The use of Pakistan’s blasphemy law to persecute Christians and other non-Muslims is ongoing, and should be an international scandal. But no one is particularly concerned. After all, they don’t want to appear “Islamophobic.”
“51 year old Pastor given life imprisonment for alleged blasphemous text message,” by Wilson Chowdhry, British Pakistani Christian Association, May 8, 2017 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
A Christian man of 51 years has been sentenced to life imprisonment for allegedly sending out blasphemous texts in Pakistan.
Christian NGO’s up and down the country are galled by the decision to prosecute Mr Zafar Bhatti under section 295c of Pakistan’s Penal Code, a decision they say is due to an Islamic bias that has consumed the nation.
Campaigners say there is no solid evidence that allows for the Lahore High Court’s determination on 3rd May 2017. Mr Bhatti who was a Christian pastor until his arrest was accused of sending blasphemous text messages from his phone, yet several reports prove that the SIM was not registered to Mr Bhatti and was registered to a completely different Computerised National Identity card holder (CNIC).
Mr Zafar Bhatti was a co-accused defendant under blasphemy charges with Ghazala Khan whose CNIC card was registered against the phone SIM card. Ghazala who was arrested on 11th November 2012 was shown some leniency as she was a woman and was fairly immediately granted bail for her charges.
In an extremely bizarre trial Justice Khalid Mehmood of the Lahore High Court refused to pass judgement against Ghazala on April 8th 2013, he tried to convince the petitioner Ibrar Ahmed, Secretary for Ahle Sunnat Pakistan to forgive Ghazala, stating that Muhammed forgave many people. Pakistani media groups labelled his compassion as a delay tactic (click here). At the time Ghazala asked for a the court to make a just decision of the crime and to exonerate her. However Ghazala insisted did not want to be forgiven by the petitioner as she felt that escape from her blasphemy charges in this manner would indicate original guilt. She remonstrated that as she was innocent of a crime she should be freed by the court on merit.
Ghazala Khan (39 yrs) passed away in November 2016 after losing a battle with Hepatitis C, thus surviving the ignominy of being sentenced for blasphemy charges.
Due to the security reasons Mr Bhattis case proceedings were conducted on the premises of Central Jail Adiala, Rawalpindi, where Zafar Bhatti has been imprisoned since July 2012. Mr Bhatti has faced several attempts on his life at the prison including an incident of poisoning on March 31st 2103, which left him bleeding from his nose and mouth and left him in critical condition for days.
On 25th September 2014 Mr Bhatti narrowly escaped assassination after a rogue prison officer shot a 71 year old British Muslim Muhammed Asghar in a cell adjacent to Mr Bhatti’s. Mr Asghar was taken to a private hospital and later fully recovered from critical condition in a private hospital despite being shot in the chest. (click here)
Jail guard Muhammad Yousaf wanted to kill all inmates accused of blasphemy against Islam, but was knocked to the ground and captured after other prison guards intervened on hearing the shooting. He was inspired to kill blasphemers after being encouraged by Mumtaz Qadri who was also being held at Adiala Prison for his role in assassinating Muslim Governor of Punjab Salman Taseer, who called for abrogation of the draconian blasphemy laws of Pakistan. Muhammed Yousaf was from the same Barelvi cult as Mumtaz Qadri within the Hanafi School of Islamic Jurisprudence. He was able to enter the prison with a gun concealed in his shoe as only a light frisk was taken on prison staff at the time. Since the attack prison security measures are said to have tightened up. During interrogation Mr Yousaf claimed a divine presence entered his dreams at night telling him he must kill all blasphemers.
Shamim Masih, BPCA reporter said:
“The blasphemy law is continuously misused to settle personal scores but also by Islamic zealots intent on annihilating Christians from Pakistan who now make up 15% of all allegations, a percentage that is increasing.
“When people lay false charges against Christians who are later exonerated no action is taken by the government of Pakistan to intervene on behalf of the victims by prosecuting those who laid false allegations. This impunity has exacerbated the situation.”…
mortimer says
Pakistan shows the way to Western countries how to punish ISLAMOPHOBIA 1) arrest and incarceration upon the accusation 2) indefinite time in jail awaiting charges and trial 3) difficulty finding a lawyer to defend you because the lawyer may be assassinated by Islamists 4) likelihood of death sentence for blasphemy 5) likelihood of being killed in jailed by enraged, pious Muslim criminals 6) likelihood of family suffering persecution and the family’s community being targeted with plundering, rape, house burnings, business burnings, car burnings, assault and battery and slander.
gravenimage says
All grimly true, Mortimer. Muslims want to see this *everywhere*.
