Blasphemy

[Stormkhan]

Can you imagine being threatened with excommunication in Britain today?
It'd be like a Monty Python scene.

"You've not come to church, and in fact acted directly against the Church rules! We shall excommunicate you unless you conform!"
"Whassat, then?"
"You will be prevented from coming to church and communities will shun you!"
"Which communities?"
"Well ... those communities that wholeheartedly obey the Church!"
"Oh ... okay then. Excomm-thingy me then. I just won't go there then."
"Ummmmm. I think we need an update."

 

[Stormkhan]

Yep, me too - faith is personal and I am free to live in/with my faith. I am also lucky to live in a place that allows me to talk about it if I wish. I'd prefer it if others were respectful about it but they are free not to be, if they so wish.

I might find blaspheming unpleasant but that's my own personal feeling and have no right to impose that on anyone - it's (literally) not my judgement call!

Quite right.
It might be considered as taking offense on God's behalf, implying that God needs humans to help Him show offense.

 

[Stormkhan]

I think it's important to differentiate between belief (faith) and religion, especially religion with a power structure.

Very good point.
I read somewhere that a medieval Archbishop (Walter Stapledon IIRC) said "Faith comes from God. The Church is man's creation."

 

[ChasFink]

...
Domestic media have reported that religious authorities demanded the death penalty if the young woman, who has not been named, is found guilty of blasphemy in court.
...
Pan-Arab news outlet al-Quds al-Araby reported on Wednesday that the student is from the north-western town of Atar and comes from the Haratin ethnic group, who are the descendants of slaves of sub-Saharan origin.
...

So authorities are using the law to impose an unreasonably harsh sentence on a member of an ethnic group descended from slaves? As an American who grew up in the 1960s, this sounds all too familiar.

 

[JahaRa]

"The cross is a recognised Christian symbol and it is very tasteless." The cross as a symbol IS tasteless. It represents a dying man on that cross. Whether he is depicted or not it is tasteless.

 

[JahaRa]

Like anything pertaining to someone's religious beliefs they can consider anything blasphemous. The first time I heard that word was when I tried to point out to the sunday school teacher that the quote she had us look up in the bible was a fragment of a sentence and if you read the whole sentence it meant the exact opposite of what she was claiming. I guess it was shocking to her that an 11 year old could read better than she could, I suspect she never even learned about punctuation. Just parroted what someone had told her and thought it was true.

 

[Stormkhan]

"The cross is a recognised Christian symbol and it is very tasteless." The cross as a symbol IS tasteless. It represents a dying man on that cross. Whether he is depicted or not it is tasteless.

I recall a meme on FB, where Jesus has returned to Earth and the image is of him looking at the cross.
"Insensitive? MUCH?"
To be fair, there's a difference between a cross (a plain bit of wood, y'know the thing), and a crucifix, which depicts his execution and torture. A cross might pass his consideration, but seeing the actual crucifixion, with the knees, the stab, the blood an' all, well ... Jesus might say "You seem to have taken a lot of interest in detail, eh?"

 

[JahaRa]

I recall a meme on FB, where Jesus has returned to Earth and the image is of him looking at the cross.
"Insensitive? MUCH?"
To be fair, there's a difference between a cross (a plain bit of wood, y'know the thing), and a crucifix, which depicts his execution and torture. A cross might pass his consideration, but seeing the actual crucifixion, with the knees, the stab, the blood an' all, well ... Jesus might say "You seem to have taken a lot of interest in detail, eh?"

I was actuallly commenting more on the gramatical mistake but my belief that christianity is whack came out as well. I get it though, the cross as a symbol, if it were not the Roman torture cross (which all christian crucifixes are depicting, even when it is just a "plain bit of wood") is not a representation of death. (i.e. the cross on the knights templar sheilds and flags)

 

[PeteByrdie]

I think it's important to differentiate between belief (faith) and religion, especially religion with a power structure.

