Pakistani Couple Get Death Sentences for Blasphemy

BBC: A Pakistani Christian couple have been sentenced to death for blasphemy after allegedly sending a text message insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

The couple, named as Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar, were found guilty of sending the text message to the imam of their local mosque.

Allegations of blasphemy against Islam are taken very seriously in Pakistan.

Several recent cases have prompted international concern about the application of blasphemy laws.

The imam brought a complaint against the couple last July.

The couple's lawyer told the BBC he would appeal against the sentences and said the trial had not been conducted fairly.

Pakistan has a de facto moratorium on the death penalty so it is unlikely the couple will be executed.

They come from the town of Gojra in Punjab, previously the scene of communal violence. » | Saturday, April 05, 2014

Christian Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy in Pakistan

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Arrest of Sawan Masih after drunken row last year prompted Muslim mob to burn hundreds of homes in eastern city of Lahore

A Christian man has been sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan, according to his lawyer, following an incident last year that prompted a Muslim mob to torch hundreds of homes.

It is the latest in a string of convictions prompting calls from religious minorities for the law to be reformed.

Naeem Shakir said his client, Sawan Masih, was convicted during a hearing held in jail for fear of violent protests.

Masih, a cleaner, was accused of insulting the Prophet Mohammed during a conversation with a Muslim friend in the eastern city of Lahore. Within hours, about 3000 protesters had set light to Christian homes and churches in an area known as Joseph Colony.

His supporters have always claimed the incident was fabricated as part of a plot to seize land. » | Rob Crilly, Pakistan correspondent | Friday, March 28, 2014

British Man Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy in Pakistan

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Pakistani court has passed the death sentence on a British national with mental health problems

A court in Pakistan has sentenced a British man to death for blasphemy for claiming to be a prophet of Islam, a prosecutor and police said Friday.

Mohammad Asghar, a British national of Pakistani origin, was arrested in 2010 in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, for writing letters claiming to be a prophet, police said.

The special court inside Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, where Asghar is being held, rejected defence claims that the 65-year-old has mental health problems.

"Asghar claimed to be a prophet even inside the court. He confessed it in front of the judge," Javed Gul, a government prosecutor, told AFP.

"Asghar used to write it even on his visiting card." » | AFP | Friday, January 24, 2014

DM Digital Fined £105,000 over Speech that Condoned Murder for Blasphemy

THE GUARDIAN: Ofcom says Islamic scholar's remarks were 'likely to encourage or incite the commission of crime or to lead to disorder'

A British TV channel has been fined £105,000 after it aired a live lecture by an Islamic scholar who allegedly advocated killing people who insult the prophet Muhammad.

Manchester-based station DM Digital, which describes itself as Britain's most-watched Asian channel, broadcast the one-hour programme in Urdu in October 2011.

The Islamic scholar can be heard telling his audience: "I hail those who made this law [Pakistan's blasphemy law] which states that one who insults the Prophet deserves to be killed – such a person should be eliminated."

Ofcom's English-language translation of his lecture suggest he also told viewers: "If someone takes a step in the love of the Prophet, then this is not terrorism." » | Josh Halliday | Friday, July 05, 2013

Pakistani Girl Falsely Accused of Blasphemy 'in Canada'
BBC: A Pakistani Christian girl who was falsely accused of blasphemy has fled to Canada with her family, a Christian organisation says.

Rimsha Masih, aged 14, was detained in a maximum security prison for several weeks in August 2012, accused of burning pages from the Koran.

The case attracted widespread international concern.

Although charges against Rimsha were dropped, she and her family were forced into hiding after death threats.

Rimsha, who is believed to have learning difficulties, was arrested in a Christian area of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, after a furious crowd demanded she be punished.

A local Muslim cleric has since been accused of framing her. » | Saturday, June 29, 2013

Bangladesh's 'Blasphemy' Divide
Is freedom of speech at risk in the ongoing conflict between religious fundamentalists and secular voices in the media?

Vatican Declares Mexico's Death Saint Blasphemous
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Vatican's culture minister says Mexico's folk Death Saint, the Santa Muerte, is a blasphemous symbol that should not be part of any religion.

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi says worshipping such an icon is a degeneration of religion.

"It's not religion just because it's dressed up like religion; it's a blasphemy against religion", Cardinal Ravasi said. » | AP | Edited by Barney Henderson for The Daily Telegraph | Thursday, May 09, 2013

Pat Condell: Pigs Will Fly

Man Charges [sic] with Blasphemy
Mob wreaks havoc in Christian town
DAILY TIMES: 160 houses, 80 shops, several vehicles of Christians set on fire in Badami Bagh area ? SSP among several policemen injured as Saint Joseph Colony turns into ‘battlefield’

LAHORE: Hundreds of angry protesters turned into arsonists, attacking around 160 houses and 80 shops of Christians on Saturday, just a day after allegations of blasphemy were levelled against a man in the Badami Bagh area.