Ned Kelly says
After this, + Fry’s court case in Ireland (since dropped) over same subject, New Zealand had decided to take “blasphemy” off it’s law books, not used since 1922. At least some sense has happened from this, in our country.
Walter Sieruk says
Something something Muslims mistake for “blasphemous” words just simply Bible based truth telling.
For an example of Bible based truth keyboarding is the following example [Nevertheless many times it take much less than the following for Muslim to yell out “Blasphemy.”] The way for a person to discover the truth concerning the nature of Jesus is found in the Bible verse Isaiah 8:20. This instructs “To the law of the testimony. If they do not speak according to the word, it is because there is no light in them.” [N.K.J.V.] In other words, if a religious teacher has teaching that are in contradiction to the Word, the Bible, then that teachers is a false teacher who teaches false doctrines. The Muslim clerics, as the imam and mullahs, teach and speak doctrines about God from the Quran .
As the Quran in 112 teaches “He is God alone: God is the eternal begetteth not…” Likewise, this religious book which is the entire foundation of and for Islam further teaches in 19:35. “It is not befitting to God that He should beget a son.” In great contrast the Bible teaches in John 1:14. “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory , the glory of the only begotten of the Father ,full of grace and truth.” Likewise John 3:16 teaches “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son… Then just a little further in verse 18 it is written about Jesus Who is “the only begotten Son of God. “ Other places in the Bible further teach that Jesus is the Son of God as in Matthew 16:15:16. Luke 1:35. John 3:36. First John 4:14. 15. 5:14,15. Moreover to be even more clear the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, Who is God the Father. As found in Matthew 3:16,17. First John 2:22,23. 4:14,15. Of course , it ,very much, needs to made even more specific . The Bible teaches that Jesus is also God the Son. As seen in Hebrew1:8 and First John 5:20. The imams and mullahs as well as the other apologists for Islam will try to “explain” this all away. As in they will try brush off all those Bible verse off by making the claim that the Bible had been corrupted, through time, by Christians and that’s why the Bible reads as it does. That claim they make actually underestimate the Power of God to protect and keep His Word safe and intact ,through time, and away from the corruption of men.
In conclusion ,with the above instruction of the way to find doctrinal truth in Isaiah 8:20 and in the light of the Bible verse provided it may be clearly seen, by all those who are willing to see, that Islam is in terrible doctrinal error and it is therefore a false religion, Proverbs 14:12. John 14:6.
In addition there is a Christian internet site which replies to the many claims made by the imams and mullahs as well as the other apologists for Islam. It’s http://www.answering-islam.org
gravenimage says
Just affirming a love of Christ is considered “Blasphemy”. Just look at the Asia Bibi case, also in Pakistan.
Ginger says
Yes, the mother-of-four is still under the death sentence on a trumped-up charge of blasphemy by vicious Muslim neighbours. Not a peep out of the freedom-loving West or from the leaders of Christianity. And still $millions of aid pouring into this benighted state. Utterly, utterly shameful.
SK says
There is a lot of spiritual truth in your comment, Walter, thank you.
From what I have read about these sorts of cases, that isn’t really what normally happens. Sometimes the Muslims will claim that an illiterate person sent an offensive text, other times they will damage their religion’s book in an attempt to pin the damage on the Christian population. Sometimes, a Pakistani Christian sits on a tarp or something.
In the end, we should pray for the persecuted and for their nations.
Charli Main says
Yes, this minister has committed blasphemy. As a Christian he has offended Islam by continuing to breathe.
Voytek Gagalka says
When are we going to hear about life sentence for any hate-mongering Mohammedan sneaking under “religious freedom” in any western country? Don’t hold your breath waiting: they’re all scared to death intimidated with faux charges of “Islamophobia.”
gravenimage says
Pakistan: Christian pastor gets life imprisonment for “blasphemous” text message
………………….
