Indeed it does. From the Daily Times of Pakistan, with thanks to Ali Dashti:
“This is yet further proof of how religious intolerance and discrimination prevails in our society,” said Samson Salamat, a programme coordinator at the National Commission for Justice and Peace, a non-government organisation working for minorities’ rights. “It is another example of religious intolerance which is supported by the laws in the PPC,” Mr Salamat added.“Mr Masih’s death is another example of how the blasphemy law, in effect since 1980, can be misused,” said Joseph Francis, who heads the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement.
“This is abuse of the law. Mr Masih was not even put on trial. Sections 295-B and C, and Sections 298-A, B and C of the PPC are vague and can be interpreted in ways that cause suffering and death and devastating pain to society,” the Archbishop of Lahore Lawrence J Saldhana told Mr Masih’s funeral on Saturday, according to newspaper reports. “The existence of these laws gives rise to injustices. It is usually the poor and the weak who are the victims.”
Particularly if they are not Muslim.
Mahmoud, Reza, Muslims:
The Qur’an is the perfect and infallible word of Allah. The Qur’an is a scriptural and moral code valid for all people and for all time.
Why then does Allah concern himself with a commonplace marital dispute between the Prophet and his wives? Look at these verses from sura 66.
“Prophet, why do you prohibit that which Allah has made lawful to you, in seeking to please your wives? Allah is forgiving and merciful.
Allah has given you absolution from such oaths. Allah is your master. He is the Wise One, the All-knowing.
When the prophet confided a secret to one of his wives; and when she disclosed it and Allah informed him of this, he made known to her one part of it and said nothing about the other. And when he had acquainted her with it she said: ‘Who told you this?’ He replied: ‘The Wise One, the All-knowing, told me.’
If you two turn to Allah in repentance (for your hearts have sinned) you shall be pardoned; but if you conspire against him, know that Allah is his protector, and Gabriel, and the righteous among the faithful. The angels too are his helpers.
It may well be that, if he divorces you, his Lord will give him in your place better wives than yourselves, submissive to Allah and full of faith, devout, penitent, obedient and given to fasting; both widows and virgins.”
66:1-5
Here is Ali Dashti’s explanation of why we see in the Qur’an, a Holy book supposedly valid for all people and all time, a record of a private dispute between Mohammad and his wives:
“One day Mariya [one of Mohammad’s slave-girls] went to see the prophet at Hafsa’s [one of the Prophet’s wives] house. Hafsa was not at home. He took Mariya into the bedroom and lay down with her. Hafsa came back. In great indignation she shouted at him, “Why are you lying with your slave-girl on my bed?” In order to placate Hafsa, the Prophet swore that he would never touch Mariya again. When the storm abated, and perhaps because he was fond of Mariya or affected by her hurt feelings and complaints about the interdict, he changed his mind. His conduct was justified by the revelation of the first five verses of sura 66 (ot-Tahrim):
“Prophet, why do you prohibit that which Allah has made lawful to you, in seeking to please your wives? Allah is forgiving and merciful.” (Verse 1)
Allah has given you absolution from such oaths. Allah is your master. He is the Wise One, the All-knowing.” (Verse 2)
This is evidently a reference to verse 91 of sura 5 (ol-Ma’eda), which authorizes expiation of ill-considered oaths through compensatory good deeds such as feeding or clothing ten poor persons, freeing a slave, or fasting for three days. According to one account, which is attributed to Moqatel b. Solayman, the Prophet expiated his oath about Mariya by manumitting a slave, but Hasan b. ‘Ali is reported to have said that the words “Allah is forgiving and merciful” in verse 1 mean that God forgave the Prophet.
“When the Prophet said something secret to one of his wives, and when she talked about it and God informed him thereof, he made part of it known and refrained from (making known) part of it. And when he spoke to her about it, she asked, ‘Who told you this?’ He answered, ‘The One who knows all and is informed of everything told me.’” (Verse 3)
What had happened was evidently as follows. The Prophet had let Hafsa know in strict confidence that he undertook to have no more relations with Mariya, and had asked Hafsa not to tell anyone else; but Hafsa told A’esha, and God informed the Prophet that she had done so. He then spoke to Hafsa, mentioning part of what he had been informed but refraining from mention part of it. Hafsa, thinking that A’esha had told the Prophet, asked him how he knew, and he answered that God had told him.
Every reader of the Qur’an must be amazed to encounter these private matters in a scripture and moral code valid for all mankind and for all time.
Even more amazing are the explanations given by the Qur’an commentators. One example is the following statement in the Cambridge Tafsir: “When Hafsa told A’esha about the Prophet’s secret and when God informed his Apostle that Hafsa had told his secret to A’esha, the Prophet reminded Hafsa of part of what she had said to A’esha.”
Is such women’s talk, which may occur at any time and in any corner of the world, a fit matter for inclusion in the text of the Qur’an? Do not the commentators degrade God, the Creator of the Universe, to the level of a tale-bearer reporting on Hafsa’s conversation with A’esha? In any case, the subject of the first three verses of the Surat ot-Tahrim is a commonplace dispute between a husband and a wife.
The next two verses give warnings to Hafsa and A’esha. If they persisted in grumbling and showing wifely jealousy, they would incur the Prophet’s displeasure. God was the Prophet’s protector, and the Prophet could in the last resort divorce them.
“If you two turn to Allah in repentance (for your hearts have sinned) you shall be pardoned; but if you conspire against him, know that Allah is his protector, and Gabriel, and the righteous among the faithful. The angels too are his helpers.” (Verse 4)
“It may well be that, if he divorces you, his Lord will give him in your place better wives than yourselves, submissive to Allah and full of faith, devout, penitent, obedient and given to fasting; both widows and virgins.” (Verse 5)
Although both the meaning and the occasion of the revelation of this verse are clear, commentators have tried to explain it in ways which can only make the reader smile at their naivety. According to the Cambridge Tafsir, the word thayyebat (widows or divorcees) refers to Pharoah’s wife Asiya, and the word virgins (abkar) refers to Jesus’s mother Mary, both of whom are waiting to be married to the Prophet Mohammad in heaven.
