying the trail.
Earlier on August 13, armed men had abducted an American aid expert Warren Weinstein from his residence in Model Town Lahore, police is still investigating the matter. Lawlessness situation prevails in Karachi and Lahore and the police is unable to control the situation.
The social sector has condemned Shahbaz Taseer`s abduction. The Humanitarian organizations had highlighted the threats to the Taseer Family after Salman Taseer`s murder. A statement by Life for All Pakistan said, " Salman Taseer showed his solidarity with minority communities who are being targeted by the law and, in doing so, he sent across a strong message. The murders of Taseer and Bhatti and the extremism and intolerance that such acts displayed were not isolated incidents, extremism is now part of mainstream Pakistan. Every Pakistani should be devastated when an individual gets kidnapped. Every Pakistani should be devastated when a human being gets killed for his personal opinion in this country. We are praying for the family and hope that Shahbaz Taseer returns home unharmed."
XAVIER PATRAS WILLIAM
Pakistan’s ‘Blasphemy’ Laws
Not even children are exempt from possibility of triggering Islamic rage.
Pakistan’s notorious “blasphemy” laws can put even children at risk, and Christians say the days when they could teach their offspring pat answers to protect them from accusations of disparaging Islam or its prophet seem to have passed.
A 30-year-old Pakistani woman who grew up in Lahore said her Christian parents taught her formula answers to keep from falling prey to accusations under the blasphemy statutes, such as “I am a Christian, I can only tell you about Him.” But even then, before radical Islamists began influencing Pakistani society as they have in recent years, schoolchildren were taught not to discuss religion, she said.
“We knew never to get into religious discussions with others,” she said. “We had them at home – our parents would put us through the drill of asking us tough questions to see how we answered. Only now I realize that was practice for school.”
In this way, she was imbued with the fundamentals of the Christian faith and at the same time learned that she should discuss it only with her parents, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Though the Christian faith is inherently evangelistic, the need to remain silent is even more important today, she added.
“Christians constantly face questions like, ‘What do you think of the Quran, do you like it?’ and, ‘What do you think of Muhammad?’” she said. “One answer is, ‘As a Christian I have only read the Bible, I can’t read Arabic.’ These questions used to be easier to answer, we had formulas. But those are not working any more. We just tell children ‘Don’t talk about religion in school.’ This is shaky ground now.”
The blasphemy statutes signal to non-Muslims that they are second-class or “dhimmi” status citizens who must stay within narrow social boundaries, leave or be killed, she said.
“Some parents don’t even tell their children about Jesus, because they are scared they will go to school and say something wrong,” she said. “One street kid did not know anything except about the blasphemy law. When her mother was asked why she did not teach her daughter about Jesus instead of the blasphemy law, she replied, ‘If I tell her too much, she will talk about it on the street, and someone will kill her or charge her with blasphemy.’”
The street child, she said, was afraid to tell her what church she attended.
“She said the mullah in the shop behind us was listening, and as she said that, I saw the man nearly fall off his chair from trying to listen to us,” she said.
An entire generation, Christians fear, is growing up not knowing their faith for fear that it will lead to potentially disastrous schoolyard talk. Moreover, children required to take Islamic studies in school are in danger with a single misstep.
“If they write anything or misspell anything to do with the prophet Muhammad, they can be in serious danger,” the source said. “In fact, the other side of this is that they are made to answer questions saying what a wonderful man he was.”
Christian kids in predominantly Muslim areas don’t have friends to play with, as even a cricket game can be risky, she said. Adults are equally fearful.
“People in offices are silenced into submission,” she said. “The fear is creating aggression.”
Conviction under Section 295-C of the blasphemy law for derogatory comments about Muhammad is punishable by death, though life imprisonment is also possible. Curiously, accusers in blasphemy cases cannot repeat the alleged derogatory comments without risk of being accused of blasphemy themselves. Section 295-B makes willful desecration of the Quran or use of an extract in a derogatory manner punishable with life imprisonment. Section 295-A prohibits injuring or defiling places of worship and “acts intended to outrage religious feelings.” It is punishable by life imprisonment, which in Pakistan is 25 years.
Law Leading to Lawlessness
A district court judge last November stunned the nation and the international community by handing down a death sentence to a Christian mother of five for allegedly speaking ill of Muhammad.
Subsequently three politicians spoke out against the blasphemy law that put Asia Noreen (also called Asia Bibi) in prison. Two of them have been killed for standing up for Noreen and against the blasphemy law. One is in hiding for fear of her life.
Noreen, mother two children and stepmother to three others, has been in prison in solitary confinement since June 2009, accused of having blasphemed against Muhammad, after a verbal disagreement with some women in the village of Ittanwali, near Lahore. If she is released from prison, her life will be at risk. Her husband and children are on the run, receiving constant threats from Muslims who say they will take justice into their own hands.
Thousands of Pakistanis who think and believe differently than mainstream Muslims are at risk of being slandered under the blasphemy law, and those who live in poverty or are illiterate are particularly vulnerable. Personal vendettas from neighbors, co-workers and rivals are the most common reasons blasphemy law cases are filed, according to Paul Marshall of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom.
“Most victims are Muslims, but non-Muslims or minority Muslims suffer disproportionally,” said Marshall. “Ahmadis [an unorthodox Islamic sect] are probably proportionally the greatest victims. There are more victims from mobs and vigilantes than from the government itself, but the government bears responsibility because it does not protect the victims.”