This poor man and his family. The charges were likely trumped up, in any case. Muslims hate Christians in general, and Christian pastors most of all.
scherado says
What good is a prison sentence? Ought they not execute him outright? Who is running the show over there?
gravenimage says
Many Christians are murdered in prison in Dar-al-Islam.
George says
For a minute there one could have thought this was in Canada under Jihad Justin’s M103 and Canada’s unconstitutional kangaroo “Human Rights” court system.
Benedict says
Luckily they have Mark Steyn and Ezra Levant and Jordan Peterson to teach these bogus judges a lesson.
Eur says
I have heard a Muslim say that the real Christians are them, Muslims. He said that the Nazaries have distorted the message of Jesus that announced to Mohammed (jo jo jo jo) .According to the Muslims Jesus was a Muslim and he did not come to forgive us or to say that God is love nor to preach empathy … so “Christians” simply by exercising it we are blasphemers and heretics. They do not respect the other religions, they do not respect the non-believers, they do not respect the apostates …. Islam respects nothing, it is pure intolerance.
marina says
“Jesus was a Muslim” is the most ridiculous and absurd statement ever made by Mozlems.
Jack Diamond says
The “Jesus” of the Qur’an is called Isa and he came to proclaim Muhammad, only (Q 61:6).
All of the prophets of the Bible were Muslims, according to Islam, and say “we bow to Allah in Islam” (Q 2:136). The only religion recognized by Allah is Islam (Q 3:19) and to even desire another religion is damnation (3:85). In fact, according to Islam, you and I are Muslims too. All human beings are created Muslims (Q 7:172-173) in Allah’s fitra, or nature. If we are non- Muslims it is from ignorance or out of rebellion.
See, it does get more ridiculous.
Christians, guilty of “shirk” (associating ‘partners’ with Allah) according to Islamic scholars, are already blasphemers. They are also kuffar (apostates) and mushrikeen (polytheists) according the same ulema, whenever it suits the Muslims to prosecute/persecute them as such. Q 5:72: they blaspheme and apostatize who say God is one of three in a Trinity.
False accusations against Christians, such as happens again and again in Pakistan, is no sin in Islam. Muhammad gave Muslims license to lie, to take false oaths, to even insult him if it furthered Islam. Remember the Danish cartoons and the Muslim world rioting and killing over the “blasphemy” to Muhammad? Also, remember the Muslim clerics who added other and even worse, more insulting, cartoons of Muhammad to the originals to stoke the violence? This is the license to lie (and even insult Muhammad) if it furthers Islam. It furthers Islam in Pakistan to lie about blasphemy, to persecute the dwindling Christian population, to impose cringing dhimmitude, and, of course, it settles personal scores and helps confiscate their property.
Michael Copeland says
Pakistan is a failed State.
Don Foss says
“Nazeries” is a polite term used to identify a Christian, or “follower of the one from Nazareth.” It actually implies a bit of respect. Every Muslim knows this, but you rarely hear the word. You will normally hear kafir or infidel, which are the equivalent of the N word for us.
ibrahim itace muhammed says
Mr Spencer why you refuse to advise that pastor to extend his freedom of speech to include blaspheming the satan appearing to him cloned as holy ghost?According to your pagan bible blaspheming this satan’s image called holy ghost or holy spirit carries death penalty.The pakistani blasphemy law prescribes lesser than death penalty.so,Mr Spencer you are telling us that blaspheming islam by christians is part of their right to freedom of speech,but it is not so when it concerns filthy christianity or idol worship.when a state in india baned the slaughter of cows for meat,you opined that the law is justified because hindus considered cow as their god and as such it has to be respected.i know some barbarians in india worship woman’s vagina.when a state in India enacts a law baning muslims from having sex with their wives in that state,mr spencer could still say the law is justified to accord woman’s vaginas the deserved respect as god of some indians.when it comes to islam it can be blasphemed without consequence because you simply hate it.you are saying one cannot be a good christian without blaspheming islam as an article of faith.