A quite different account of the occasion of the revelation of the first five verses of sura 66 should perhaps also be mentioned. According to it, the Prophet had eaten some honey at Zaynab’s house, and after he had left, ‘A’esha and Hafsa, being jealous of Zaynab, said to him, “Your breath smells bad.” On hearing this, the Prophet swore he would never eat honey again. Afterwards, (presumably after he had regretted his oath), the verse of rebuke (i.e. verse 1) in the Surat ot-Tahrim was sent down, and then the principle of compensatory expiation for breach of an oath was instituted and the Prophet’s wives were threatened with divorce in the event of persistence in their jealousy and rivalry. This report is unlikely, however, to be an authentic Hadith because it omits the matter of Hafsa’s knowledge and disclosure of the Prophet’s secret.””
pp. 136-138, 23 years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad, by Ali Dashti (Mazda Publishers, 1994)
Ali Dashti's book "23 years" is excellent, and highly recommended for everyone that has some basic knowledge of Islam from before.
Power and the policeman's self-righteouness killed this man because of an abusive interpretation of the blasphemy law. What was the man's crime? He was mortally beaten for being a Christian and "leaning brush against the side of a mosque."
Self-righteous pettiness is found in all religions and ideologies. However, Islam is the only religious ideology that now permits, requires physical retribution against any rule infraction even in face of a disaster, calling to mind the school girls that were forced to re-enter a burning building because they were not dressed in "appropriate Muslim garb," obviously a crime punishable by death. As was Mr. Masih, these girls were not given the opportunity to put on trial. The "morality police" were judge, jury, and executioners.
It is interesting to note that the case against the constable will only be persued "if the family wants it." Will the family dare to seek justice? What do you think?
Expect no protest from the keepers of the West's humanitarian conscience. They have even less sympathy for Christians than some Muslims.
EPG asks if the family of a murdered Christian will "dare to seek justice" in Muslim Pakistan? Bukra fi mishmish (tomorrow, when the apricots are here). Which, in some Arabic dialects, means "Never."
Why are we suprised,
(paraphrasprased)
In the last days they will take you to their place of worship (mosque or tribunal whatever) try you and then kill you.
And they will think they are doing God a service.
This goes both for muslims and other persons who believe that they are helping god by murder.
Ilsam is unable to stand any test.
The first sign of any resistance its either
Death, or your a blasphemer (gee death)...
And they do believe they are doign god a service.
God is weeping in heaven over this filth called islam
as is mohammed as he is hell awaiting judgment for his crimes.
Muslims repent (and christians you need to start to look up for the kingdom of God is at hand)...
Actually, dear friend aRealAmerican, the Lord is not shaken by any of this and be comforted by the fact that the Lord laughs at their attempts to thwart His purpose of making Jesus Lord of all. Though the Muslims, Communists and others gather against the Christians they will be defeated because they are not attacking us...they are attacking Jesus..and they will never overcome Him, and you are right the time is short. There is nothing surprising in what the Islamic nations are doing--we have already been told about that years before Islam came into being:
Psalm 2
1 Why do the nations conspire [1]
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the LORD
and against his Anointed One. [who is Jesus]
3 "Let us break their chains," they say,
"and throw off their fetters."
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then He rebukes them in His anger
and terrifies them in His wrath, saying,
6 "I have installed my King [Jesus]
on Zion, my holy hill."
7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD :
He said to me, "You are my Son [Jesus] ;
today I have become your Father.
8 Ask of Me,
and I will make the nations Your inheritance,
the ends of the earth Your possession.
9 You will rule them with an iron scepter [6] ;
You will dash them to pieces like pottery."
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry
and you be destroyed in your way,
for His wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
And God Himself will put all who fight against us (including the Muslims) under the feet of Jesus:
Psalm 110
1 The LORD says to my Lord:
"Sit at My right hand
until I make Your enemies
a footstool for Your feet."
2 The LORD will extend Your mighty scepter from Zion;
You will rule in the midst of Your enemies.
3 Your troops will be willing
on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy majesty,
from the womb of the dawn
you will receive the dew of your youth. [1]
4 The LORD has sworn
and will not change his mind:
"You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek."
5 The Lord is at Your right hand;
He will crush kings on the day of His wrath.
6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead
and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
Bluewisteria: Thanks for the encouragement of the Psalter! However, God also permitted the Mesopotamians (Assyrians and Babylonians) to overcome Israel and Judah for their sins of old, and the Muslims to overcome the ancient churches of the Middle East. Perhaps some of the errors the Qu'ran puts forth regarding Christianity and the Gospel suggests that those ancient churches were riddled with people who (a) had no appreciation for the atonement that Christ wrought, (b) heeded apocryphal false Gospels (like the Protevangelion of James, in which Jesus speaks as an infant), (c) gave overly great honor to angels, Mary, and the saints, (d)exalted tradition over Scripture, and (e)let the doctrine of the Trinity degenerate into a kind of tritheism. I fear too many modern Western Christians are lax in these matters, too.
WHy are so many still surprised by the intense cruelty of Islam and the lack of any remorse?
There is no free will in Islam which can allow you to express your own personal morality or guilt or judgements.
Islam only can dictate how you judge such actions.
And such actions are permitted, indeed encouraged.
So you are following the right path when you punish infidels for "desecrating" a Mosque.
Ther is therefore no reason to feel western guilt .
TO condemn them would be unislamic.