Suspected Islamic extremists in Faisalabad shot dead two Christians about to be acquitted of blasphemy charges on July 19, 2010. The Rev. Rashid Emmanuel, 32, and his 30-year-old brother Sajid Emmanuel were shot days after handwriting experts on July 14 notified police that signatures on papers denigrating Muhammad did not match those of the accused. Expected to be exonerated, the two leaders of United Ministries Pakistan were being led in handcuffs under police custody back to jail when they were shot.
Christian Lawyers’ Foundation President Khalid Gill said the two bodies bore cuts and other signs of having been tortured, including marks on their faces, while the brothers were in police custody.
Most recently, 40-year-old Arif Masih, of a village near Faisalabad, was arrested from his house on April 5 after Muslims accused him of ripping pages of the Quran and writing a threatening letter ordering them to become Christians. His brother claims that a neighbor fabricated the accusations in order to acquire property adjacent to that of Masih’s.
Though the much-abused blasphemy law is punishable by death, at times vigilantes have taken matters into their own hands. At least eight Christians accused of blasphemy are estimated to have been killed since 1986. The number of Muslims accused of blasphemy and killed extra-judicially may be twice that figure.
For secular-educated Pakistanis, the blasphemy law has come to symbolize the measure to which extreme Islam has overtaken society. In the span of three months, radical Islamists murdered two of the nation’s most outspoken leaders against the blasphemy law. On Jan. 4 Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab Province, was murdered, and on March 2 parliamentarian Shabaz Bhatti, who as federal minister for minority affairs was the only Christian cabinet member, was assassinated in Islamabad.
A third official, Sherry Rehman, a parliamentarian from Karachi, led an effort to reform the blasphemy law after Noreen was sentenced to death last year. Taseer, Bhatti and Rehman were the most vocal about injustices Noreen has suffered and their disapproval of the law. Rehman, in hiding since Taseer’s murder, is said to be next on the Islamic terrorists’ hit list.
Noreen’s case drew little attention before she received the death sentence. One advocate said he believes that had her case not drawn so much attention, she would have been quietly acquitted by a higher court without criticism abroad or at home. Now her release would look like a win for the “Christian” West, he said.
“Hence, we are not going to have any concrete benefit out of whatever decision comes on her,” said Rizwan Paul, Life for All representative. “I don’t see any decision having some fruitful result.”
Paul concurred with other Christians that the blasphemy law has led to a steep drop in freedom of expression. Mosques in neighborhoods where blasphemy cases are filed become centers for inciting people to the streets, where destruction ensues. Since Noreen’s death sentence in November, sermons against changing the blasphemy law are commonly broadcast from mosques, especially in neighborhoods where there is a Christian presence.
“People do not talk, and it is proving an embargo on thinking,” Paul said. “It has caused vigilante justice, and several incidents have taken place. After that, now whenever this issue arises, people become afraid that it might turn into a demolition of the entire place.”
Victims of the blasphemy law cannot hope for justice from local police, who “do not dare to declare innocent anyone accused of blasphemy,” Paul said, and often lower court judges and magistrates do little to give them their rights. “Now the slogan is that the one who sympathizes with the blasphemer is also a blasphemer,” he said, pointing to the deaths of Taseer and Bhatti.
Pakistan is moving increasingly towards a state driven by fear of extremists, where even moderate politicians make conservative choices to appease Islamist threats, according to Sara Taseer Shoaib, daughter of the late Taseer.
“Pakistan is definitely becoming more right-wing and extremist when it comes to religion,” she said. “Religious parties are gaining a cult following, and even moderate leaders are trying to gain popularity and votes by taking a right-wing position.”
The reasons for this shift to the ultra-right, she said, are many: conservative issues like defense of the blasphemy law serve to deflect attention from the real issues of poverty and lack of hope; there is an increasing trend to blame all woes on the West; and there is a prevailing sense of a need to defend Islam as the perception remains that it is under global attack.
Shoaib said her father spoke about Noreen as a member of Pakistan’s poor, disenfranchised minority. Determined to defend her and the rights of others like her, Taseer had visited Noreen in prison before he died.
“He felt that she was a victim of the ambiguity of this law, and [that] she was unable to defend herself fairly,” she said. “[He felt that] she was the prime candidate where the unfairness of this law could be brought to light. He wanted an amendment to the law which is man-made.”
The source from Lahore said that fear among Christians after Taseer and Bhatti’s death is palpable. Christians feel left alone, not knowing who to trust.
“Everything seems to have snowballed,” she said. “People are really, really scared. Someone who you see as out there defending you and speaking for you has been silenced; someone just goes up to him and shoots him.”
She said Christians feel that the mentality of their Muslim fellows has hardened as the Pakistani Taliban and other extremist elements seem to be holding the government and people’s minds hostage.
“For the extremists, it’s no longer making Pakistan a Muslim country, but how they use Pakistan to promote the cause of Islam across the world,” she said. “It’s not for love of the nation, or national identity, but entirely about religious identity. That completely isolates those who do not subscribe to the same views … you are on the street in terms of identity and your social belonging in the community.”
Growing Issue
Paul said blasphemy looms larger in Pakistani minds and anti-Christian sentiment is growing for both socio-economic and global reasons.