Monty says
Islam and Christianity have nothing in common. Islam blasphemes the true God, who is not Allah. Islam twists and distorts some parts of the bible while conveniently ignoring the rest. Now if Muslims just went about being Muslims and left everyone else alone, no one would be troubled. But Islamic arrogance knows no bounds. Islam will not be satisfied until it dominates the whole world. I am a Christian and Islam dares to mention the name of Christ alongside Mohamed. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, died willingly for the sins of the world (including yours!) and rose again from the dead. He is at God’s right hand and will return to this earth to judge all people, including you. Mohamed has already submitted to the Lordship of Christ and has begun his sentence of eternal separation from God. Mohamed was one the most brutal murdering dictators in history. Christ loved the whole world, including those who put him to death. Islam is a religion of hate, Christ is the Prince of peace and love. Islam? Not for me. The world will be an infinitely better place when Islam is eradicated. It can’t happen soon enough.
boakai ngombu says
” … you are saying one cannot be a good christian without blaspheming islam as an article of faith …”
islam should be criticized for teaching nothing about GRACE (mercy shown, forgiveness given, for the undeserving) of course that concept is difficult for the muslims (slaves), because your teachers have informed you in error; the ignoble koran is such a human book.
balafama says
islam is the worst blasphemer of all .the quran blasphemes christianity, hinduism,buddhism, paganity etc . how dare you even talk about blasphemy? why cant allah fight for himself ? why does allah need frail humans to carry out his bidding . maybe u should start asking allah why he seems so powerless to do anything to blasphemers but needs some political structure or govt or jihadi to work for him.
Baucent says
A good question. He seems rather powerless to preserve his Caliphate.
Don Foss says
Hey Muhammad, without going into what could be a 10,000 word essay rebutting your senseless argument, let me just say this. Islam itself should be outlawed in every single civilized country, and every single Muslim within those countries who will not publicly and by signature apostate should be evicted from those countries. Islam’s scripture and doctrine are provably dangerous, hateful and supremacist. It is also proven that those who believe it will support murderers and mass murderers, if not become one themselves, just like their prophet was. And we won’t even get into the laws that encourage some of the most barbaric practices known to man justified in your hate-filled “holy” book. The time has come for all of civilized human beings to reject this cancer from their societies once and for all.
Keys says
iim says: “…blaspheming the satan appearing to him cloned as holy ghost…”
Now that’s blasphemy against the Holy Spirit; the unpardonable sin.
[ “Jesus Himself said in Matthew 12:31, “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.” ]
And, for most Christians, Muslims blaspheme when they say Jesus is not God. So, muslims can say that, and call that free speech, iim? You are guilty of what you accuse others of doing – blaspheming.
As Monty says above: “Islam blasphemes the true God, who is not Allah.”
iim, the hatred in you comes through in your posts. Be gone, you false accuser !
Baucent says
“The blasphemy law is continuously misused to settle personal scores but also by Islamic zealots intent on annihilating Christians from Pakistan..”
Yep, that’s what this is all about. It’s a outrageous situation. Imagine the media storm if a muslim was arrested in Britain and charged with speaking against Christianity in some blasphemous text. But today, muslims are untouchable.
john spielman says
get all Christ followers out of muslim lands and bring them into the west in exchange for our muslims being deported to all the crapistans in dar el islam
Charli Main says
Europe´s political elites and assorted Muslim hugging organisations are doing the exact opposite.
The Muslim economic migrant taxi service, currently operating off shore Libya, is bringing Muslims into Europe at exponentially increasing rates.
Apparently, the number of ” refugees” rescued by the flotilla of ships cruising the Libyan coast, is already double the number ” rescued” last year.
Don´t be surprised if France´s new Muslim hugging president sends the entire French Navy into Tripoli Harbour to save the ” poor refugees” the bother off putting out to sea.
dumbledoresarmy says
Pakistan – and the rest of the damn Ummah – wants to impose its horrible ‘blasphemy’ laws worldwide.
Here’s an item from the Barnabas Fund information and prayer booklet, for May-June 2017.
