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Blasphemy law in Pakistan
<a href="http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/blasphem.htm" target="_blank">Yet another victim of this senseless law.</a> It looks as though this one is a nutter.
Quote:
Christian sentenced to hang for blasphemy
(Filed: 19/07/2002)
A Pakistani judge sentenced a Christian to death yesterday for blaspheming against the Prophet Mohammed. The sentence came days after non-Muslim
minorities called for the blasphemy law to be repealed.
"The charge of blasphemy has been proved against the accused and . . . he shall be hanged to death," said Sadaqat Ullah Khan, the district judge in the eastern city of Lahore as he passed the sentence against Anwar Khinth.
Khinth confessed to the charges against him. He has refused three offers of legal representation since his arrest in 2000.
The prosecution produced two witnesses who told the court that Khinth was "using very derogatory and abusive remarks against the Prophet Mohammed".
Khinth had claimed that fire could not burn him and that he was the son and prophet of God, the court heard. He has the right to appeal to the Lahore High Court.
The newly formed All Pakistan Minorities Alliance urged the military government this week to repeal the controversial blasphemy law, saying it was being used against them to settle personal scores.
The blasphemy law was introduced by the late military ruler General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq in 1985.
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Humanists and other freethinkers continue to campaign on behalf of <a href="http://www.iheu.org/Shaikh/index.htm" target="_blank">Dr Shaikh.</a>
India is also doing <a href="http://www.iheu.org/alerts/IHEU%20Statement%20on%20Vijaya%20Viharam.htm" target="_blank">this.</a>
It is a disgrace that the blasphemy law is still current <a href="http://www.secularism.org.uk/newsline.htm" target="_blank">in England.</a>
Quote:
BLASPHEMY DEMO MAKES WAVES
A group of brave activists stood on the steps of St Martin in the Fields Church in Trafalgar Square in London on Thursday and recited the banned poem The Love that Dares to Speak its Name. The poem, by James Kirkup, was the subject of the last blasphemy prosecution in this country, in 1977, when Gay News and its editor, Denis Lemon were brought to court by Mary Whitehouse.
The demonstration, which was organised by The National Secular Society, The British Humanist Association, The Rationalist Press Association and the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association, was staged to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the conviction in the Gay News case, and also to reopen the debate on blasphemy law, which is currently being considered by a House of Lords Committee.
A motley and eccentric group of fundamentalist Christians had gathered to counter the reading of the poem, and had brought with them megaphones and public address systems in the hope of drowning out the readers. One man wearing a spangled white suit, cowboy boots and hat, carried a large wooden cross on his shoulder. Another read passages from the Bible out loud while the poem was being recited.
Those supporting the demonstration included George Melly (who read part of the poem on Radio 4's Today programme that morning), Jonathan Meades, the author and broadcaster (who opined on Channel 4 news that if bad art is to be the subject of legal action, the courts are going to be very busy, and wrote a splendid article about the event in The Times on Saturday), AC Grayling, the philosopher, and MPs Brian Sedgemore, Evan Harris and Alice Mahon. Also present were Tony Reeves, the artist who drew the original illustration for the poem and Peter Tatchell. Among the readers were Barry Duke, editor of the Freethinker, Hanne Stinson, Executive Director of the BHA, Keith Porteous Wood of the NSS and Jim Herrick and Shirley Dent of the RPA. Claire Rayner was, in the end, too ill to attend, but sent a strong letter of support saying: "It is an offence to any intelligent and thoughtful modern person that anyone who objects verbally to another's religious beliefs can actually be sent to prison. What is freedom of speech and thought if it is not the freedom to disagree vigorously with other people's views? As an atheist, I am insulted and offended every day by some of the stupid views I hear expressed all around me, but I would not want those who make these comments to be sent to jail!"
Earlier, according to the vicar of St Martin in the Fields, an unsuccessful attempt had been made in court to take out an injunction to stop the reading. Some of the counter-demonstrators approached the policemen present saying that they were offended by the poem, and demanding the readers be arrested. The policemen present declined to do this.
Later it was revealed that the police had sent a video recording of the reading to the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider whether there should be any further action.
The Evangelical Alliance put out a press statement saying that the reading amounted to "religious hatred" and said in its press release that it "hopes and prays that the full force of the law will ensure no repetition".
Meanwhile, the fundamentalist pressure group CARE told its members: "Please pray that the people and groups involved will respect the beliefs and sensitivities of people of faith and that the law will be used appropriately to this end."
You can read newspaper reports, and see and hear radio and TV coverage of the event if you go to the media page on our website and follow the links here.
Keith Porteous Wood, Executive Director of the National Secular Society, will be giving evidence next week to the Committee on Religious Offences at the House of Lords. He will be calling for the blasphemy Law to be abolished, with no replacement.
The British Humanist Association, in its written submission to the Committee, also wants the blasphemy law abolished, but says that it would support the religious incitement law so long as there were strict safeguards to protect free speech. It, too, will be giving evidence at the Committee next week.
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07-20-2002, 02:50 AM
