Blasphemy Jungle – Reckless Frenzy
By Khalid A.
London , UK
More than 4000 cases of blasphemy have been reported after 1986, compared to only 7 cases between 1947 and 1986! Zia ul Haq must be giggling in his grave. If the new law was meant to protect Islam, it seems to have ‘encouraged’ thousands of people to do the opposite, majority of the accused being Muslims. Is it believable that Pakistanis are committing blasphemy, left, right and center?
May I suggest that we consider the following issues, to put a stop to this madness:
1. Blasphemy must be clearly defined. It is obvious that the followers of various religions believe that only they would go to paradise. Thus, if non-Muslims express the view that Muslims will not go to paradise, there is no reason to be shocked or surprised. Such a statement is not blasphemous. Allah (swt) has made it clear in sura Al-kafiroon that kafirs can follow their ‘deen’, while we follow ours.
2. Our main emphasis has wrongly been on the sanctity of pieces of paper carrying scriptures. We fail to understand that the sanctity belongs to the actual divine message itself – and not the pieces of paper it is written upon. Would one apply the same sanctity to Qur’anic cassettes and CD’s? What about computer screens, newspapers, billboards, mobile phones, USB sticks, laptops and hard drives? Why not ban everything modern? We would then go back to the 18th century when the Ottomans declared that printing of the Holy Qur’an was ‘haraam’!
I would also suggest that the following should be included in the law of blasphemy, to remove ambiguities and to exclude the possibilities of abuse of the law, by the zealots:
1. It must be established that the accused has committed the crime with intent, is in possession of mental faculties, and was not provoked. The burden of proof must be on the accuser.
2. The accusers should swear on the Holy Qur’an that he/she is a devout Muslim and has not committed a ‘kabeerah’ sin. The evidence of such sinners is not acceptable in Islam.
3. If the accused is cleared of the crime by the courts, the accuser will be tried for the offence of blasphemy.
4. The accuser would produce a bail of considerable sum or a guarantor, at the time of FIR.
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