It definitely is. But the two are related. Under favourable circumstances, a person's belief may grow to be a religion, and a person may develop a personal interpretation of a religion that they could not have formulated had that religion not existed but which has become entirely personal. But, I've only encountered a handful of individuals who have developed their own personal set of spiritual beliefs with which they're so emotionally entwined, it's clear they feel attacked at their core if their beliefs are questioned or disrespected. Those few are probably unhinged, and would be dangerous if they had the personal power and resources of a major religion. Generally, it's only religious communities who feel they should have the right to have their feelings protected.

 

[ramonmercado]

All it takes is a rumour to incite these mobs.

More than 100 people have been arrested in an east Pakistan city after thousands of Muslims burned churches and vandalised homes.

Violence in Jaranwala was sparked by claims that two Christian men had torn pages from the Quran. The historic Salvation Army Church was still smouldering on Thursday, one day after the riot. Ruins have been surrounded with barbed wire as the situation remains tense in the city.

Public gatherings have also been restricted for seven days in Faisalabad district, which includes Jaranwala.

The two men accused of damaging the Quran, Islam's holy book, have not been arrested though they have been charged with blasphemy, which is punishable by death in Pakistan.

Even though Pakistan has yet to sentence anyone to death for blasphemy, a mere accusation can result in widespread riots, sometimes leading to lynchings and killings.

A local official told BBC Urdu that authorities had received calls about protests and fires early on Wednesday morning, after reports about the desecration of the Quran circulated on social media and in the city.

Authorities said torn pages of the sacred text with blasphemous content allegedly scribbled on them in red marker ink were found near a Christian community.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66517901

 

[ramonmercado]

Luka should now move on to portraying Mohammed.

Christian groups in the Philippines have brought criminal complaints against a drag queen who dressed as Jesus Christ and performed a rock rendition of the Lord's Prayer.

The complaints lodged with prosecutors accuse the performer, 33-year-old Pura Luka Vega, of "desecrating their religious faith and patron".

A video of a bearded Luka performing the verse in Filipino went viral last month, causing an uproar.

Luka defended their performance as art. They have performed as Jesus before but their latest performance drew attention after Luka shared a video of it on X, formerly known as Twitter.

It angered the deeply religious country, where some church leaders and lawmakers have called the performance "blasphemous".

At the end of July, the Philippines for Jesus Movement, comprising Protestant church leaders, registered the first criminal complaint with the Manila Prosecutor's Office. They accused Luka of violating Article 201 of the country's penal code - which penalises obscene publications and exhibitions and indecent shows. A second complaint was filed this week by a Catholic group Nazarene Brotherhood. Prosecutors are yet to say if they will launch a case.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66541089

 

[AnonyJ]

Quite right.
It might be considered as taking offense on God's behalf, implying that God needs humans to help Him show offense.

Exactly. I feel so strongly about this that I do not support any kind of death penalty, that is a civic judgement too far!

When it comes to blasphemy - warmongering, genocidal acts, industrial fraud & pollution and suchlike are far greater harms on fellow humans, I actually pray that the perpetrators will find their 'fear of God' and I fear for them as well, knowing what I believe and practice.

 

[maximus otter]

Blasphemy Laws Are Back: Denmark Prepares to Ban Qur’an Burnings​

“The unfree, medieval forces of the Middle East have won a victory today”, Denmark’s former immigration minister has said as the nation’s present government ploughs on to mollify criticism from the Muslim world by banning Qur’an burnings.

Denmark was the last Scandinavian country to still have historic blasphemy laws on the books when it scrapped its 334-year-old statute in 2017, but now the nation’s government is bringing them back. A new law is being drafted, targeted at a surge in Qur’an burning protests recently which would make desecrating any holy book illegal, with the government saying the legislation is a matter of national security.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/20...-back-denmark-prepares-to-ban-quran-burnings/

maximus otter

 

[ramonmercado]

Blasphemy Laws Are Back: Denmark Prepares to Ban Qur’an Burnings​

“The unfree, medieval forces of the Middle East have won a victory today”, Denmark’s former immigration minister has said as the nation’s present government ploughs on to mollify criticism from the Muslim world by banning Qur’an burnings.