Several policemen, including SSP (Operations) Suhail Sukhera and the Badami Bagh SHO received multiple injuries when the angry mob pelted stones on them during a clash.

The Saint Joseph Colony and its surrounding areas turned into a battlefield when angry protesters started torching the houses and shops.

Upon being informed about the incident, police contingents and rescue teams reached the spot and tried to control the situation.

According to witnesses, the mob broke into the houses, looted them and burnt the remaining belongings in the streets. They said that on Friday, a large number of protesters forced the Christian community members to flee the area, leaving behind their homes and possessions unprotected. They said that the mob had gathered around St Joseph Colony on Noor Road at around 10am, led by a man named Shafiq Ahmed, who was in search of the accused, Sawan, alias Bubby.

They said that the mob first attacked Sawan’s house, setting it on fire and pelting it with stones, and then attacked other houses of the colony. » | Staff Report | Sunday, March 10, 2013

Nigeria Riot over 'Blasphemy' against Islam's Prophet
BBC: A rumour that a Christian man blasphemed against Islam has sparked a riot in the northern Nigeria town of Bichi, police have said.

Residents said four people were killed and shops were looted.

The riot came on the day the incoming head of the Anglican Church, the Rt Rev Justin Welby, launched an initiative to promote religious tolerance in Nigeria.

Religious clashes have claimed thousands of lives in Nigeria since military rule ended in 1999.

The militant Islamist group, Boko Haram, has also been waging an insurgency since 2009 to impose strict Sharia across Nigeria, which is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and a Christian and animist south. » | Thursday, November 22, 2012

Preacher Charged with Blasphemy in Egypt
Ahmed Abdallah, a Muslim television preacher in Egypt, has been charged with blasphemy against Christianity. Abdallah was videotaped burning a Bible in a protest in Cairo earlier this month. The preacher's case, along with cases of blasphemy by Egypt's Christian minority has led some to say the nation's laws need to be revised to insure the regulations are not being abused by lawmakers and prosecutors. Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland reports from Cairo.

Pakistani Mullah 'Planted Charred Texts' on Girl Accused of Blasphemy

THE GUARDIAN: Hardline cleric deliberately framed Rimsha Masih, believed to be just 13, in order to 'get rid of Christians', court hears

The mullah at the centre of the furore surrounding a young Pakistani Christian girl facing a death sentence for blasphemy has been accused of deliberately framing her by planting burnt Islamic texts.

In an extraordinary development in the case, which has attracted international condemnation, Hafiz Mohammed Khalid Chishti arrived in court blindfolded and under tight security after being arrested late on Saturday night. The judge ruled he should be held in police custody for two weeks.

Police say two of his colleagues gave statements that he added pages from the Qu'ran to strengthen the case against Rimsha Masih, who has been in custody for two weeks after she was accused by Muslim neighbours in her Islamabad neighbourhood of burning the holy book.

The crime is particularly serious under the country's much-criticised blasphemy laws and offenders can be sentenced to death. » | Jon Boone in Islamabad | Sunday, September 02, 2012

'Down's Syndrome Girl', 11, Faces Death Penalty for Desecrating Koran in Pakistan
DAILY MAIL: Furious mobs surround the home of 'mentally disabled' Christian girl / She faces execution under Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws

An 11-year-old girl thought to suffer from Down's Syndrome is facing the death penalty in Pakistan for apparently burning pages from the Koran.

Furious mobs of Muslim locals gathered outside the home of Christian girl Rifta Masih after she was found with charred pages of the Islamic holy book.

She was arrested and has been held in custody for the last 14 days under Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws. A conviction could see her executed. » | Rick Dewsbury | Monday, August 20, 2012

Kuwait Emir Says No to Death Penalty for Blasphemy
BIKYA MASR: DUBAI – Kuwait’s Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has said no to the passing of a bill previously voted through by parliament that would have allowed Muslims who insult Islam to be executed and would harshly penalize Christians and other non-Muslims in the country.

The bill had been seeking to institute the death penalty for Muslims who insult God, the Qu’ran, or the Prophet and his wives, which was passed with last May.

It also stipulated that Christians and other non-Muslims will be given a minimum sentence of 10 years for the same offense.

Religious tension has been heightened in the country following statements by leaders calling for the destruction of all Churches in the country. » | Bikya Masr Staff | Friday, June 29, 2012

Shiite Cleric Convicted for Blasphemy in Indonesia
abc NEWS: An Indonesian court sentenced a Shiite cleric to two years in jail for blasphemy Thursday in a case rights activists have called a setback to religious freedom in the world's third-largest democracy.