In today’s impoverished Pakistan, and after U.S.-led wars in Muslim-majority Iraq and Afghanistan following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, people see even Pakistani Christians as allies of the West threatening their identity, he said. Poverty and a religion that upholds violence as a means to an end only fuel this mob mentality, he said.
“This has helped create a sense of alienating the Muslim world, and that the ‘blasphemous’ West is trying to snatch the values by movies and technology and globalization and trying to capture areas of the Islamic world,” Paul said. “Because of this, their sense of insecurity has made them more religious.”
As a result, blasphemy has become a larger issue, he said.
Pakistan’s law against defaming religion was amended in 1982 to include desecrating the Quran and in 1986 to include disparaging Muhammad. Since then, at least 37 blasphemy law suspects have been killed while in police custody, according to Paul.
On March 15, Qamar David, 55, died while serving a life sentence in a prison in Karachi for alleged blasphemy. Prison authorities claimed that David died of a heart attack, but his supporters have called for an investigation, as he had received threats and was subject to beatings and mistreatment from prison authorities. (See “Pakistani Christian Sentenced for ‘Blasphemy’ Dies in Prison,” March 15.)
While the murders of Bhatti and Taseer have helped to remove a “Defamation of Religions” resolution from United Nations consideration – for now – the assassinations have also brought any movement toward amending Pakistan’s blasphemy laws to a standstill.
“Although there is a section of media that is highlighting the issue of blasphemy, the situation hardly allows any movement or legislation on this subject,” said a Pakistani lawyer on condition of anonymity. “In my experience in the past 24 years, I have not seen [such a] stalemate condition, mainly due to the violence and terrorist threat that prevails.”
XAVIER PATRAS WILLIAM
Gojra: In the Name of Religious Honor
It is two years since Christian localities in Faisalabad were ransacked and burnt by a mob dispensing instant justice. Reportedly, on 18th July 2009, intelligence agencies had issued a warning to the Government of Punjab of likely incidents of terrorism in which some enclaves of Non Muslims Pakistanis could be targeted. Rather than pay heed, the provincial government deemed it fit to act as it did. After much carnage, it took the Government of Punjab three days to move belatedly. Chief Minister Punjab repeatedly postponed his visit to the city citing security reasons.
Two years ago on that fateful day, I reached Gojra while the ambers were still glowing. The town had been tense after the Korian incident. Contingents of Police had been positioned. A local land grabber with political connections had decided to exploit religious sentiments in the backdrop of Korian and ransack a Christian colony in order to grab the land. In the early hours of the morning, the arson and carnage began. Nine people including women and children were burnt alive. The hordes ransacked homes, set alight furniture, desecrated churches and burnt schools that included Islamiyat books. The police standing as bystander moved in only after the hordes had retreated in an organized manner. Organized rumor management using loudspeakers angered Muslims. The stage was set for a communal riot.
The Federal Minister for Minority Affairs had camped himself in the local church but found it difficult to convince the provincial and district administration to act decisively. Next evening, on intervention of agencies the process of registering an FIR began. It was a half baked document providing deliberate loop holes for a counter FIR. As a result, more Christians than criminals were rounded up by police, tortured and threatened. Ultimately, much of the compensation money ended in the pockets of the custodians of law. Mindful of their vote banks, no political party barring MQM and PTI made any attempts to bridge an artificially created divide.
Punjab, for the past many years continues to witness such incidents with alacrity. The entire trail from Jhang to Gojra, Mian Channu and Shantinagar is littered with similar incidents of religiously fanned hatred spearheaded by banned militant outfits. There is always a familiar pattern to these crimes; police inaction or atrocity, involvement of dons related to land grabbing, petty personal disputes, violence, delayed police reaction and fence mending. The story does not end here. Compensations lead to police extortion and the affected remain doomed. I often ask myself, why such crimes and pattern endemic to Punjab? Is Punjab Government vulnerable to pushes and pulls that haunt it? Is it the result of over centralization? Or is it a policy of appeasement before the militants and the religious right that let events take the course. It is perhaps a bit of all? In most cases, the underlying motive invariably turns out to be personal rather than spiritual.
The case of Robert Masih was no different. Loud speakers were used to fan religious hatred. He was tortured to death in the Police Station in Sambrial. The boy was refused burial in his home town. Amidst the scare created by looming communalism, no one was apprehended or punished.
This dispensation of ‘justice in rage’ is not limited to Non Muslims. The drama repeated itself in Sialkot when two young boys of a respectable family were lynched to death under the supervision of Police. Political undercurrents soon became apparent and the gory drama recorded ‘on camera’ was soon forgotten. Nor can we forget the attack on a peaceful Eid E Milad procession in Faisalabad.
A similar act of militancy was to repeat itself in Faisalabad. Two Christian brothers were gunned down in broad daylight in the court premises for alleged blasphemy. The court was to later acquit both posthumously while the local authorities never investigated the actual culprits.
A year back, the Chapel of Gordon College Rawalpindi was attacked and occupied by armed gunmen. Timely action by the local police and civil society had the premises vacated. However, the land grabbers with active backing of local political bigwigs reoccupied the premises with false property papers. The Federal Minister Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti finally managed to prove that the church was Auqaf property. During the entire process, the Punjab Government remained inactive tantamount to criminal negligence.
Asia Bibi’s case resulted in the murder of the Punjab Governor Salman Taseer. Most religious leaders refused to condemn the incident while lawyers were seen showering petals on the assassin. In the same sequel, Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti, the Federal Minister for Minorities was gunned down brutally in Islamabad.