Thursday May 11: “On 16 March Pakistan’s Interior Minister announced that Pakistan will represent the global Muslim community on the issue of content on social media platforms which Muslims deem “blasphemous”. “We will take any steps necessary… FaceBook and other service providers should share all information about the people behind this blasphemous content with us”, he said. Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency is seeking an expert on international law to advise them, and its Foreign affairs intends to laise daily with America’s FBI. (Nota bene – American jihadwatchers need to be getting in touch with their president, congresspeople and senators, to make known, loud and clear, just how deadly dangerous this Pakistani proposal is; that the FBI should politely and firmly tell Pakistan that, on American soil, freedom of speech is freedom of speech and that Pakistan can damnwell go jump in the lake – dda).
“Two days earlier Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had said that he believed the “blasphemous content on social media is a nefarious conspiracy to hurt the religious feelings of the entire Muslim Ummah [worldwide nation of Islam].” Many Muslims believe that any statement disagreeing with what Islam teaches is blasphemous, so anyone expressing, for example, the view that Muhammad was not a true prophet would be considered to have blasphemed.
“Pakistan’s proposal to police the whole planet on this issue is therefore a very serious threat to freedom of speech and religious liberty.”
Barnabas then adds – “Pray that God wlll protect his people from false accusations”.
That last sentence is due to the fact that not only do Muslims attack people who actually *do* criticise, disagree with (and this can be simply by stating one’s adherence to the tenets of a non-Islamic faith, which ipso facto is offensive to Islam) or even dare to make fun of Islam/ Mohammed/ the foibles or misdeeds of Muslims BUT in many cases Muslims have *falsely* accused people of so doing, who have done nothing of the kind. Such false accusations, cooked up out of whole cloth in order to have an excuse to unloose the lynch mobs and indulge the desire to rob, rape, bash, kill, burn and destroy the terrorised infidels, are very frequent in hideous Islamic Pakistan.
Barnabas Fund has an ear to the ground in Pakistan; I assume they would not report this very worrying development, if it had not been proclaimed in Pakistani media.
Social media companies – based in ‘the west’ – AND infidel supposedly-free-world governments need to realize that what Pakistan (and the rest of the Mohammedan Mob) wants is for Infidel X, in, say, Australia or New Zealand, to NOT be able to utter a peep in criticism or questioning of Islam, lest the sharia assassins be despatched to their door – the necessary directions having been supplied by the hapless Islamocritic’s internet provider/ social media platform – to do to them as was done to Asma bint Marwan… or to Theo Van Gogh. “Give your “blaspheming-against-Islam customers’ (or, citizens’) – names and addresses to us so that they can be threatened and killed by the sharia assassins” – that is the subtext of this demand.
Rog Stresman says
And which country see no problem in lavishing millions in foreign aid on this brutal, troublesome Islamic country? Step forward multiculturalism- and diversity-obsesed Britain. Pakistan tops the British aid list as taxpayers fork out £12 BILLION overseas.
Carolyne says
I do not want one penny of my tax money to go to the barbarous Pakistani government, but they receive millions from the US. For what? So they can support the terrorists that thrive in their country?
dumbledoresarmy says
Write to President Trump. Ask him to *cut off * all American ‘aid’ to Pakistan, and realign the USA with India, instead.
Cite this case, and that of Asia Bibi, and the horrific abuses perpetrated against all non-Islamic indigenous minority groups in Pakistan, as a clear trigger for cutting off ‘aid’ to and trade with Pakistan; and for cutting off ALL entry of persons from Pakistan into the USA, *apart from* persons who have been carefully investigated and shown to be bona fide members of the aforesaid horribly-abused non-Islamic minority groups.
Pakistani Muslims – ‘Lady Al Qaeda’ (Aafia Siddiqui), and the Times Square Bomber, and I think also the Fort Hood mass-murderer, were all Muslims from Pakistan who got into the USA. David Headley, who assisted with planning the horrific jihad terror raid on Mumbai in November 2008, was the son of a foolish US socialite and a charming and plausible Pakistani Muslim. Had that Muslim never been permitted to enter and ‘study’ in the USA, he’d not have met the silly Infidel female, and David Headley would not have been born to become a jihadist.
Pakistani Musilms must be kept OUT of the USA. And the US should STOP pouring weapons, aid, etc, into the bottomless pit that is Islamic Pakistan.
Majority-Hindu India, though afflicted with a large and dangerous Mohammedan fifth column, is a *much* more suitable match for Uncle Sam.
Richard Paulsen says
Stiil they can build mosques and go to USA and Europe as if escaping.