There is haunting familiarity to current news coming out of Pakistan. Rimsha Masih has been accused of burning the Qur’an, and along with her parents, being held in protective custody. That she is from a poor Christian family is not surprising, but that apparently she is mentally challenged with Down’s syndrome, and may be as young as eleven years old, makes this case all the more troubling.
As in the past, response to blasphemy has been mixed. Condemnations have poured in from around the world, but there have been outcries within Pakistan itself. WAF (Women’s Action Forum) is “outraged at the total inhumanity” of the men who instigated action against a disabled little girl, and President Asif Zardari has demanded an investigation. Under the circumstances, it is doubtful she will be charged, but even if the case never comes to trial, the family cannot return home and Christians will continue to live in fear.
This particular incident was sparked in mid-August while Rimsha was cleaning up in a village outside Islamabad. It is alleged that she burned pages of a children’s religious instruction book inscribed with verses from the Qur’an. On Friday of that same week, near the end of Ramadan’s holy month, people were inflamed by a local imam who shamed them into action. He said their prayers were useless unless they avenged this vile crime. In the rampage that followed, several homes were set on fire, and hundreds of Christians fled for their lives.
Blasphemy Laws date back to the colonial days of the mid-19th century in the Indian subcontinent. They were put in place by the British Raj to contain religious hatred between Hindus and Muslims. Three decades ago they were revived and amended by the military regime of Zia ul-Haq as part of the Shari’ah (Islamic Law). Today, in Pakistan’s penal code, 295-A forbids stirring up religious feelings, 295-B forbids defaming the Qur’an, and 295-C forbids denigrating Muhammad. To offend in these areas is far more serious than blaspheming God or even murder.[1]
Though ostensibly instituted to assuage the “faithful,” these laws have often been used as a vicious vendetta against minority groups. My research shows that between 1986 and mid-1994 over one hundred Ahmadis were accused of violations, four Christians were charged and murdered, and others have died in mysterious circumstances. Even Muslims have suffered under their jurisdiction.[2]
So far, Blasphemy Laws have been untouchable and no leader is allowed to critique them. Those who tried were either killed, or for the sake of their career, remain silent. No less than the Governor of the Punjab province, Salman Taseer was gunned down in January, 2011, for opposing them.
On the one hand, the cruelty and injustice against Rimsha Masih could move Muslims to action. They might even argue from their holy book that something needs to be done: “… Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people unless they change it themselves” (Qur’an 13:11). On the other hand, Dr. Paul Bhatti, brother of the late Shahbaz Bhatti, murdered last year because he opposed the laws,[3] asks a penetrating question: “Even if the law changes, who will change the mindset of the people?”
The problem is these laws simply allow people to carry out their evil desires and justify their violence. If not blasphemy, it might be for the sake of honor, reclaiming lost property, or through fear that Muslims are leaving Islam for another religion. The biblical analysis of such behavior is unflattering and blunt: “… the heart is “desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9) and “… feet are swift to shed blood” (Romans 3:15).
It is true that mad mullahs are inciting hatred during Friday prayers and the Pakistani government is not protecting minorities. We are obligated to speak out against such cruel injustice in support of the powerless. Our response as Christians, however, must demonstrate compassion and evangelistic zeal. The mission of God is compelling: “If our gospel is hid it is hid to them who are lost (II Cor. 4:3). Like everyone else, Muslims must be changed from the inside out. We pray that God will use this incident to help Muslims see their need of a Savior. Only the gospel has the power to change the Muslim mind set.
[1] Interestingly, in neighboring Afghanistan, people were far more upset when American troops burned the Qur’an than they were when Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales went on a rampage and killed innocent villagers.
[2] Islamic Ideology and Fundamentalism in Pakistan: Climate for Conversion to Christianity? (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1998) finds evidence that the harshness and rigidity of Islamism is driving some Muslims to Christ.
[3] Those who killed this Christian have never been brought to justice.
We didn’t HAVE such hatred nor killings pre 9/11. #foodForThought as to who is instigating the mayhem. Disintegration of Pakistan is in the favor of the super duper power. #JustSaying #Seriously
Thanks, Dee. I appreciate your comment. I take your point that things have gotten considerably worse since 9-11, but I think that there were some nasty things going on long before 9-11. For example, I can remember when Ahmadiyyas were declared non-Muslims in 1973, I believe and they really got hit. Later, Christians were attacked and their houses basically destroyed in Shanti Nagar, not far from Multan. But the most traumatic for me was November 20, 1979, and the Grand Mosque in Mecca was taken over by unknown gunmen. Thinking it was the work of Americans and Jews, the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad was burned to the ground, and then local college students attacked us in DGK. They destroyed property, burned jeeps, and 3 days later realized it had been rebel Muslims in Saudi who had done it. So, again, I agree that feeling against the super power has increased, but all did not start at 9-1l.
9/11 was a culmination point. Things arrive at a point but are put in action behind the scenes a well before the arrival.
I just think the crusades never stopped.
That we are all a part of choosing between right and wrong individually. States are just mechanics that don’t recognize that and have their agendas to follow.
I want to believe that the individual wins over this mayhem every time even if it’s with his blood.
I am a human first then anything else.
State isn’t.
Zia. Mush array. Shari. Benazir.zardari. these are faces of the state and not a representation of my beliefs.
The couple that was burnt in the kiln some days ago ; evidence is there that the govt party people were there and allowed it to happen. Thus the mayhem is an agenda.
My point
Yes, 9-11 may have been a watershed moment.