In Islamabad, another victim of the blasphemy law has been punished. According to the BBC, Sajjad Masih was sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 200,000 for sending blasphemous text messages to Muslim clerics to seek revenge from his ex-fiancée in Gojra. Masih, a resident of Pakpattan district, was arrested in December 2011. Gojra is religiously sensitive, having witnessed massive attacks on Christians, triggered by reports of desecration of the Holy Quran in 2002. Eight members of a family were burnt alive and 40 houses and a church were set ablaze by a mob on August 1, 2009.
A recently released, highly researched report, conducted by a senior judge, suggests that violence against Christians in Pakistan over the past five years could have been prevented by the area’s local authorities. The government reportedly ordered a senior judge to conduct a review following the anti-Christian riots that took place in Gojra. The mob, which accumulated strength in numbers over several days following encouraging sermons at local mosques, torched the Christian neighbourhoods of Gojra after it was rumoured that family members of a Christian couple used torn-up pieces of the Holy Quran at a Christian wedding ceremony.
The purpose of the report is not only to address a past incident but also to determine how to end the violence relating to the disputes, including an incident in Gujranwala in which a Muslim mob attacked Christians, resulting in five Christians being wounded, and the damaging of property, including a church and vehicles. The extensive research states that local intelligence and law enforcement agencies were aware that some activists of the banned outfit, Sipah-e-Sahaba, organised riots against Christians, yet they did nothing to stop the violence.
This is not the end. On September 21, 2012, a church and a high school in the church compound was reduced to ashes. And in March, 2013, an over 3,000 strong mob set ablaze more than 150 houses in the Christian locality, Joseph Colony, Lahore, to ‘take revenge for a blasphemous act’ allegedly committed by a Christian man. This is another episode of continuous violence and would not surely stop nor is there anyone who would dare to stop it.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom reported that it had tracked 203 publicly reported incidents of sectarian violence resulting in more than 1,800 casualties, including over 700 deaths. The report said that between January 2012 and June 2013, there were 77 attacks against Shias, 37 against Christians, 54 against Ahmadis, 16 against Hindus and three against Sikhs. Five Christian and seven Hindu girls were raped.
It is the blasphemy law, embedded in sections 295 B, C of the Pakistan Penal Code, which is frequently misused for personal revenge. It carries no provision to punish a false accuser or a false witness of blasphemy. For example, in last year’s blasphemy case of Rimsha Misah in Islamabad, the apex court has upheld the Islamabad High Court judgment. Time will tell whether the courts will punish the false accuser or not.
Forced conversion is another issue; innocent females are trapped, kidnapped and married forcefully. On the other hand, minorities are not even free to preach openly. If any person converts to Islam, it is proudly highlighted while Christians have no right to even have a debate about it.
Consequences of the laws: Since 1986 blasphemy laws have been frequently used to intimidate and persecute religious minorities and to settle personal vendettas. Hundreds of innocent people have been imprisoned, forced to leave the country or been killed by religious fundamentalists. It encourages hostility towards minorities and has proven to be a licence for abuse of law and religion. The instigators motivated by religious bigotry, personal prejudice, selfish gain or professional rivalry have used allegations for their convenience. In many cases complaints are filed at the insistence of a number of local clerics or outfits inciting hate against minorities. The laws are inherently arbitrary and restrict freedom of speech and other fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution and international human rights laws.
Christians in Pakistan have been suffering since independence and the discrimination is seen in the constitution as well. With the passage of time the screw is being tightened. When the state and constitution make preference on the basis of religion, they end up violating the rights of their citizens.
Human rights organisations: The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, along with relevant Special Procedures should monitor the situation in Pakistan and offer a response to the situation concerning human rights abuses, especially of the religious minorities.
But who will the bell the cat? All human aid organisations, USAID, UK AID, etc are helping Muslims in Pakistan. They are working for their vested interests. Ever since they have been in Pakistan, have these human aid organisations ever helped Christians? All scholarships for education go to Muslim students. How can they then claim they are helping humanity equally? Pakistani Christian human rights activists are busy in leg-pulling of each other; some write about one incident and the others condemn it and give their own opinion to attract donors’ attention. People are threatened and if reported, some human rights activist deny being involved and give their own biased opinions to become champions of humanity.
Christian leadership: The so-called efforts by some of the country’s prominent leaders to repeal or amend the blasphemy law have gone in vain. Pakistani Christians all claim to be born leaders. As the saying goes, some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Time has proved that they are all ‘leaders’, and this is the main cause of Christain sufferings going unnoticed.
During the past era, the minority members in legislative assemblies have signed and endorsed these laws. It is observed that as soon as there is a mess, the seasonal creepers come out and earn money in the name of human rights service for the next tenure. Even religious leaders are involved in illegally selling church properties; evangelical bishops receive millions in aid from their sister churches in western countries for promotion and preaching of the gospel. NGOs are funded for charitable programmes but they spend those funds lavishly hosting Muslim political leaders and for self-promotion, instead of utilizing them on vulnerable communities. They spend millions for their political positions but will not support any Christian student for education. In the past few months, Christian schools have expelled Christian students for not paying their school fees. When a few leaders were asked to take the responsibility for their dues, they simply refused, saying that they did not have funds for them. But the very next month the same leadership spent millions of rupees in the election campaigns of mainstream political parties in the hope of selection as members of the legislative assemblies.
All Christian leaders need to put their act together for the collective good of the community instead of following a divisive course.
The writer is a human rights activist and is working as a stinger, specialising in writing about minority rights for various national and international papers