Opinion: Practical Measures for Averting False Allegations of Blasphemy | PKKH.tv
PKKH Exclusive | By M. Zainulabedin Ameer
One of the major objectives of a government is to provide security to all its citizens, equally. Last week,Pakistan witnessed yet another incident where minorities (Christians) were persecuted. More than a hundred homes were destroyed in arson. The law enforcement apparatus apparently warned the residents of Badami Baagh (Joseph Town), Lahore, in advance, allowing the residents to escape a frenzied mob, rather than cordoning off the town to protect the residents and their property. It appears that the police paved the way for lunatics to fulfill their pyromaniac designs, which led to further chaos over the next few days. Christians in various cities of Pakistan took to the streets supported by political parties.
For the first time, Pakistan saw peaceful Christians become violent, and it seems that elements within this otherwise peaceful community are now taking on characteristics of the political parties supporting them. In Karachi (Zainab Market area) Christian protesters attacked shops and vehicles in the area that prompted owners to come out into the streets too. If it were not for the timely arrival of police and rangers, there could have very easily been a severe clash. Despite this, it took hours to bring the situation under control. A similar situation prevailed in Lahore and other areas of Pakistan.
TTP and LeJ are Now Punching Bags When We Live in Denial:
Having described the recent events above briefly, the only reasonable question to ask is: why has the number of cases involving alleged blasphemy increased under the present government? By what we see, sheer negligence and lack of commitment are the root causes. However, among the most bizarre explanations we hear are from officials using LeJ and TTP as punching bags. Surely, our public has seen the footage of violence; do those grinning at the cameras while torching property look anything like TTP or LeJ? The answer is NO, and thats simply because its very easy to incite mob violence on the basis of blasphemy, which means that the issue should be the governments top priority and litigation over accusers and mobs must be made tighter.
While many allege that this situation was deliberately designed for political gains from some quarters of the ruling coalition, the fact remains that if there is room to exploit a law or conditions, people will do so. It is perhaps pertinent to ask what the government has done for passing bills for greater scrutiny of accusers and also for bridging gaps and easing tensions between communities.
What has the supposed interfaith dialogue achieved?
The Interfaith dialogue process was meant to be a way of increasing understanding between the leaders and followers of different faiths. Apparently, not much has been achieved, as allegations of blasphemy are on the rise. Its pertinent to add that under the current administration, while an increasing number of people are getting away with all sorts of crimes, accusing someone of blasphemy is the easiest to seek revenge. However, it's possible that many allegations have some credibility simply because leaders in non-Muslim communities have not bothered telling their flock where the boundaries of free speech lie. Additionally, Muslim leaders have not done their bit in conveying properly and unambiguously laying out the confines. While we have pointed out part of the problem here, it is also our duty to propose a solution. And, you'll see that revoking blasphemy law doesnt need to be a part of it.
Blasphemy is Often a Result of Sheer Ignorance and May Not Be Deliberately Committed:
It is no secret that people make all sorts of inappropriate remarks thanks to their own ignorance. This is not largely because they mean to be blasphemous; rather, it's largely out of a very casual attitude that has a great deal to do with western influence and their blasphemous ways. Jokes about sacred personalities are common in the west, and people here are influenced by them, especially those who have a so-called liberal lifestyle. Let's not forget that even Muslims too have fallen to blasphemy allegations, and to be very clear about this, scholars do not emphasize enough on what we should or should not say/do.
Some Muslims and well-read people might argue that the limits are obvious. However, in times like these, when people, especially the youth, are confused with differing messages in the print and electronic media, we need to make things crystal clear, for both, Muslims and non-Muslims too. Additionally, we hardly hear much from Ulema about protecting property in times of protest. There are few institutions that make it a point to emphasize on this, but largely, the much-needed inculcation is lacking. It is the need of the hour to make things blatantly clear to all followings, and for Muslims especially, proper Islamic law and codes of conduct must be taught not just in Islamic courses, but also as part of Jumma Khutbas.
Revoke the Blasphemy Law or Tighten Other Laws for Better Governance?
With strong arguments for doing away with the blasphemy law altogether being touted by ill-informed and naive so-called liberals, we have to say that revoking the law makes no sense at all, because if done, all the concealed and deliberate slander of sacred personalities of Islam (that does occur) will be done openly. However, there should be no room for false accusations. So, there are two things that should be done:
Educate all communities about blasphemy and what it means to revere ALLAH, the Quran, His Messengers and Holy Books, including those of other religions. Muslims themselves are supposed to have respect for all places of worship and sacred texts of other religions, and sadly, many of us as Muslims fail to realize this.
In order to educate all communities about blasphemy and inform everyone about where the boundaries lie, leaders in each community must play their roles in educating their flocks; ideally, they must invite scholars of other religions into their areas of common gatherings (not necessarily in their places of worship) where the invitees can speak and clearly demarcate these boundaries.
Strengthen the law to scrutinize credibility of an accuser so that there is no room for false allegations. Proof and proof alone that can stand in a court of law should be allowed. Testimonies about the character of the accuser are pivotal as well as the accuser's past social record. Additionally, all those in charge of enforcing security must be held to account in times like these, and they must provide security to all sides. Mob justice and false allegations should carry strict punishments including life imprisonment and the death penalty simply because these two are forms of premeditated murder.
The best time to enforce these two points is now, starting with punishing those who created mayhem at Badami Baagh, as well as those who destroyed property in their protests. If we have strict implementation of law and thorough and unbiased investigations, false allegations will not occur. Additionally, with practical interfaith dialogue as briefly prescribed above, there will be fewer individuals uttering something out of their own ignorance or misunderstanding.
