ASIA/PAKISTAN - Blasphemy law: recent cases

Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) – A Christian family forced to negotiate conversion to Islam for peace and tranquillity; an elderly Christian on the grounds of false accusations could spend the rest of his life in prison: these are only two of many such cases reported to Fides by Pakistani lawyers of the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement CLAAS who denounce the damage and the suffering caused by the "blasphemy law”.

- The family of 26 year old woman in Punjab, Rubina Bibi, married with three children, in prison on a false charge of blasphemy, is considering, out of desperation, to come to an agreement with her accusers: withdrawal of the charge, therefore release from prison, in exchange for conversion to Islam. In March 2010 Rubina was reported for blasphemy by a Muslim shopkeeper after an argument about the selling and buying of a certain food product. Court hearings were held under strong pressure for Islamic extremists groups. To reach an extra-judicial agreement Rubina's family was told that in the case of her conversion to Islam the charges would be dropped.
- Rehmat Masih, aged 73, who lives in the village of Jhandewall, in the diocese of Faisalabad, was accused by Muslim Sajid Hameed of insulting the Prophet Mohammed. He was arrested and taken to Faisalabad. Local Catholics who mobilised to defend the man, said the charges were clearly false, and followed an interpersonal dispute over the property of some land.
- In February 2010 Qamar David, a Christian from Lahore in prison since 2006, was given a life sentence for blasphemy. For three years his lawyer and his family have been threatened and intimidated. “The sentence is based on cleverly invented declarations and testimony, the fruit of hatred and prejudice”, says lawyer Parvez Choudry.
- In January 2010, Imran Masih, (26) from Faisalabad, was given a life sentence for blasphemy. He was accused by a neighbour of burning a copy of the Koran. The young man had been tricked: he was tidying up his shop and before throwing away some books written in Arabic, a language he does not understand, he asked the advice of his neighbour who told him which books to burn and then reported him for blasphemy.
- In early July 2010, Zahid Masih a Christian living in Model Town, near Lahore, was forced to flee into hiding with his family after being falsely accused of blasphemy Manat Ali a Muslim, who called a mob of extremists which attempted to lynch the poor man. Zahid was accused of using a panel bearing a few hand written verses of the Koran as a roof for the family bathroom.
- Death threats continue against a married couple of Christians Nosheen and Leonard D’Souza, since they produced a documentary film on the violence in Gojra in August 2009 with the title “Burned alive: the destiny of Pakistani Christians”. The film describes the injustice, origin, history and consequences of the blasphemy law. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 23/7/2010)