Very recently scores of Christians in Gujranwala were detained by police under protective custody for alleged blasphemy. They were tortured and extorted. The allegations proved false and malafide when the intelligence agencies discovered that three Muslims with eyes on women and properties had trumped up false evidence against the Christians. The criminals confessed to the crime and the FIR was withdrawn. The irony is, that the same people who were demanding public justice, lynching and death against alleged Christian blasphemers readily forgave those who had actually committed the offence.
This dispensation of ‘justice in rage’ is not limited to Non Muslims. The drama repeated itself in Sialkot when two young boys of a respectable family were lynched to death under the supervision of Police. Political undercurrents soon became apparent and the gory drama recorded ‘on camera’ was soon forgotten. Nor can we forget the attack on a peaceful Eid E Milad procession in Faisalabad.
A similar act of militancy was to repeat itself in Faisalabad. Two Christian brothers were gunned down in broad daylight in the court premises for alleged blasphemy. The court was to later acquit both posthumously while the local authorities never investigated the actual culprits.
A year back, the Chapel of Gordon College Rawalpindi was attacked and occupied by armed gunmen. Timely action by the local police and civil society had the premises vacated. However, the land grabbers with active backing of local political bigwigs reoccupied the premises with false property papers. The Federal Minister Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti finally managed to prove that the church was Auqaf property. During the entire process, the Punjab Government remained inactive tantamount to criminal negligence.
Asia Bibi’s case resulted in the murder of the Punjab Governor Salman Taseer. Most religious leaders refused to condemn the incident while lawyers were seen showering petals on the assassin. In the same sequel, Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti, the Federal Minister for Minorities was gunned down brutally in Islamabad.
Very recently scores of Christians in Gujranwala were detained by police under protective custody for alleged blasphemy. They were tortured and extorted. The allegations proved false and malafide when the intelligence agencies discovered that three Muslims with eyes on women and properties had trumped up false evidence against the Christians. The criminals confessed to the crime and the FIR was withdrawn. The irony is, that the same people who were demanding public justice, lynching and death against alleged Christian blasphemers readily forgave those who had actually committed the offence.
Such atrocities bring a very bad name to Pakistan. They also add to the misery of people who have an unblemished record of patriotism and sacrifice to the country and who distinguish themselves wherever justice, fair play and chivalry are essential. It also forces fringe elements of the society to recluse themselves into ghettos that become both a refuge and easily identifiable targets.
It is high time to re-evaluate why the road map that All India Muslim League had followed from Aligarh to creation of Pakistan is in contrast to the political landscape of what are now Muslim Leagues; an anti thesis of the notion adopted by the founding fathers. Political elites, contrary to the spirit, have time and again placated the religious right to marginalize and exclude Non Muslim Pakistanis and push them to the fringes.
It appears that nothing will improve. To compound the situation, 18th amendment will be debated for the many compromises it made on the basic complexion of the constitution. One amongst them is the devolution of the Minority Affairs to the provinces, a subject prominent in the Lahore and Objective Resolutions. This amendment will hit hard on the lucrative Evacuee properties opening flood gates to land grabbers and acts of violence. With no federal oversight, the provinces will do as they have done in the past.
It is high time to re-evaluate why the road map that All India Muslim League had followed from Aligarh to creation of Pakistan is in contrast to the political landscape of what are now Muslim Leagues; an anti thesis of the notion adopted by the founding fathers. Political elites, contrary to the spirit, have time and again placated the religious right to marginalize and exclude Non Muslim Pakistanis and push them to the fringes.
It appears that nothing will improve. To compound the situation, 18th amendment will be debated for the many compromises it made on the basic complexion of the constitution. One amongst them is the devolution of the Minority Affairs to the provinces, a subject prominent in the Lahore and Objective Resolutions. This amendment will hit hard on the lucrative Evacuee properties opening flood gates to land grabbers and acts of violence. With no federal oversight, the provinces will do as they have done in the past.
The writer is a Islamabad-based human rights activist and can be reached at xave_william@yahoo.com
A Pakistani Christian Accused of Blasphemy Passes away in Jail 15MAR2011
Qamar David, a Pakistani Christian was accused of Blasphemy on 8th June 2006 in Karachi. Qamar David hailed from Hamza town, Lahore, but owned a paint business in Karachi. On 25th February 2010 Additional District and Sessions Judge Jangu Khan found Qamar David guilty of using blasphemous remarks about the Holy Prophet and Holy Quran and pronounced the verdict after hearing final arguments from both sides. David was sentenced to life imprisonment under Sections 295A and 295C of the Pakistan Penal Code, based on claims made by business rivals. He was accused of sending text messages which contained derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed. The blasphemy law stipulates that any person who ‘defiles’ the name of the Prophet is liable for blasphemy, punishable by a mandatory death sentence, with no right to reprieve or pardon. In practice this sentence is usually commuted to life imprisonment.
On Tuesday morning the Deputy Superintendent jail confirmed that Qamar David was found dead in his cell. According to the initial reports Deputy Superintendent Jail said David died of heart attack, the body is being sent to the Civil Hospital Karachi for postmortem, after the postmortem report the cause of death can be confirmed. David was being held in the Central Jail in Karachi since 2006, where previously he has reportedly been threatened and beaten by the prison officials as well as other prisoners.
