Credit: Belief CNN via Wasim Sroya
By Reza Sayah, CNN
Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) – An 11-year-old girl is being accused of blasphemy in Pakistan. Her accusers says she burned pages from the Quran, Islam’s holy book. Now, she is being detained by authorities, and her family appears to be on the run.
The case is drawing the country’s complex laws about blasphemy into the spotlight again. Here is a primer on the country’s laws.
What are the major stipulations of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, and what exactly do they prohibit?
Pakistan’s blasphemy law makes it a crime to destroy or damage the Quran or to insult the Prophet Mohammed.
The following are two sections of the law as they appear in Pakistan’s penal code:
Whoever will fully defiles, damages or desecrates a copy of the Holy Quran or of an extract therefrom or uses it in any derogatory manner or for any unlawful purpose shall be punishable for imprisonment for life.
Whoever by words, either spoken or written or by visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.
When were Pakistan’s blasphemy laws adopted? What fueled them?
According to the public policy think tank Jinnah Institute, Pakistan’s blasphemy laws originated in British colonial laws drafted in 1860 to protect religious beliefs and customs.
In the 1980s, under the rule of hardline Islamist and military dictator Gen. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, the laws were amended to include life imprisonment and the death penalty
The late General Zia ul Haq introduced or re-introduced these laws especially to target the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. That Christians got caught in it was sort of ‘by mistake’ and not ‘by intention’. (Correct me please if my assumption is wrong).
You seem to be right however since no one can read the hidden intentions as such give the benefit of doubt to the soul of Gen Zia.
As very rightly stated in the article it’s going to take a visionary political leadership which is willing to be courageous and take a stand to generate popular support. To me Pakistan political party MQM has the visionary leadership to accept this challenge. The only shortcoming with MQM it does not have popular public support in all the areas of Pakistan. Other possibility with Peoples Party. The moment Mr Bilawal or Fatima Bhutto will take over, both have the vision and courage to take on this challenge. However for this option Pakistanis have to wait for couple of years. The last but not least an unusual resort is take over by some visionary and courageous army commander who can do it. Not like Gen P Musharraf who had the vision but lacked the courage.
(comment also appeared in the original post)