Category: Pakistan

UCAN Report: Christians remember victims of Gojra violence
— UCAN reports: “More than 500 people packed the Sacred Heart Church in Gojra recently to remember those who died in anti-Christian rioting”
— Father Hadayat: “I believe their blood will not go wasted and will bring about a revolt against the black (blasphemy) laws.”
— “According to Church sources, the death toll from the rioting has now risen to 10, including three children and three women.”

Pakistan Daily Times: “Blasphemy laws once again in the limelight”
— Pakistan Daily Times: “Religious affairs minister says major amendments in blasphemy laws will benefit Taliban”
— Pakistan Daily Times reports:
— “When an angry mob of Muslims torched 40 houses and a church in the town of Gojra, two children, their parents and 75-year-old grandfather were burnt to death.”
— “Three days later, two people were killed in Muridke in what was a private employee dispute against a Muslim factory boss, but coloured by unfounded allegations that the businessman desecrated the holy Quran.”
— “Arbitrary law: ‘It’s an arbitrary law, which has been badly misused by extremists and influentials and should be abolished,’ Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Co-chairman Iqbal Haider said.”
— “‘There is no option but to abolish this law. More than that, the government should revive the secular nature of the state as our founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah envisaged, otherwise it will aggravate religious unrest,’ he said.”
— “The government moved quickly to try to limit the fallout of the anti-Christian killings, offering compensation but cabinet ministers have stopped short of pledging to scrap the blasphemy laws.”
— “‘A committee will [examine] the laws which are detrimental to religious harmony to sort out how they could be made better,” Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told Christians during a solidarity visit to Gojra. Just one witness is enough to incriminate a ‘heretic.’ Anyone accused of blasphemy is immediately arrested and charged, before an investigation begins.”
— “In many cases, people take the law in their own hands and go for killing the alleged blasphemer and rights groups say this trend is increasing.”
— “Benefit: But Religious Affairs Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi said the government could not risk a ‘full-fledged review’ inciting a religious backlash.”
— “‘Any move for a major amendment in the law will generate another controversy that will benefit extremists and harm the cause of our Christian brothers.'”

— BBC reports: “The women says it wasn’t the Koran she flung to the ground but a register in which the shopkeeper had listed her credit”

— August 5, 2009: Pakistan: Mob attacks home of 60-year-old woman in extremist “blasphemy” charge

Pakistan: ‘Black Day’ shall be show of Christian power to repeal blasphemy law — August 11
— Pakistan Christian Post (PCP) reports: “Sources revealed PCP that government is planning to impose section 144 and to arrest leaders and activists of organizations which have openly declared to participate in ‘Black Day’ but Nazir S Bhatti warned administration not to block or to disturb peaceful gathering of Christians.”
— “Nazir S Bhatti said, ‘By our unity and peaceful protest we have to press upon government to repeal blasphemy law because Islamic laws have been allegedly used to kill Christians by extremist Muslims'”