Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Paris (Agenzia Fides) – A vast work of mobilization and an international petition to repeal the "Blasphemy Law" is in force in Pakistan, which affects the country's Christian community: this is the initiative launched by the French section of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) on June 7 of this year and which in three days has already gained more than 2,000 applications from around the world.
"It's rare that ACN exposes itself publicly, asking for the abolition of a law in a sovereign state," notes the organization in a message sent to Fides. "But this law, which should serve to protect the sacred, has long been used to oppress and persecute religious minorities in Pakistan, including Christians, who account for 1.6% of the population.
ACN has taken up the appeal of Bishop Joseph Coutts, Bishop of Faisalabad, who has worked for many years to abolish the law. Along with him is the whole Church of Pakistan, united in demanding the cancellation of an order deemed "unfair and discriminatory."
"The law is ambiguous: a person can be accused without proof. It is too often used in personal conflicts and settling accounts. It's a real violation of human rights," says Marc Fromager, head of ACN-France, which in addition to the petition invites all the faithful of the world to engage in a "great chain of prayer for all victims of the law and their families.”
The text of the petition reads: "We ask the government of Pakistan to immediately repeal the law on blasphemy, in particular paragraph 295C of the Penal Code, which provides for the death penalty for the guilty. We ask the government to guarantee the rights of all religious minorities in the country. We join the great chain of prayer for the people of Pakistan."
From 1986 to October 2009, over 1,000 people ended up on trial for blasphemy law. Until 1986 - explain sources of Fides - there were no cases of accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan. Since 1986, when General Zia-ul-Haq promulgated the law, cases of blasphemy have erupted everywhere.
The measure continues to arouse heated debate in Pakistani society.
The National Commission for Human Rights and other civil society groups, including Muslims, challenge the law. Some fundamentalist Islamic groups, however, support it. The Federal Minister for Minority Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti has called for "revision," while others, like the Church of Pakistan are demanding its immediate cancellation. The Conference of the “Jamiat Ulema Pakistan” (JUP), however, considers the law "untouchable" and has threatened harsh protests if it is tampered with.
The "blasphemy law" includes articles 295b, 295c, 298a, 298b, and 298c of the Pakistani Penal Code and calls for imprisonment or the death penalty for those who insult or desecrate the name of the Prophet Muhammad and the Koran.
Aid to the Church in Need is an International Association of Pontifical Right that works in defense of persecuted and oppressed Christians in 137 countries worldwide. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 09/06/2010)
