Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - The blasphemy law continues to claim victims in Pakistan. The last cases reported by Fides concern some Christians, Ahmadis, and a popular TV station - "Geo Tv".
As Fides learns on 17 May a blasphemy case was registered in the village Mirpur Khas (Sindh province) against four Christians: Javed Masih, his wife Nazia, Rose Marry and Cavell David. The Muslim Hafiz Shah Fahad, who denounced them, says that the Christians preached in the train station in Mirpur and, therefore, severely hurt the feelings of Muslims. The police arrested all Christians for questioning.
In another notorious case, the Christian George Masih reports that father Boota Masih’s murderers, who was brutally killed on September 14, 2013 in broad daylight by some Muslims who cut his throat shouting "Allah is great", boasting of having eliminated "a blasphemous infidel", are still at large and unpunished. After this incident, explained George "in my family we are more dead than alive: we have lost our jobs and now no one is willing to give us work".
On May 16, another serious incident involved the community of Ahmadis, considered a "sect" by other Muslims: a teenager killed Khalil Ahmad, a member of the Ahmadi community, denounced for blasphemy, while he was inside a police station in Punjab.
Also the popular Pakistani TV channel "Geo Tv" is accused of blasphemy: Sahibzada Hamid Raza, chairman of the Muslim Forum "Sunni Ittehad Council", accused the channel of "hurting the religious sentiments of millions of people". The leader issued a fatwa (Islamic decree) against the TV channel. The complaint is based on the fact that the channel broadcast images of dances with Sufi music which, according to tradition, refers directly to Muhammad and his family. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 19/05/2014)