The Christian Human Rights groups have condoled the matter and have demanded a committee to investigate the causes of death. David`s family is going to Karachi to claim the body. Vice President Life for All, Mr. Kashif Mazhar has condoled David`s death and said, " the whole Christian community has been grieving from past few days, we havent recovered from the loss and this news has increased our concerns about the future of the Christians in Pakistan, David was falsely accused of Blasphemy, how much blood more do we still have to see to realize that the Blasphemy laws need to be abolished? How much blood does the Government wants to have on their hands? Another sad day for the minorities in Pakistan".
XAVIER PATRAS WILLIAM
The Sunday Service
On a quiet Sunday morning, Rt Rev Sadiq Daniel asked the congregation of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Karachi to pray for Pakistan, its political leadership and the country’s future.
But there was no mention of the late federal minister for minorities’ affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, who was assassinated on March 2.
Helen Turner, who attended the service at the cathedral, said, “I thought they would mention him, no? After all, he was with the Christians and the minorities.” No special prayers were offered this Sunday for the Catholic Bhatti in any of the other major churches in Karachi, including St Patrick’s Cathedral and St Andrew’s Church.
“They must have mentioned him in Thursday’s service,” said Eugene Romeo. “On the first Sunday of every month there is a special prayer for the country, for the Christian community, for politicians, for the deprived — regardless of their faith — and for the sick.”
While the Christians in the Punjab managed to come out in huge numbers – almost 15,000 people attended Bhatti’s funeral – the same numbers have not been seen in Karachi yet. Even the banners condemning Bhatti’s assassination outside all major churches have been placed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.
When asked why he was not mentioned in Sunday’s English service, Rev Shahid Sabir said, “We will offer a prayer in the Urdu service. Special prayers have been scheduled for March 8.” St Patrick’s Cathedral and Holy Trinity Cathedral will both hold memorial prayers for Bhatti this week.
On Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, urged that the “moving sacrifice” of Bhatti, inspire “courage and commitment to strive for religious freedom for all men”.
Security is undoubtedly a concern for Christians, as churches have little to no presence of law-enforcement personnel outside their places of worship. On Friday evening, a sole police officer sat near the gate of the Holy Trinity Church. He said he had only been deployed because there was a wedding inside. Saddar SP Irshad Ali Raza Saher said, “We generally have a security presence at churches, especially during the time of worship.”
“The area police did call,” said Rev Sabir, “but there is no appropriate security.”
“We cannot raise an army to protect all the churches,” says Bishop Ijaz Inayat. “Why should we ask for security? It is the state’s duty to provide security. The government has failed in its duty and it should quit.”
The Christians and their places of worship have been attacked a number of times, including in 2004 when a bomb blast took place outside the Pakistan Bible Society. In 2010 and 2009, churches were vandalised in different areas of the city.
“Our society is numb and our conscience is dead,” Bishop Inayat said. “Discrimination has been going on for decades, and the victimisation has increased because of the blasphemy law.”
While Rev Sabir said Bhatti was not as active among the Christians in Karachi, others begged to differ. “He came to Karachi to condole my father’s death a few months ago,” recalled Victor Javed, a parishioner at St Jude’s Church in North Nazimabad’s DeSilva Town. “Even if he was not there in times of joy, he was always there in times of grief. He had a good character, and he would always personally offer condolences to families. There have been a large number of prayers and services for him in our church.”
XAVIER PATRAS WILLIAM
What Happened to Elizabeth’s Daughter?
I know a 40-year-old woman named Elizabeth who has experienced first hand reality of life as a minority in Pakistan.
Every morning , Elizabeth and her 14-year-old daughter used to walk through the narrow streets of their colony to reach their workplace, a double story banglow located in a posh area of the city.
This was the routine of many women from the little Christian colony located near the ganda nala (dirty stream) in Islamabad.
During these morning walks, two 40 years old men started following them in a car. They threatened to kill Elizabeth and her daughter if they didn’t convert to Islam.
Scared, the women changed their routes many times and even changed the time they left home from 9:00 to 8:30 am or 8:15 am but somehow, the men always found them. They were not alone – the men also threatened other women who were walking out of the colony.
The women in the colony tried to get help from the police but their efforts were futile.
Finally, Elizabeth’s nephew started escorting the ladies to their work place and for two months, the men stopped chasing them. Life went back to normal and the women started to go out without their escort – but this was only temporary.
They had no idea that their hunters were keeping a watchful eye on them.
One cold, rainy morning when Elizabeth and her daughter turned into the street where their workplace is located, the same men suddenly appeared in a car. They kidnapped her daughter and took her away.
Elizabeth screamed for help but there was no one in the street. Because of the rain, even the security guards who normally stand outside the house were inside their cabins.
It has been two years since this incident – two years since Elizabeth has seen the face of her only child. There has been no more chats on the way to work, and no one to spend the day with. She does not know what those men did with her daughter. She does not even know if her daughter is alive. She says she feels like her life is over; she lies on her charpai ( bed) all day, silently awaiting death.
This is just one of the many untold stories of Pakistan.
The truth is that many homes are being burnt and many people are being oppressed in the name of religion. The minorities from Pakistan deserve answers.
