Pakistan temple raiders face blasphemy scrutiny

[Ray]

Pak temple raiders face blasphemy scrutiny

Pakistan's blasphemy laws may be used to punish Muslims suspected of ransacking a Hindu temple, an intriguing twist for a country where harsh laws governing religious insults are primarily used against supposed offences to Islam, not minority faiths.
The blasphemy laws, sections of which carry the death penalty or life imprisonment, have drawn renewed international scrutiny this year after a young Christian girl in Islamabad was alleged to have desecrated the Quran. A Muslim cleric now stands accused of fabricating evidence against the girl, who has been freed on bail and whose mental capacity has been questioned.

Police officer Mohammad Hanif said yesterday the anti-Hindu attack took place September 21. The government had declared that day a national holiday — a "Day of Love for the Prophet" — and called for peaceful demon

strations against an antiIslam film made in the US that has sparked protests throughout the Muslim world. Those rallies took a violent turn in Pakistan, and more than 20 people were killed.
Hanif said dozens of Muslims led by a cleric converged on the outskirts of Karachi in a Hindu neighbourhood. The protesters attacked the Sri Krishna Ram temple, broke religious statues, tore up a copy of the Bhagavad Gita and beat up the temple's caretaker, Sindha Maharaj.

"The attackers broke the statues of (Hindu deities) Radha,H anuman, Parvati

and Krishna, and took away the decorative gold ornaments," Maharaj said. "They also stormed my home and snatched the gold jewellery of my family,my daughters." Maharaj and other Hindu leaders turned to the police, who registered a case against the cleric and eight other Muslims. But none of the suspects had been found as of yesterday, police said.
Officials said the case against the attackers was registered under Section 295A of the blasphemy laws.

That section of the law can apply to any religion and carries a fine or up to 10 years imprisonment.

Pakistan's British rulers originally framed blasphemy laws partly to prevent violence between Muslims and Hindus. Muslim-majority Pakistan was carved out of India in 1947, and under the military rule of Gen.

Muhammad Zia ul-Haq the statutes covering blasphemy were toughened in the 1980s.

The Telegraph English epaper: Telegaph Kolkata's online Newspaper

An interesting development.

Will it be taken to its logical end?

I wonder if that would be so with the mad fundamentalist roaming free and berserk.

 

[mayfair]

A minor detail if you please. The attackers have been charged under Section 295-A of the Paki blasphemy laws. Guess the penalty? Three years imprisonment.

Now contrast this with the charges that are filed against those believed to have insulted Islam and/or the prophet in that sorry excuse of a country- Section 295C, i.e. punishable by death.

This is nothing more than a sad joke and a poor attempt at portraying a liberal facade. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together should be able to see through this charade.

 

[spikey360]

Interesting. Muslims getting punished for abusing the Kafirs.. Very interesting indeed.

 

[mayfair]

Interesting. Muslims getting punished for abusing the Kafirs.. Very interesting indeed.

Nope. This is misinformation and propaganda (albeit a poor attempt at that), which nevertheless dupes quite a few into believing that it is genuine.

 

[parijataka]

A minor detail if you please. The attackers have been charged under Section 295-A of the Paki blasphemy laws. Guess the penalty? Three years imprisonment.

Now contrast this with the charges that are filed against those believed to have insulted Islam and/or the prophet in that sorry excuse of a country- Section 295C, i.e. punishable by death.

This is nothing more than a sad joke and a poor attempt at portraying a liberal facade. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together should be able to see through this charade.

Pakistan is getting aware of the negative image it has created for itself and trying to cover up.

 

[mayfair]

Pakistan is getting aware of the negative image it has created for itself and trying to cover up.

Nah. They are well aware that their reputation as a shitehole is well and truly entrenched and nothing short of armageddon (perhaps not even that) can redeem it. In spite an eternity of polish, turd remains turd.

No, once again the eternal slaves and beggars with a misplaced sense of self-appointed thekedaari of the ummat-e-muslima are attempting to make an equal-equal, and try and push through a perception that they alone are the ones calling for a world-wide blasphemy law that proscribes perceived slander against religious (read Islamic) beliefs.

The buggers very well know that there's a snowball's chance in a desert of such a legislation seeing the light of the day, but they can use this to try and showcase their thekedaari and claim victimhood on how their attempts to preserve the prophet's and Islam's honour was stymied by the evil yahudis and yeendus.

 

[chase]

A minor detail if you please. The attackers have been charged under Section 295-A of the Paki blasphemy laws. Guess the penalty? Three years imprisonment.

Now contrast this with the charges that are filed against those believed to have insulted Islam and/or the prophet in that sorry excuse of a country- Section 295C, i.e. punishable by death.

This is nothing more than a sad joke and a poor attempt at portraying a liberal facade. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together should be able to see through this charade.

Its all Al-taqqiya