The three-judge panel found Tajul Muluk guilty of insulting Islam with his religious teachings.

Citing testimonies from witnesses, the panel said Muluk had taught about revising daily obligatory prayers from five to three, saying the current holy book of Quran was no longer authentic and considering companions of the Prophet Muhammad to be infidels.

"The defendant has been legally and convincingly proven guilty of blasphemy," said presiding judge Purnomo Amin Tjahjo. "His acts, in principle have insulted Islam."

He added that Muluk had dispensed Shiite religious teachings that were declared heretical by the influential Indonesia Ulema (preacher) Council. The council and most Indonesian Muslims are Sunni. » | Associated Press, Sampang, Indonesia | Thursday, July 12, 2012

New Dark Age Alert! Kuwait: New Death Penalty for Blasphemy
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: So what should international human rights organization regard as the threat: the Quran, Quranic instructions, or the people who are just following its recommended path?

Kuwaiti lawmakers have passed a legal amendment authorizing the death penalty for Muslims who curse their God or the Quran, or who defame their Prophet Mohammed or his wife. In the amended article, if the defendant publicly repents and apologizes for the crime, the penalty will be reduced to five years in jail, a fine of 10,000 Kuwaiti Dinars (KD), or both.

The approved article states that non-Muslims who commit the same crime face at least 10 years in jail. Some MPs demanded the death penalty should also apply to them as well. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan boast the same death penalty law for blasphemy. In other Muslim countries, there are different interpretations to executing people who are outspoken and have different opinion. The Islamic States also never tolerate apostasy, conversion, or freedom from religion.

Islam is a belief. It is not clear in any Muslim country why a man before a court in any Muslim country would be termed Muslim if he does not believe in the religion, or possibly any religion, just because he happened to be born into a home in which Islam happened to be the religion of the family living there.

Overriding Kuwaiti disapproval, international human rights organizations, including the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, expressed deep concern. The Chairman of USCIRF, Leo Leonard, said he judged these penalties as alarming and contrary to international human rights standards.

As the commission recognizes the Quran as a holy script for the Muslims, however, the question arises as to how can the commission can feel concerned about the new law if the law has been derived from the Quranic instructions of which they ostensibly approve?

Although most Islamists formally say that the Quran itself does not prescribe any earthly punishment for apostasy, in fact Sharia Law and Islamic schools of jurisprudence strongly advocate that an apostate must be either executed or imprisoned until he or she re-converts to Islam. In the last 1400 years, Islam has been always harsh and brutal to non-believers, apostates and people who might have different opinions. Here is what Quran says on these issues: » | Mohshin Habib | Thursday, June 14, 2012

Christians and Muslims Unite in New Bid to Silence Lady Gaga

THE OBSERVER: Fans defend singer's freedom of speech as Philippines protests threaten star's concerts

Christian groups in the Philippines have called for a ban on Lady Gaga's Manila concerts, alleging that her song Judas is an offensive mockery of Jesus Christ.

Youths gathered at a rally outside the mayor's office, chanting "Stop the Lady Gaga concerts", while members of the Biblemode Youth Philippines group called her videos religiously offensive.

In the song, she calls herself a "holy fool" who is "still in love with Judas", singing: "Jesus is my virtue/And Judas is the demon I cling to." In the video, Gaga plays a biker chick riding behind a man wearing a crown of thorns, while longing for another biker with "Judas" emblazoned across his leather jacket.

The singer is due to play the 20,000-seat Mall of Asia tomorrow and on Tuesday, and James Imbong, a lawyer filing a petition to ban the concerts, said Christian groups would not accept a compromise as organisers in South Korea did when Seoul authorities agreed to forbid under-12s from attending instead of cancelling the concert.

"She has a song that suggests that she wants to have sex with Judas and performs it with a dance," Imbong told the news website PhilStar. "Of course, it would be accompanied by a costume that has pornographic elements."

Manila's mayor has issued a statement ordering Gaga not to "exhibit any nudity or lewd conduct which may be offensive to morals and good custom", with the stark reminder that the penal code in the primarily Roman Catholic country of 93 million can convict anyone up to six years for offending race or religion.

