Pakistan's blasphemy law, which is based on Islamic law, continues to be a source of human rights abuses. An update on this story.
"Christian doctor accused of anti-Islam blasphemy freed (but in hiding)," by Qaiser Felix for Asia News, November 12 (thanks to Religion of Peace):
Lahore (AsiaNews) – A Christian man acquitted on blasphemy charges was recently released but is in hiding for fear of retaliation from Muslim extremists. In Hafizabin Additional Session Judge Sardar Ahmad Makan on 4 November ruled in favour of Dr Robin Sardar, 55, after he had already spent five months in Gujranwala Central Jail. Had he been found guilty he could have received a life sentence or the death penalty.Speaking to AsiaNews on the phone Sardar said: “Jesus has saved me and I thank God that I am still alive and in good health. Unfortunately, I have to live in hiding, changing places from time to time.”
The father of six said he was grateful to all the organisations and people who prayed and helped him during his trial.
“I was not tortured in prison. I spent my time in silence, reading the Bible, praying God,” Sardar said. “The Bible was my only strength in that time. Jesus said: ‘Don’t be afraid when people persecute you for My name.’ These words gave courage and hope.”
Robin Sardar was arrested in Hafizabad on 5 May after a Muslim man accused him of breaking the infamous blasphemy law which criminalises anyone who insults the Qur’an or the prophet Muhammad.
Once the accusation was made public Muslims extremist groups demanded that the accused be hanged. Eventually Dr Sandar’s family was forced into hiding for fear of retaliation.
The doctor’s accuser, Muhammad Bashir, was an employee in his clinic and had been fired for stirring animosity among other employees and spending much of his time talking about religion. A second witness against the doctor, Muhammad Rafic, who never met him, gave false testimony out of friendship for Bashir.
When the incident first occurred radical Muslims launched a campaign against Dr Sardar, inciting people against him through loudspeakers and speeches in mosques, demanding that he and his family be hanged, surrounding their home and threatening to torch it if he did not surrender to police. Fortunately he was saved by police, which intervened before he could be lynched, and was taken into prison....
The methodology is a familiar one: Apostate or blasphemer jailed....international outcry compels release...subject then executed extra-judicially....and everyone's off the hook.
"The doctor’s accuser, Muhammad Bashir, was an employee in his clinic and had been fired for stirring animosity among other employees and spending much of his time talking about religion."
Bashir must be another "misunderstander" of Islam. It's the religion of peace, doncha know?
Yeap the infamous ally of US to fight the war against terror. This Islamic Hell hole has been hell for minorities from Christians to Hindus. Since the partition Minority populations have dropped precipitously. With the thuggish Islamic Jihadis and an oppressive Islamic Sharia laws, being a non Muslims is a death sentence.
Pakistan the land of the pure is a land of the vile, almost all the western born Muslim terrorist get their training in the screw ball country. It exports more terrorist than any other Islamic country(I think).
Yes almost all terrorists are Mohammedans, they follow their leader the first Islamic terrorist Mohammad. The prophet of Islam was the greatest criminal par excellence. He was the greatest pedophile, the greatest rapist, the greatest mass murder, the greatest robber, the greatest liar, the greatest mass rapist of women and children and the greatest illiterate. Also the greatest bigot.
I am clicking tabs, Robert, back and forth between Fox's Book of Martyrs (MUST READ) and this post. It only proves that there is nothing new under the sun. I forget which Roman emperor had the policy of having both accuser and accused put to death, but it wouldn't surprise me that eventually, tired of all the accusations based on envy, greed, revenge or whatever, the judges in their wisdom decide to do likewise. Never underestimate the intolerant tyrant of solving a problem with more tyranny.
Pakistan the land of the pure is a land of the vile, almost all the western born Muslim terrorist get their training in the screw ball country. It exports more terrorist than any other Islamic country(I think).
I would posit that Egypt or maybe Saudi Arabia produces the most terrorists internationally, Pakistan the most domestically, mostly in those "tribal," "frontier" provinces. But yeah. And think about it. Think about how many Indians you know, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, maybe Parsis, and how great they are and how much better off we are for knowing them. Then think about Pakis. Racially the same, linguistically the same. The only difference: the RoP.
And after the international outcry the police, the townspeople, the courts are off the hook, and the poor, innocent victim of all this has to live in hiding, he and his family never again enjoying security of person or property, which had to have been pretty tentative at best before this whole mess. The only consolation is that now those Muslim Pakis have to go to Muslim doctors, which means that more of them will die slow, painful death because Muslim soctors believe that the brain is in the chest, that women produce sperm and store it in their kidneys, and that antiseptic is 'bit'a.'
