Pakistan arrests Muslim man for blasphemy of Hinduism

[SecularNationalist]

Pakistani police have arrested a Muslim man under the majority-Muslim country's strict blasphemy laws for selling shoes with a sacred Hindu symbol, according to police and Hindu community leaders.

Jahanzaib Khaskhili, the shopkeeper, was arrested on Monday in the southern town of Tando Adam and the shoes, which carried the "Om" symbol, were confiscated, said Farrukh Ali, the district police chief.

Hindu community leaders called for the shopkeeper to be punished.

"The state must play a proactive role in punishing the culprits under the blasphemy laws," Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, the patron of the Pakistani Hindu Council, said in a statement.

Tando Adam, about 200km northeast of Karachi, is in Sindh province, where the vast majority of Pakistan's approximately three million Hindus live.



101 East: Murder in God's nameThe blasphemy laws make it a crime to insult any religion and have specific sections for defiling the Quran or insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammad that carry a life sentence and mandatory death sentence, respectively.

If convicted, the shopkeeper faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, in addition to a possible fine.

Ali, the police chief, said Khaskhili had cooperated with authorities and appeared not to have intended to inflame religious sentiment.

"We will do this according to law, but prima facie it seems that he did not have any intention," he said.

READ MORE: Pakistan's laws fail to check violence against women

Ali said the police were now investigating the supplier of the shoes, who is based in Punjab province.

"The responsibility in this case will be with the people who actually manufactured the shoes ... they would probably have done it intentionally," he said.

Pakistani rights groups say Hindus are often at risk of discrimination and hate crimes, including forced conversions and economic discrimination..
@haviZsultan @Zibago I think this is a very rare case in the history of pakistan where our government actually thought about the respect of other religions.Is not that a good change ?

 

[haviZsultan]

Pakistani police have arrested a Muslim man under the majority-Muslim country's strict blasphemy laws for selling shoes with a sacred Hindu symbol, according to police and Hindu community leaders.

Jahanzaib Khaskhili, the shopkeeper, was arrested on Monday in the southern town of Tando Adam and the shoes, which carried the "Om" symbol, were confiscated, said Farrukh Ali, the district police chief.

Hindu community leaders called for the shopkeeper to be punished.

"The state must play a proactive role in punishing the culprits under the blasphemy laws," Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, the patron of the Pakistani Hindu Council, said in a statement.

Tando Adam, about 200km northeast of Karachi, is in Sindh province, where the vast majority of Pakistan's approximately three million Hindus live.



101 East: Murder in God's nameThe blasphemy laws make it a crime to insult any religion and have specific sections for defiling the Quran or insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammad that carry a life sentence and mandatory death sentence, respectively.

If convicted, the shopkeeper faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, in addition to a possible fine.

Ali, the police chief, said Khaskhili had cooperated with authorities and appeared not to have intended to inflame religious sentiment.

"We will do this according to law, but prima facie it seems that he did not have any intention," he said.

READ MORE: Pakistan's laws fail to check violence against women

Ali said the police were now investigating the supplier of the shoes, who is based in Punjab province.

"The responsibility in this case will be with the people who actually manufactured the shoes ... they would probably have done it intentionally," he said.

Pakistani rights groups say Hindus are often at risk of discrimination and hate crimes, including forced conversions and economic discrimination..
@haviZsultan @Zibago I think this is a very rare case in the history of pakistan where our government actually thought about the respect of other religions.Is not that a good change ?

I agree it is a case of a good thing happening for minorities in Pakistan. But there are bigger issues with bigger problems present. Hindus need a better solution for getting rid of their deads ashes, the forced conversions are a problem as are frequent kidnappings of Hindu girls. To top it all we have the most atrocious laws in the world known as the blasphemy law. This law is a tool to oppress not only Hindus but anyone seen to be not religious enough. Collective efforts are needed from us as a society to deal with the plague of fanaticism.

I have a special place in my heart for all the minorities present in Pakistan. They deserve more as the progeny of patriots like Joseph Pottan, Cornelius and Joginder Nath Mandal. We need to revisit our history as these were non-muslim figures instrumental in forming of Pakistan.

 

[livingdead]

silly law should be done away with... does not matter how it is used...

 

[Alpha BeeTee]

silly law should be done away with... does not matter how it is used...

And who has asked your suggesstion mister ?

 

[livingdead]

And who has asked your suggesstion mister ?

do you know how forum works?

 

[Alpha BeeTee]

Just because a law can be abused,doesn't mean it should be done away with.
Arrangements should be made so as to this law cannot be misused.
Getting rid of this law will do greater harm than good.
Now if somebody hurts the religious sentiments of a community then he can be taken to the court of law and those people are condemned who bypass the law to punish the blasphemers.
In the absence of such a law,everybody will take the matter in his own hands and will punish the blasphemers in his own way and in response to his own definition of blasphemy.

 

[Alpha BeeTee]

do you know how forum works?

Han jee.

 

[livingdead]

Han jee.

why I need to be asked by others ... did anybody ask you to ask me that question?

 

[Guynextdoor2]

I think you should go easy on this guy (and on all religious related guys). Don't make it too hard for him, especially if he says he isn't gonna do it again. Religion and laws don't mix well.