Kashif Mazhar the Vice President Life for All said, "A chill moves in my spine whenever I imagine the state of Elizabeth.. her every day & night, every dawn & dusk, every Christmas & Easter even her each & every single meal would be just miserable and life would b just like being on thorns..Ahhh! How she’d be tackling this thought that “what those brutal animals would have been to her daughter whose dignity would always have been first priority for Elizabeth & that dignity might have been. Whenever I try to be a lil patriotic.. such people of this mentally sick society always raise a question in my mind. i.e., Is it worth living in Pakistan?"
XAVIER PATRAS WILLIAM
AMONG THE BLASPHEMERS
The Fugitive
“I changed my name once I got out of jail,” says Yakoob nonchalantly.
“Why did you do that?” I ask him.
“To live.”
It seemed so aptly put. At the age of 28, he was forced to become someone else — adopt a new name,
find a new home, and start a new life. The reason? — he had been convicted for committing
blasphemy. Three years after getting out of jail, he already looked old and worn out. So much for a
new life…
“I was in for 3 years, and I was kept in solitary confinement throughout,” Yakoob tells me. “I was kept separate from the rest of the inmates, but the prison guards tortured me and kept saying things which I knew weren’t true.”
“Like what?”
“Like, if I converted to Islam, they would try to get me a pardon.”
“Why didn’t you convert then?” I ask.
“Sir, why should I? To each his own; my religion is as beloved to me as theirs is to them.”
Religious intolerance — that was the root cause of Yakoob’s misery. If religion is the opium of the masses, I was now beginning to find out why this particular narcotic was so lethal. In the wake of the much talked about case of Asia Bibi, I had met Yakoob through the Life for All(LFA), a human rights organization that provided legal and financial help to those accused of blasphemy. We had agreed to meet in a church in Lahore where Yakoob felt safe.
Yakoob was from Sialkot but the fear of ‘street justice’ prevented him from visiting his family in their hometown. In the late 90s a rival shop-owner accused Yakoob of pelting stones on religious hoardings during a rally organized by Christians. This happened in the wake of a bishop killing himself in protest against the blasphemy laws. But according to Yakoob, he didn’t even know about the rally, much less attend it. Of course, no one paid attention to his pleas and the court sentenced him to jail. He has now been living in Lahore for many years, afraid that he will be lynched by the people in his hometown, despite already having served his sentence.
A glass half empty
Yakoob may have got out of jail in 3 years but Asia Bibi isn’t so lucky. On death row, her hanging is contingent only on approval from the Lahore High Court, which is still pending. A friend sent me the 15- page court verdict on Asia. An interesting fact in the hearing was Asia’s denial of ever having committed blasphemy, but the large number of witnesses against her made her case weak. Asia’s lawyer also raised objections on grounds of the discrepancy between the time of the incident and the complaint, which was registered four days later, but the district court judge still ruled against Asia.
Out of the 300 households of Ittanwala, a small village some two hours’ drive from Lahore close to the Indian border, the only Christian residents were Asia Bibi and her family. Our guide, a local journalist, took us along a road that led to mud houses built close to each other. “That’s Asia’s house,” he said, pointing to the first house. “Some family members are still living there.”This was surprising because the media had reported that Asia’s family was on the run. Before meeting anyone, we had to see the Maulvi ( Cleric) of the village. Qari Salim’s house was the last in a narrow lane lined with concrete and mud houses, next to the mosque where he led prayers. A man in his mid-thirties, he had a long black beard and wore a turban. Salim was the one who had registered the case against Asia after two village-girls had complained to him.
Salim took us to the exact spot where Asia and the girls had had an argument. From a dirt road, we were led to an orchard where a man named Idrees, was sitting on a charpoy. Idrees was one of the testifier in Asia’s case. With Idrees, we made our way further into the orchard until we reached an open spot under a tree. “This is where it all started,” said Idrees. “It was the summer of 2009,” he began. “I was out here when I heard Asia fighting with the two sisters. It was lunch time and they were having food. When I asked them what the problem was, Mafia told me that Asia had just committed blasphemy and said things about our religion and our Prophet,” he added.
“Why would she do that?” I asked.
“Well, Asia and the sisters had just eaten lunch, and Asia took their glass and drank water out of it. The two sisters did not touch the glass after that. So Asia inquired why they weren’t touching the glass. The sisters told her that it was because she is Christian and they would not drink out of her glass,” said Idrees.
“This infuriated Asia so much that she went on to say blasphemous things,” Qari Salaam added.
“Like what?” I asked.
“Those are words that we cannot repeat,” the two said in unison.
I wanted to meet the girls who had reported Asia Bibi to Qari Salim and the maulvi agreed to take us to their house. Of the two sisters, only Mafia was home when we arrived. Her younger siblings and nephews were playing around her. She kept her face covered during our meeting. Her story was a repeat of what we’d heard in the orchard.
When she had finished, I asked her why she wouldn’t drink out of a Christian’s glass.
“As Muslims we should not share it,” she said with conviction.
Then I asked her what she thought of the pardon for Asia.
“Asia deserves death. She should be killed soon,” she said furiously. “These delay tactics of our judicial system reflect inefficiency.”
Fear and loathing
Our next visit was to Asia’s house which was on the same street as Mafia’s. Asia’s sister-in-law, woman in her mid-thirties, opened the door and told me that she was living there to take care of Asia’s sister who had had a baby recently. By that time a sizable crowd had gathered outside the house and as she opened the door to let us in, I could tell that she was scared. Inside the house, I met Asia’s sister, Sonia a malnourished woman holding a baby in her lap.