This is so humbling.
I don't have money but I do have time. I can write letters. I can do something. It is time for me to get involved.
I am leery of liberal, post-Christian, "social justice" churches; I won't join one of those. (I'm Protestant.)
There have to be some organizations in Toronto that are doing something to help these oppressed Christians!
It's time for me to start doing some research. If anyone has any suggestions, I would be most grateful.
On a practical matter, do they have another doctor to treat them, or did they try and kill the only medical doctor they have???
I continuosly marvel and respect the Christians in Pakistan and throughout all islamic countries who bear such courageous witness to thier faith. They risk everything, literally.
“The Bible was my only strength in that time. Jesus said: ‘Don’t be afraid when people persecute you for My name.’ These words gave courage and hope.”
I can only hope that if things ever get that bad in the U.S.A. I can be as strong in my Christian faith.
Seeing the violent protest against Mormon and Christian churches in california over prop 8, and new "hate" law crimes that are sure to come, we may not be that far off....
For some reason, this post really speaks volumes about the persecution of Christians and our ability to hear about it. Used to be that only a handful of organizations did any sharing of information about the persecuted church. I was a letter writer for many years with Slavic Gospel Association. Many of us wrote to believers in the gulags before the collapse of the Soviet Union. I am pleased that there are many more organizations on the internet with regularly updated information. One such site is Lausanne World Pulse. From that site I discovered this appalling bit of history, and this would explain why the Turkey is just a tad touchy about this bit of their history:
"Between 1909 and 1916, 155 million Armenians died."
Obviously a typo. The figure is closer to 1.5 million, but that is minus the tragedy of 1895-96.
Charles has a thread up at lgf now about blasphemy becoming criminalized. Perhaps he does not realize the irony in his own posted comment on the same thread:
"Charles
11/13/08 9:14:45 am reply quote 2
Comments that use made-up slurs for "Muslim" are going to be deleted. I'm sure the people who are doing this have noticed that a filter stops them from posting some of these slurs, so you're deliberately making up others to get around the filters.
If you continue, your account will be blocked. There are plenty of websites that will let you do this, or you can start your own blog and then take all the credit for it."
Therefore, blasphemy is already criminalized at lgf! Ironic. Is Charles losing it?
Josephine: three reputable no-punches-pulled organisations that I know of, are 'Release International', 'The Barnabas Fund' and 'Tears of the Oppressed'.
You can find them by googling. All three are very happy to receive donations, which they use to help persecuted Christians in the Muslim world and elsewhere; they produce interesting and useful newsletters and do lobbying. I think they may have local branches - especially the first two, which are Anglican in origin.
The Barnabas Fund was founded by an apostate from Islam, now an Anglican Canon in the UK, Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, who has written three no-nonsense whistleblowing books about Islam - 'Islam in Britain', 'Power, Faith, and Territory' and 'Global Jihad'.
Like his colleague in the English church, Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, Dr Sookhdeo is very concerned about sharia creep and Islamisation of Western society; he has warned of the infiltration of the universities and the Muslim censoring of academe.
I should add that a handy clearinghouse of news reports about persecution of Christians, is 'Compass Direct', which Mr Spencer seems to read regularly.
Dumbledoresarmy: Thank you very much!
I have seen the website for The Barnabas Fund (someone here directed me to it a long time ago) but I haven't seen the others. I will check them out!
Josephine: frontline.org.za
It's run by Peter Hammond, a Christian missionary who assembles and sustains Christian troops to fight against the Arabs in Sudan. Buy his books, "Slavery, Terrorism, and Islam" and "Faith Under Fire in Sudan." Also buy his 3-video DVD, "Terrorism and Persecution: Understanding Islamic Jihad," "3 Days in Sudan," and "Sudan: the Hidden Holocaust." Give it to everyone for Christmas. All the proceeds go to help the organization. Shoot, you could join them as a missionary if you really want to help. It's the most worthwhile charity in the world if you ask me. Those are the bravest souls on the planet. They converted an entire Muslim tribe and lots of individual Muslims have joined up and converted as well.
jdamn: Thanks so much!
"...inciting people against him through loudspeakers and speeches in mosques, demanding that he and his family be hanged,..."
inciting and promoting violence in mosques...not unusual at all....it is what Muslic clerics do...
Ban mosques from being built in your neighborhood..
Josephine:
You could also take a look at:
Voice of the martyrs Canada.
Sencit: Much appreciated; thanks!