Islam’s Problem With Blasphemy

[Sally]

It would be nice if all the Muslim clergy would listen to this man; however, there are many Imams and Mullahs who are so radical themselves that they would just close their eyes to what this man has to say.


Islam’s Problem With Blasphemy


JAN. 13, 2015



Mustafa Akyol


WILL “moderate Muslims” finally “speak up” against their militant coreligionists? People around the world have asked (but, as in the past, have not all seriously examined) this question since last week’s horrific attacks on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and on a kosher supermarket in Paris.

In fact, Muslim statesmen, clerics and intellectuals have added their voices to condemnations of terror by leaders around the world. But they must undertake another essential task: Address and reinterpret Islam’s traditional take on “blasphemy,” or insult to the sacred.

.Continue reading at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/14/o...-with-blasphemy.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

 

[Sunni Man]

Do tell ......

 

[waltky]

Killing for calling for reform of blasphemy law not sanctioned in Pakistan...

Pakistan Court Upholds Death Sentence in Blasphemy Killing
October 07, 2015 — Pakistan’s highest court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence of a man convicted of killing a provincial governor for criticizing the country’s controversial blasphemy law.

The case dates to 2011 when a Christian woman was accused of insulting Islam and given the death sentence. The governor of Pakistan’s populous Punjab province at the time, Salman Taseer, sought a presidential pardon for the woman, Asia Bibi. He also called for reform of the controversial blasphemy law. His remarks provoked a strong backlash from Pakistan’s Islamic groups. Days later, Taseer was assassinated by one of his official bodyguards, Mumtaz Qadri, who confessed to his crime saying under the dictates of Islam he was bound to kill the governor for insulting the religion.

A supporter of a religious political party holds a banner of convicted killer Mumtaz Qadri during a demonstration against Qadri's sentence, in Karachi​

A special anti-terrorism court sentenced Qadri to death. The ruling outraged Islamists and security concerns prompted the judge to flee Pakistan with his family. Defense lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court, where Wednesday a three-member panel upheld the verdict against Qadri. Human rights activists like Tahira Abdullah have hailed the court ruling. “They have upheld the principle of not condoning anyone taking the law into their own hands, and doing a vigilante killing or doing an extra-judicial killing, and hiding under the pretext that blasphemy is against Islam,” she said.
Activists insist the blasphemy law is often used to settle personal disputes, particularly in rural parts of Pakistan. Angry mobs or religious fanatics in the country have killed dozens of people over allegations of blasphemy in recent years. Under pressure from Islamic fundamentalists, such killers have either remained at large or escaped punishment. But activists say Wednesday's court ruling could bring an end to that practice. The judicial order comes at a time when Pakistan has intensified a crackdown on Islamist groups known for inciting sectarian and extremist violence in the country.

Pakistan Court Upholds Death Sentence in Blasphemy Killing

 

[waltky]

Mebbe dey gettin' ready to execute her?...

Christian woman on death row in Pakistan put in isolation
Oct 14, 2015: A minority Christian woman on death row for blasphemy in Pakistan has been shifted to an isolation ward fearing threats to her life by extremists upset over a high-profile ruling in a separate case, officials said today.

Asia Bibi, a mother of five whose case had sparked international outrage over the country's controversial blasphemy laws, was put in an isolation ward last week soon after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence to a former police commando who brutally killed former Punjab governor Salman Taseer for seeking reforms. Bibi, sentenced to death in 2010 for allegedly uttering blasphemous words during a quarrel over a bowl of water with fellow Muslim women while working on a crop field in Punjab province, has denied the charges over the 2009 incident. Taseer had visited her in jail and criticised the blasphemy laws, introduced by former military dictator Zia ul Haq in 1980, enraging his police guard Mumtaz Qadri who killed him in 2011 in Islamabad.

Qadri was later convicted for murder, and his sentence being upheld by the Supreme Court has created fears that in backlash, the extremists may try to harm Bibi held in a jail in Multan in southern Punjab. "We have put her in isolation as there is fear that she might be attacked by fellow jailers, police guards or some outsiders," a jail official said. Bibi's health has also deteriorated over the years in jail and she also suffers from breathing problems, the official added. Earlier, rights activists had expressed concerned for Bibi's safety. Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan and several accused had been killed by extremists.

Last year, a British-Pakistani citizen sentenced to death for blasphemy was shot and wounded by a guard at Adiala jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Bibi's death sentence had sparked outrage among international human rights groups, which condemned Pakistan's blasphemy law as a source of persecution against religious minorities.

Christian woman on death row in Pakistan put in isolation - The Times of India

 

[Sally]

Mebbe dey gettin' ready to execute her?...

Christian woman on death row in Pakistan put in isolation
Oct 14, 2015: A minority Christian woman on death row for blasphemy in Pakistan has been shifted to an isolation ward fearing threats to her life by extremists upset over a high-profile ruling in a separate case, officials said today.

Asia Bibi, a mother of five whose case had sparked international outrage over the country's controversial blasphemy laws, was put in an isolation ward last week soon after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence to a former police commando who brutally killed former Punjab governor Salman Taseer for seeking reforms. Bibi, sentenced to death in 2010 for allegedly uttering blasphemous words during a quarrel over a bowl of water with fellow Muslim women while working on a crop field in Punjab province, has denied the charges over the 2009 incident. Taseer had visited her in jail and criticised the blasphemy laws, introduced by former military dictator Zia ul Haq in 1980, enraging his police guard Mumtaz Qadri who killed him in 2011 in Islamabad.

Qadri was later convicted for murder, and his sentence being upheld by the Supreme Court has created fears that in backlash, the extremists may try to harm Bibi held in a jail in Multan in southern Punjab. "We have put her in isolation as there is fear that she might be attacked by fellow jailers, police guards or some outsiders," a jail official said. Bibi's health has also deteriorated over the years in jail and she also suffers from breathing problems, the official added. Earlier, rights activists had expressed concerned for Bibi's safety. Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan and several accused had been killed by extremists.

Last year, a British-Pakistani citizen sentenced to death for blasphemy was shot and wounded by a guard at Adiala jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Bibi's death sentence had sparked outrage among international human rights groups, which condemned Pakistan's blasphemy law as a source of persecution against religious minorities.

Christian woman on death row in Pakistan put in isolation - The Times of India

The case of Asia Bibi is certainly a sad one and shows you how easy it is for a Muslim who doesn't like you to claim that you comitted blashphemy. What is also sad is that a Muslim governor tried to help Asia Bibi and he was shot by his bodyguard. After the arraignment when the bodyguard exited the courthouse, the crowd showered him with flower petals and a huge mosque is now being built someplace in Pakistan to honor him.