When asked her if she thought Asia could say all that she had been accused of, she replied “I don’t know.”
Then she added, “This is not the first time Asia or her family have been targeted in this village. They would block the family’s sewerage line, damage the house walls. She was uneducated, she didn’t know about her own religion. How could she come up with such specific facts about their Prophet and present them in a twisted, derogatory manner?” she asked.
“So you think she’s being targeted for her religion?” I asked.
Before she could say anything, a face popped up from the wall beside her. A man was listening to our conversation. Sonia froze, too scared to speak.
“Are you not scared to live here?” I asked her.
“We don’t have a choice. Someone has to live here to protect the house,” she said.
Ashiq, Asia’s husband, was on the run, and Sonia told me to get in touch with him through Asia’s lawyer.
But, when I contacted him, the lawyer was reluctant. “Ashiq is in danger,” he told me over the phone. “Salmaan Taseer’s assassination has changed everything,” he added. Finally, he agreed to arrange a meeting in a village just outside Lahore after midnight.
I met Ashiq in a house that was under construction. I was ushered to the first floor where cement and sawdust were strewn on the floor. There sat Asia’s three children, with their aunt. Their faces were unwashed, their clothes were tattered and uncertainty lingered in their eyes… I wondered how long it would be before they could stop running.
Ashiq told me that he met his wife once a week but the children never went along with him since it was too dangerous. He had lost his job a while ago and only his son was working now. He had a job in some other village, but it was likely that he would lose it soon. The family was barely able to survive.
I asked him why he was on the run but, before he could reply, one of children piped up.
“They were going to kill her that day. She was thrashed for hours. Do you think we could stay there? They beat her almost to death.” The anger in this child’s voice broke my heart. She was barely 12 and that had been the last that she’d seen of her mother.
“So do you think you will ever see your mother again?” I asked her.
“I trust God — He will bring her back to us,” she replied.
The road to Gojra
Analysts say that because of the circumstances surrounding Governor Salmaan Taseer’s assassination, Asia has little or no chance of getting her sentence reverted. Following Taseer’s murder, the government announced that it would withdraw the proposed amendments’ bill in the blasphemy law which had been submitted to parliament by Sherry Rehman. With this, any hope of change has died out.
The blasphemy law was amended under General Zia-ul-Haq — a dictator who we all agree brought ‘the Kalashnikov culture’, heroin smuggling, and ethnic tension to this country. Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world that award capital punishment for blasphemy; the other is Saudi Arabia. Other Muslim states do not award death sentences for blasphemy. In that case do Pakistan’s laws really uphold the ideals that the country was built upon? Another round of investigations answered my questions.
In 2009, seven Christians were burnt alive by a mob in Gojra and recently, the Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah claimed the issue had been settled. But Life for All, which had been handling this case, took issue with the minister’s claim. So I decided to see for myself.
The next day I was on my way to Gojra, an hour’s drive from Faisalabad. We had arranged to meet the local priest, Father Younus, in a church. As we sat down for tea, I noticed a nearby wall had ‘The Gojra Tragedy’ written on it. On closer inspection, I saw it was covered with photographs of women crying, injured men and a street with burnt houses… Father Younus introduced us to Haroon, whose wife had been amongst those that died when Christian houses in Gojra were set on fire. Haroon took us to the street where it had all happened.
We reached a noisy street with freshly-painted houses on each side. Kids played in the street and women chatted with each other in corners. A big signboard lauded the government of Punjab’s reconstruction efforts. At the end of the street was a house which the government of Punjab had obviously not reconstructed: its walls were scorched and the dilapidated door had a big padlock on it.
“This is the house where six people including my sister and mother were burnt alive,” Haroon said.
“It all started with the sermons in the mosque that day. We could hear them over the loudspeakers:
‘Kill the Christians!’ And even though we were forewarned, what could a few Christians do against a mob of hundreds of people who wanted to kill them?” Haroon had fear in his eyes as he narrated the events of that dark day. He went on to tell us how, following the announcement, mobs of teenagers descended on their street, beating people, throwing petrol bombs into homes, and opening fire at those who were fleeing.
“Why wasn’t this house reconstructed?” I asked him.
“Because the son of the man killed in this incident has not withdrawn the case yet,” he said.
Apparently, the Punjab government has rebuilt only those houses whose owners have withdrawn charges against members of the mob. And all have done so, except for the owner of this house where seven human beings had been burnt alive.
So that’s what the Punjab Law minister had meant when he said the issue had been settled.
Haroon took us to the Muslim preachers of the area. “That’s the mosque,” he said. “The mullah ( cleric) there is from Sipah-e-Sahaba.” According to reports from the interior ministry, Sipah-e-Sahaba, a banned organization, was behind the Gojra attacks. I waited for Maulana Kashmiri to finish Friday prayers so that I could talk to him. His sermon that day is something that I cannot forget even today. He was screaming through a microphone and claiming that he was quoting most of it from the Quran. The crowd was mesmerized. “The infidels will lead you astray. They do everything for money — a worldly pleasure that will not last,” he shouted.
While waiting for him to get done with the prayers, I met some teenagers outside the mosque. One of them pointed to the mosque and said, “Maulana Kashmiri is not affiliated with Sipah-e-Sahaba anymore but he was with them. He left it after coming back from jail.”