M. Zainulabedin Ameer is an Independent Research Analyst who tweets @zain1430
Source
PKKH Exclusive | By M. Zainulabedin Ameer
One of the major objectives of a government is to provide security to all its citizens, equally. Last week,Pakistan witnessed yet another incident where minorities (Christians) were persecuted. More than a hundred homes were destroyed in arson. The law enforcement apparatus apparently warned the residents of Badami Baagh (Joseph Town), Lahore, in advance, allowing the residents to escape a frenzied mob, rather than cordoning off the town to protect the residents and their property. It appears that the police paved the way for lunatics to fulfill their pyromaniac designs, which led to further chaos over the next few days. Christians in various cities of Pakistan took to the streets supported by political parties.
For the first time, Pakistan saw peaceful Christians become violent, and it seems that elements within this otherwise peaceful community are now taking on characteristics of the political parties supporting them. In Karachi (Zainab Market area) Christian protesters attacked shops and vehicles in the area that prompted owners to come out into the streets too. If it were not for the timely arrival of police and rangers, there could have very easily been a severe clash. Despite this, it took hours to bring the situation under control. A similar situation prevailed in Lahore and other areas of Pakistan.
TTP and LeJ are Now Punching Bags When We Live in Denial:
Having described the recent events above briefly, the only reasonable question to ask is: why has the number of cases involving alleged blasphemy increased under the present government? By what we see, sheer negligence and lack of commitment are the root causes. However, among the most bizarre explanations we hear are from officials using LeJ and TTP as punching bags. Surely, our public has seen the footage of violence; do those grinning at the cameras while torching property look anything like TTP or LeJ? The answer is NO, and thats simply because its very easy to incite mob violence on the basis of blasphemy, which means that the issue should be the governments top priority and litigation over accusers and mobs must be made tighter.
While many allege that this situation was deliberately designed for political gains from some quarters of the ruling coalition, the fact remains that if there is room to exploit a law or conditions, people will do so. It is perhaps pertinent to ask what the government has done for passing bills for greater scrutiny of accusers and also for bridging gaps and easing tensions between communities.
What has the supposed interfaith dialogue achieved?
The Interfaith dialogue process was meant to be a way of increasing understanding between the leaders and followers of different faiths. Apparently, not much has been achieved, as allegations of blasphemy are on the rise. Its pertinent to add that under the current administration, while an increasing number of people are getting away with all sorts of crimes, accusing someone of blasphemy is the easiest to seek revenge. However, it's possible that many allegations have some credibility simply because leaders in non-Muslim communities have not bothered telling their flock where the boundaries of free speech lie. Additionally, Muslim leaders have not done their bit in conveying properly and unambiguously laying out the confines. While we have pointed out part of the problem here, it is also our duty to propose a solution. And, you'll see that revoking blasphemy law doesnt need to be a part of it.
Blasphemy is Often a Result of Sheer Ignorance and May Not Be Deliberately Committed:
It is no secret that people make all sorts of inappropriate remarks thanks to their own ignorance. This is not largely because they mean to be blasphemous; rather, it's largely out of a very casual attitude that has a great deal to do with western influence and their blasphemous ways. Jokes about sacred personalities are common in the west, and people here are influenced by them, especially those who have a so-called liberal lifestyle. Let's not forget that even Muslims too have fallen to blasphemy allegations, and to be very clear about this, scholars do not emphasize enough on what we should or should not say/do.
Some Muslims and well-read people might argue that the limits are obvious. However, in times like these, when people, especially the youth, are confused with differing messages in the print and electronic media, we need to make things crystal clear, for both, Muslims and non-Muslims too. Additionally, we hardly hear much from Ulema about protecting property in times of protest. There are few institutions that make it a point to emphasize on this, but largely, the much-needed inculcation is lacking. It is the need of the hour to make things blatantly clear to all followings, and for Muslims especially, proper Islamic law and codes of conduct must be taught not just in Islamic courses, but also as part of Jumma Khutbas.
Revoke the Blasphemy Law or Tighten Other Laws for Better Governance?
With strong arguments for doing away with the blasphemy law altogether being touted by ill-informed and naive so-called liberals, we have to say that revoking the law makes no sense at all, because if done, all the concealed and deliberate slander of sacred personalities of Islam (that does occur) will be done openly. However, there should be no room for false accusations. So, there are two things that should be done:
Educate all communities about blasphemy and what it means to revere ALLAH, the Quran, His Messengers and Holy Books, including those of other religions. Muslims themselves are supposed to have respect for all places of worship and sacred texts of other religions, and sadly, many of us as Muslims fail to realize this.
In order to educate all communities about blasphemy and inform everyone about where the boundaries lie, leaders in each community must play their roles in educating their flocks; ideally, they must invite scholars of other religions into their areas of common gatherings (not necessarily in their places of worship) where the invitees can speak and clearly demarcate these boundaries.
Strengthen the law to scrutinize credibility of an accuser so that there is no room for false allegations. Proof and proof alone that can stand in a court of law should be allowed. Testimonies about the character of the accuser are pivotal as well as the accuser's past social record. Additionally, all those in charge of enforcing security must be held to account in times like these, and they must provide security to all sides. Mob justice and false allegations should carry strict punishments including life imprisonment and the death penalty simply because these two are forms of premeditated murder.
The best time to enforce these two points is now, starting with punishing those who created mayhem at Badami Baagh, as well as those who destroyed property in their protests. If we have strict implementation of law and thorough and unbiased investigations, false allegations will not occur. Additionally, with practical interfaith dialogue as briefly prescribed above, there will be fewer individuals uttering something out of their own ignorance or misunderstanding.
M. Zainulabedin Ameer is an Independent Research Analyst who tweets @zain1430
Source
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