BLASPHEMY POINTED

BY A.J

Once a girl abused my family, we had a fight, curses were exchanged, a crowd watched and
laughed about it for days and i have never met her since then. Today i miss her. i miss those
moments when she said what she said and i regret that i never had a chance to say to her that I’m
different. I’m not the one like her nor do i intend to backfire. I regret that even though my beliefs
are based on humility, justice, truth and peace, I never had a chance to use my sanity to halt for a
moment to observe myself as an outsider. This I know needs a lot of courage and patience which
I had none at the time. Over the years I might have grown strong but still it’s still expected of me
to argue with anyone who abuses my family. Wouldn’t you do the same? Probably not in the first
place but what if the torture continues?
What if the agony has no cure, what if there is no system to serve the justice nor do you have
people to stand by your stance. What would you do if your hope for integrity dies? Depressive
isn’t it? Think for a moment, aren’t you the Qadri then?
I feel that you must have been following Qadri's footsteps. I can feel the frustration of the
students who attacked their professor, who was delivering the lecture on freedom of speech in
Uppsala University. I bet you would do the same. No matter whom the person is, no matter
whom the prophet be, no matter who the religion is, I must say that probably you would have
been amongst those who were ready to kill the professor there and then. I can control myself well
and so can you but there are many who couldn’t.
Going through the case of Asia bibi, I could not find ample evidence to support her crime. At the
same time I do respect the court’s decision because the court must have taken into consideration
all the evidences. Still do I trust it? NO. A state of law where justice is denied one can expect
such instances, every day. So what is the key to it? Anyone would say; right law for righteous
society but whenever it goes in the hands of common man, it may degenerate the spirit of rule of
law and justice. Interestingly, Pakistan is not the only country where law has been taken in hand
by the people of the state rather its practiced everywhere, in most of the countries of the world
including USA and ENGLAND.
US congress cannot pass any law on blasphemy but there are laws by different states, For
instance, Section 3A1.1 of the 2009 United States Sentencing Guidelines .In October 2009,
Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act as part
of Public Law 111-84. Section 4707 of P.L. 111-84. In Division E: Matthew Shepard and James
Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act - Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention
Act - (Sec. 4703) Adopts the definition of "hate crime" as set forth in the Violent Crime Control and Law
Enforcement Act of 1994 (i.e., a crime in which the defendant intentionally selects a victim or, in the case
of a property crime the property that is the object of the crime, because of the actual or perceived race,
color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation of any person).
England has abolished its blasphemy law back in nov2008.poland and many other scandavian
countries also have jurisdictions regarding any act that might hurt the sentiments of other
religions, race, ethnic groups etc.
Talking of Muslim countries, you’ll be surprised to know that except for Saudi Arabia and
Yemen all the other Muslim countries do not observe death penalties for such a hatred speech.
Jordon, for example, practices life imprisonment, Egypt under the article 98(f) of the Penal Code,
as amended by Law 147/2006 states the penalty for blasphemy and similar crimes:
Confinement for a period of not less than six months and not exceeding five years.
All these laws have been repealed and amended. Since these laws have been amended the
question arises whether it is permissible or not?
Looking at the religious law, the blasphemy’s penalty to death is nothing new to Islam. The
major religions of the world are proponents of this law. Such as
The punishment for blasphemy in most of the major religions is death. If we read Manusmriti,
the Law book of the Hindus, it says:
“If a man born of a lower class intentionally bothers a priest, the king should punish him
physically with various forms of corporal and capital punishment that make men shudder.”
[Manusmriti 9:248]
It is stated in the Old Testament of the Bible, which is the authority for both the Jews and the
Christians:
And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the
congregation shall certainly stone him: [Book of Leviticus 24:16]
Then the LORD said to Moses: "Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard
him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. Say to the
Israelites: 'If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the
name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien
or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.
And about those who proselytise in the name of other gods. Leviticus 24:13-16.
.If your own full brother, or your son or daughter, or your beloved wife, or you intimate friend,
entices you secretly to serve other gods, whom you and your fathers have not known, gods of any
other nations, near at hand or far away, from one end of the earth to the other: do not yield to
him or listen to him, nor look with pity upon him, to spare or shield him, but kill him. Your hand
shall be the first raised to slay him; the rest of the people shall join in with you. You shall stone
him to death, because he sought to lead you astray from the Lord, your God, who brought you
out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. And all Israel, hearing of this, shall fear and
never do such evil as this in your midst. Deuteronomy 13:7-12
Regarding the punishment for blasphemy in Islam, it is mentioned in the Glorious Qur’an:
“The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might
for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet
from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy
punishment is theirs in the Hereafter;” [Surah Al-Maidah 5:33].
On the other hand, imam taimiyyah in his book, ‫الصارم المسلول على شاتم الرسول‬ states clearly that all
the Ulemas have census over the killing of a Muslim who talks ill of the prophet or God.
However if a dhimmi (zimmi) commits a blasphemy, he or she is not penalized to death. Even
the ayahs and ahadith also refer to the total submission to ALLAH's will and HIS Apostles. The
interpretations talk of the MUHARIBEEN (the ones who bring chaos to the society, Muslims or
nonmuslims), Murtadeen (the Muslims who knowingly back off from their religion and make
false statements); there has not been mention of the zimmiun or mushrakeen there.
Also the adjacent ayahs refer to pardon those who seek pardon and pledge not to repeat their
mistakes. Prophet forgave too.
There is one thing we are all missing here is that the laws are made to harmonize the society.
They are to protect the sentiments of all the subjects including minorities and majorities.
Question is does our law offers the welfare of the society the answer is YES. The blasphemy law
is right. There is no problem with it; it only needs a little interpretation and just implementation.
Now it’s up to us to do so. Can we do so??????
Also we do claim to be ummah and lovers of the prophet but are we foreal? Do we actually do,
act upon what he said????
Ask thyself and then understand the state of a person who does so.
People told me that this might be a reaction to Aafia Sidiqqui, Iraqi Jihadis, USA drone attacks, I
don’t buy that at all.
If you ask me what i have to say about all this i must say we are living in times when parts of
society turn into a jungle and when u live in a jungle all, those fighting, are animals any ways.
The one who killed was frustrated and the one who was killed was characterless, ineligible to
comment on the domain about which he was not sure of or had appropriate authority on. It seems
both sides are equalized. As for me I still cannot take sides. but I’m afraid today or tomorrow i
have to. And I’m confused which side to be on. Hmmm let the time decide, i say, and you can
help :)