When I joined Maulana Kashmiri at his home, I asked him whether he was a member of Sipah-e-Sahaba.
“No, I don’t belong to any religious organization. I am just an imam of this mosque,” he replied.
He told me that he had been in jail for fourteen months after the Gojra incident and had gotten out a few months ago. But his fourteen month detention was illegal, he claimed.
He flatly denied having made anti-Christian statements in his sermons. “I have made no such announcements. Nothing of the sort happened that day,” he said, referring to the day of the Gojra tragedy. “Actually some Muslim youth were attacked and injured by Christians. That led to the ‘riots’. You should check the hospital record which shows that Muslims were brought to the emergency room before the time quoted on the FIR registered by the Christians.”
He went on to defend himself and I realised that Maulana Kashmiri was not going to change his version of events. “It was just that people were angry because of the blasphemy committed by a Christian family in Korian, following which Christians tried to attack and ridicule Muslim youth in Gojra. This is what caused the riots.”
“So now you’re out and free?” I asked him.
“Not really, I still have to go to the hearing in the court,” he replied.
No Witnesses, no case
A few days later, I was at Maulana Kashmiri’s hearing at the Anti Terrorist court in Faisalabad. I found out that none of the victims would be present at the hearing, because all had withdrawn their cases except Almas Hameed. Almost all of Hameed’s family including his wife, son, daughter, sister-in-law, mother, aunt and father had died that day. Hameed himself had left the country for Thailand a few months ago, owing to security concerns. Now it was just the state and one Christian that pursued the case.
A few minutes after 9.00 am, a bus stopped in front of the gate and a group of around 50 people got off.
“Who are these people?” I asked the man leading the group.
“They are the nominated accused in the FIR of the Gojra incident,” he said.
The man I had spoken to was Rehmatullah, who belonged to the Jamaat-e-Islami and was providing legal support to these villagers.
When Rehmatullah came out of court he said, “The court has deferred the hearing for the next week due to a lack of witness accounts and has asked the state to present the witnesses next time.”
“We are innocent!” cried one of the men standing next to Rehmatullah. Maulana Kashmiri, who had also come out, nodded in agreement. “There are no witnesses because they know they are wrong,” he said. “We will get justice.”
“Do you know what happened at Gojra and Korian?” I asked him.
“Yes, I do, and even though none of us did it, the Christians still deserved it. They are
blasphemers!” he shouted angrily. And a chorus of people echoed his words.
Among the believers
So whether it was the villagers, the educated masses or the politicians — the stance against blasphemy was the same.I saw all these people come together under one umbrella the following week at a rally in Lahore organized by Islamist parties in support of the blasphemy law. The Jamaat-e-Islami representative Rehmatullah, who I had met outside the ATC in Faisalabad, was at the rally which was to begin from Nasir Bagh on Kachehri Road near the District courts and stop at the Punjab Assembly prominent leaders from the JUI-F, JI and JuD would address the crowd.
Islamist organisations were one of the biggest pressure groups in support of the blasphemy law and I could see how they managed their support. They backed these accused villagers and in return they got the street power they needed to shake the pillars of power. It was a win-win situation.
Rehmat-ullah got out of a bus in which he had brought a crowd of more than 150 people who were now marching towards the Kachehri Road.
The government had set up a loose security barrier that many were bypassing as we followed the group. The crowd was becoming larger and louder, shouting anti-government slogans, holding placards and party flags (including that of the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba’s). The rally was astonishing — there were people that carried posters of Mumtaz Qadri, the murderer of Salmaan Taseer with statements like ‘He is our hero’, and ‘Free Qadri’. Some people had placards with ‘Hang Asia Bibi’ written on them. On Mall Road, a truck was painted with a photo-shopped full-size poster of Qadri sitting on a throne. His handcuffs had been digitally removed from the picture and two dead dogs lay in a puddle of blood at his feet. Two other dogs stood by, with Pope Benedict’s face photoshopped on their bodies. People were kissing Qadri’s feet while spitting on the dogs. A group of people carried effigies dressed as witches with the names of who they represented written on a placard. A man pointed at the effigies and shouted, ‘Meet Sherry Rehman and Fauzia Wahab.’
Sherry Rehman’s name had been changed to Sherry Satan. “She wants to bring a change in the blasphemy law. We will not let her,” shouted the man carrying her effigy. “She will end up like Salmaan Taseer!”
I had thought that the Islamists in Pakistan were politically motivated to pressurize the
government and that the rally would be their show alone– but I had been wrong, mainstream political parties were at the rally as well. Outside the Punjab assembly, the rally was being addressed by the PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafiq and the ex-chief minister Punjab Chauhdry Pervez Elahi from the PML-Q. The Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaaf had also sent its representative.
I asked Khawaja Saad Rafique if it was wise to mix politics and religion. “This is not politics; it is our duty as Muslims to defend Islam,” replied the parliamentarian before leaving in a convoy of jeeps.
“Islam will prevail no matter what,” screamed the loudspeakers around me as another political activist started to speak.
“Will it?” I thought to myself. And if so, which brand of Islam? With the hatred and bigotry I have witnessed in the past few weeks, I wondered what happened to the Country of my childhood, the religion of peace, harmony and tolerance? How many more Taseers, Bhattis and Asias will pay the price for inability to tolerate the opinions and faiths of others?
XAVIER PATRAS WILLIAM