 

[livingdead]

Just because a law can be abused,doesn't mean it should be done away with.
Arrangements should be made so as to this law cannot be misused.
Getting rid of this law will do greater harm than good.
Now if somebody hurts the religious sentiments of a community then he can be taken to the court of law and those people are condemned who bypass the law to punish the blasphemers.
In the absence of such a law,everybody will take the matter in his own hands and will punish the blasphemers in his own way and in response to his own definition of blasphemy.

how was it before the blasphemy law came into force? people killed each other for blasphemy?

 

[A.P. Richelieu]

I agree it is a case of a good thing happening for minorities in Pakistan. But there are bigger issues with bigger problems present. Hindus need a better solution for getting rid of their deads ashes, the forced conversions are a problem as are frequent kidnappings of Hindu girls. To top it all we have the most atrocious laws in the world known as the blasphemy law. This law is a tool to oppress not only Hindus but anyone seen to be not religious enough. Collective efforts are needed from us as a society to deal with the plague of fanaticism.

I have a special place in my heart for all the minorities present in Pakistan. They deserve more as the progeny of patriots like Joseph Pottan, Cornelius and Joginder Nath Mandal. We need to revisit our history as these were non-muslim figures instrumental in forming of Pakistan.

The problem with blasphemy laws is that it might be impossible to follow Your religion,
without insulting another.
Denying the "Holy Trinity" aka "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost is one" is blasphemy
to Christianity, while supporting it is blasphemy to a Muslim.

 

[RoadRunner401]

Just because a law can be abused,doesn't mean it should be done away with.

First, let's charge all the people for murder they committed on false allegations and hang them, pay compensation to the victims with sale of the property belonging to person who falsely accused someone for personal gains and then hang him or chop of his or her head. Once you done that, then you will have the right to defend this law.

 

[A.P. Richelieu]

Just because a law can be abused,doesn't mean it should be done away with.
Arrangements should be made so as to this law cannot be misused.
Getting rid of this law will do greater harm than good.
Now if somebody hurts the religious sentiments of a community then he can be taken to the court of law and those people are condemned who bypass the law to punish the blasphemers.
In the absence of such a law,everybody will take the matter in his own hands and will punish the blasphemers in his own way and in response to his own definition of blasphemy.

In absence of blasphemy laws, other laws will still apply,
and taking things in Your own hands is definitely something most communities punish.

 

[My-Analogous]

Pakistani police have arrested a Muslim man under the majority-Muslim country's strict blasphemy laws for selling shoes with a sacred Hindu symbol, according to police and Hindu community leaders.

Jahanzaib Khaskhili, the shopkeeper, was arrested on Monday in the southern town of Tando Adam and the shoes, which carried the "Om" symbol, were confiscated, said Farrukh Ali, the district police chief.

Hindu community leaders called for the shopkeeper to be punished.

"The state must play a proactive role in punishing the culprits under the blasphemy laws," Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, the patron of the Pakistani Hindu Council, said in a statement.

Tando Adam, about 200km northeast of Karachi, is in Sindh province, where the vast majority of Pakistan's approximately three million Hindus live.



101 East: Murder in God's nameThe blasphemy laws make it a crime to insult any religion and have specific sections for defiling the Quran or insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammad that carry a life sentence and mandatory death sentence, respectively.

If convicted, the shopkeeper faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, in addition to a possible fine.

Ali, the police chief, said Khaskhili had cooperated with authorities and appeared not to have intended to inflame religious sentiment.

"We will do this according to law, but prima facie it seems that he did not have any intention," he said.

READ MORE: Pakistan's laws fail to check violence against women

Ali said the police were now investigating the supplier of the shoes, who is based in Punjab province.

"The responsibility in this case will be with the people who actually manufactured the shoes ... they would probably have done it intentionally," he said.

Pakistani rights groups say Hindus are often at risk of discrimination and hate crimes, including forced conversions and economic discrimination..
@haviZsultan @Zibago I think this is a very rare case in the history of pakistan where our government actually thought about the respect of other religions.Is not that a good change ?

Alhumd ullah Pakistan is now moving in right direction and it is prohibited by our Prophet and this is a very good move and i put all my weight on this. Double thumbs up

 

[haviZsultan]

The problem with blasphemy laws is that it might be impossible to follow Your religion,
without insulting another.
Denying the "Holy Trinity" aka "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost is one" is blasphemy
to Christianity, while supporting it is blasphemy to a Muslim.

Well said my friend. Blasphemy is difficult to assuage. Christians added a prophet Esa (Jesus) and thus their beliefs are blasphemy to the jews. Similarly muslims added a prophet so their beliefsare blasphemy to the Christians. Blasphemy is a loose term and its no wonder the word blasphemy has become politicized and used for personal feuds in Pakistan. Pakistan has much to learn from Europe.

I think you should go easy on this guy (and on all religious related guys). Don't make it too hard for him, especially if he says he isn't gonna do it again. Religion and laws don't mix well.

I personally don't know if this was done
1) knowingly
2) With an intent to cause communal issues

For example this:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...rdan-islam-muslim_us_56bcee69e4b0c3c550508a57

Some people obviously exist that think that Islamic or Hindu signs on their shoes are a non-offensive thing. I am glad the guy was punished even if he did so unknowingly but in my personal humble opinion there are bigger problems out there like the blasphemy law being used to frame hindus, forced conversions, and forced marriages to muslims of hindu girls other than the problem of scattering hindu ashes in rivers in Indian controlled parts. So I think this is a small issue occurring mostly due to lack of knowledge. The more purposely slander of beliefs still does not get a befitting response.