Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Pakistan urged to end blasphemy law abuses

Pakistan urged to end blasphemy law abuses

Last updated on: September 21, 2012 at 11:15 pm by CNA Daily News

Pakistan urged to end blasphemy law abuses 2012-09-21T23:15:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Washington D.C., Sep 21, 2012 / 05:15 pm (CNA).- An international hearing sponsored by the World Council of Churches called on Pakistan to end abuse of the nation's blasphemy law, which leads to major human rights violations for religious minorities.

A communiqué issued by the group on Sept. 19 called on the Pakistani government to “constitute a competent Inquiry Commission immediately to look into the tragic consequences of the blasphemy law and suggest a way out of this difficult and embarrassing situation.”

“Tinkering with procedural amendments” has failed to solve the problems surrounding “a law that is inherently susceptible to abuse,” it said.

At a three-day public hearing with participants from a variety of faith backgrounds, speakers examined the blasphemy law that is included in the Pakistan Penal Code.

That law, as amended in the 1980s, has been criticized for its vague wording and arbitrary enforcement, leading to mob violence as well as the death penalty for those found guilty of defaming the prophet Muhammad or the Quran.

The hearing, held Sept. 17-19 in Geneva, Switzerland, was organized by the World Council of Churches' Commission of the Churches on International Affairs.

Mohammad Tahseen, human rights activist and director of the South Asia Partnership in Pakistan, delivered the keynote address, arguing that continued abuse of the blasphemy law is incompatible with “the vision of Pakistan as a moderate and democratic country.”

He stressed the importance of the international community in supporting “the values of democracy and people’s struggles in Pakistan.”

Bishop Samuel Azariah, moderator of the Church of Pakistan, encouraged the government to consider repealing the controversial blasphemy law, which he said creates an atmosphere of fear for religious minorities.

“A majority of the cases have proved to be false, which has disturbed the fabric of trust in our society,” he said.

Pakistan’s blasphemy law made headlines in August when a young girl with Down Syndrome was arrested for allegedly burning pages from the Quran. Faced with international attention, the girl was released on bail, but had to be taken to a secret location amid fears for her safety.

On Sept. 21, declared by the Pakistani government to be “Love for the Prophet Day,” violent protests erupted throughout the country, continuing several days of protests over the American-made internet film, “Innocence of Muslims,” which ridicules the Muslim prophet Muhammad.

Although the government encouraged peaceful demonstrations, crowds of more than 10,000 clashed violently with police in cities throughout the country, calling for the film’s maker to be killed.

According to the Associated Press, the violence throughout the country left at least 17 dead and more than 100 injured.

Violent protests have broken out in more than a dozen other Muslim countries in recent days as well, with angry crowds protesting the movie as well as the U.S. government’s failure to ban it due to First Amendment free speech protections.

The Pakistani government has banned access to YouTube in the country to prevent the video from being seen, and Pakistani prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf called on the international community to enact legislation banning insults of Muhammad.

Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, argued that “it is high time that the international community should address this issue with urgency.”

“Reports from Pakistan reveal the fact that repression, intolerance, and fear have become the order of the day in many parts of the country,” he observed, warning that the misuse of the law is “used to target different minority communities” in the country.

The public hearing coincided with the 21st Session of the U.N. Human Rights Council and included a side event at that gathering. Speakers emphasized the importance of free speech and the critical role of religious leaders in preventing abuse of the laws.

“When the state and constitution make preference on the basis of religion, they end up violating the rights of their citizens,” said Peter Jacob, director of the National Commission for Justice and Peace for the Catholic Church in Pakistan.

“The discrimination we find in the constitution and state policies translates into extremism and general intolerance in the society,” he explained.

Previous Post

September 21, 2012

Pope tells French bishops defense of marriage is prophetic

Next Post

September 22, 2012 Chick-fil-A's stance on marriage remains unchanged

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What kind of bird brought Noah a sign of dry land?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A sparrow An eagle A dove A raven