Tens of thousands of Gaga fans, from Seoul to Jakarta, are campaigning for the singer's right to freedom of expression, after numerous attempts by Christian and Muslim groups to ban shows during her Born This Way Ball Asia tour, calling her music, persona and style the "work of Satan", "dangerous to youth" and "spreading unhealthy sexual culture". » | Kate Hodal | Sunday, May 20, 2012

THE GUARDIAN: Lady Gaga denied permit for Indonesia concert after religious protests: Police refuse to license Jakarta gig, saying they are unable to guarantee singer's safety following protests » | Sean Michaels | Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Tunisian Court Levies Fine on Persepolis Cinema Owner

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Tunisian court on Thursday imposed a 2,400-dinar (£1000) fine on a media boss over blasphemy charges after a trial that deepened the divide between Islamists and secularists.

Nabil Karoui was charged over the decision by his Nessma television station to broadcast the award-winning animated film "Persepolis."

The film, about a girl growing up in Iran, includes a scene depicting Allah, which is forbidden in Islam. an escalating series of protests against the station's broadcast of "Persepolis" on October 7.

The globally acclaimed animated film on Iran's 1979 revolution offended many Muslims because it depicts an image of God as an old, bearded man. All depictions of God are forbidden by Islam.

Earlier on Friday, police fired tear gas at some demonstrators as some of the protests against the station degenerated. » | Telegraph Foreign Staff | Thursday, May 03, 2012

Mohammed-Zweifler Kaschgari: Facebook-Hatz auf einen Blogger

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Zehntausende fordern in einer Facebook-Gruppe die Bestrafung des saudi-arabischen Journalisten Hamsa Kaschgari, weil er den Propheten Mohammed beleidigt haben soll. Sie wollen ein Exempel statuieren und verlangen die Hinrichtung des 23-Jährigen. Kaum einer stellt sich dem Hass entgegen.

Es ist ein digitaler Lynchmob, der sich im Internet zusammengerottet hat: Mehr als 25.000 Menschen sind bislang der Facebook-Gruppe "Das saudische Volk will die Bestrafung von Hamsa Kaschgari" beigetreten. Die meisten User, die sich auf der Pinnwand der Gruppe äußern, lassen keinen Zweifel daran, wie diese Strafe aussehen muss: Sie fordern den Tod des 23-jährigen Journalisten, weil er ihrer Meinung nach den Propheten Mohammed beleidigt und sich damit der Blasphemie schuldig gemacht haben soll.

Hamsa Kaschgari hatte vor zehn Tagen auf Twitter ein fiktives Gespräch mit dem Propheten geführt. Darin hatte er unter anderem erklärt, dass er nicht für Mohammed beten werde und bestimmte Dinge an ihm hasse. Außerdem schrieb er: "An Deinem Geburtstag werde ich mich nicht vor Dir verbeugen und nicht Deine Hand küssen."

In der Folge brach im arabischsprachigen Internet ein Sturm der Wut und Entrüstung über die Tweets des jungen Mannes aus. Als Kaschgari erkannt hatte, welche Gefahr vom Zorn seiner Glaubensbrüder und Glaubenschwestern ausging, floh er nach Malaysia. Offenbar wollte er von dort aus nach Neuseeland weiterfliegen. Die Behörden in Kuala Lumpur nahmen ihn jedoch bald nach der Ankunft fest und lieferten ihn an Saudi-Arabien aus, wo er in der Zwischenzeit mit Haftbefehl gesucht wurde.

In seiner Heimat droht ihm wegen seiner drei verhängnisvollen Tweets nun die Todesstrafe. » | Von Christoph Sydow | Mittwoch, 15. Februar 2012

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The Bloodlust Faced by the 'Blaspheming' Saudi Journalist
GUARDIAN – BLOGS – ANDREW BROWN: Hamza Kashgari's tweets about Muhammad have led to a chilling online reaction from many in Saudi Arabia

In this country, and in the US, the judicial authorities make fools of themselves about Twitter. In Saudi and Malaysia, they may make themselves murderers. The case of Hamza Kashgari, a young Saudi journalist who has just been deported from Malaysia to face trial on charges of blasphemy, is one that should frighten and disgust anyone who cares about freedom of speech or religion.

His supposed offence was to have tweeted part of an imaginary conversation with the prophet Muhammad. "I have loved things about you and I have hated things about you and there is a lot I don't understand about you," he wrote; and: "I will not pray for you."

After six hours, he apologised for this, and then fled to Malaysia, en route to New Zealand, where he would have been safe. But after three days in Malaysia, he was arrested and shipped back to Saudi, where he faces the death penalty.

It is likely that he will not be executed, if he makes a sufficiently grovelling apology, though he will certainly be punished cruelly for something that is not a crime in any civilised society. This doesn't do much to excuse either the Saudis or the Malaysian authorities, who were under no compulsion to arrest him, and even less to deport him before his lawyers could lodge an appeal, despite the protests of both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Continue reading and comment » | Andrew Brown | Wednesday, February 15, 2012

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