Denmark was the last Scandinavian country to still have historic blasphemy laws on the books when it scrapped its 334-year-old statute in 2017, but now the nation’s government is bringing them back. A new law is being drafted, targeted at a surge in Qur’an burning protests recently which would make desecrating any holy book illegal, with the government saying the legislation is a matter of national security.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/20...-back-denmark-prepares-to-ban-quran-burnings/

maximus otter

Let's see them imprison an ex-muslim for burning a qur'an.

 

[ramonmercado]

How come they never dress as Mohammed?

A Philippines drag queen was arrested on Wednesday over their performance as Jesus Christ reciting the Lord's Prayer.

A video of the performance by Pura Luka Vega had sparked criminal complaints by Christian groups in July. The 33-year-old, whose real name is Amadeus Fernando Pagente, faces up to 12 years in jail under the Catholic-majority country's obscenity laws. Nearly 80% of the Philippines identifies as Roman Catholic.

Pagente has been charged with the offence of "immoral doctrines, obscene publications and exhibitions and indecent shows", according to a copy of the arrest warrant shared by Manila police.

The video features a bearded Pagente dressed as Jesus Christ, performing a rock version of the Lord's Prayer in Tagalog. It has since been deleted.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-67025750

 

[Cochise]

Blasphemy Laws Are Back: Denmark Prepares to Ban Qur’an Burnings​

“The unfree, medieval forces of the Middle East have won a victory today”, Denmark’s former immigration minister has said as the nation’s present government ploughs on to mollify criticism from the Muslim world by banning Qur’an burnings.

Denmark was the last Scandinavian country to still have historic blasphemy laws on the books when it scrapped its 334-year-old statute in 2017, but now the nation’s government is bringing them back. A new law is being drafted, targeted at a surge in Qur’an burning protests recently which would make desecrating any holy book illegal, with the government saying the legislation is a matter of national security.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/20...-back-denmark-prepares-to-ban-quran-burnings/

maximus otter

Are they going to ban Bible burnings as well? It seems to me that all the fundamentals of Western law - innocent until proven guilty, double jeopardy, equality before the law, trial by jury - the last still imperfect - are under threat.

We run ourselves down in the UK but the dramatic improvements over the last 100 years in general conditions for the vast majority of the population is being drowned in a tide of disproportion. Yes, things could be better, but for most people they are a lot better despite WW2 etc. etc. We should really be trying harder to value what we've already got lest it slips away without us noticing. I've deliberately kept this paragraph off any specific issue or any party's stance - it is a general observation.

 

[catseye]

How come they never dress as Mohammed?

A Philippines drag queen was arrested on Wednesday over their performance as Jesus Christ reciting the Lord's Prayer.

A video of the performance by Pura Luka Vega had sparked criminal complaints by Christian groups in July. The 33-year-old, whose real name is Amadeus Fernando Pagente, faces up to 12 years in jail under the Catholic-majority country's obscenity laws. Nearly 80% of the Philippines identifies as Roman Catholic.

Pagente has been charged with the offence of "immoral doctrines, obscene publications and exhibitions and indecent shows", according to a copy of the arrest warrant shared by Manila police.

The video features a bearded Pagente dressed as Jesus Christ, performing a rock version of the Lord's Prayer in Tagalog. It has since been deleted.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-67025750

Does the BBC news site really have to explain what 'persona non grata' means?

 

[Stormkhan]

Sadly, I suspect that - for the majority of the current generation - yes.

 

[ramonmercado]

A bunch of ignorant fuckwits.

Pakistan woman in Arabic script dress saved from mob claiming blasphemy​

The dress has the word "Halwa" printed in Arabic letters on it, meaning beautiful in Arabic


An angry mob in Pakistan accused a woman who wore a dress adorned with Arabic calligraphy of blasphemy, after mistaking them for Quran verses.

She was saved by police who escorted her to safety after hundreds gathered. She later gave a public apology. The dress has the word "Halwa" printed in Arabic letters on it, meaning beautiful in Arabic. Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan. Some people have been lynched even before their cases go on trial.

Police told the BBC they first received a call at about 13:10 local (08:10 GMT) on Sunday that a crowd had gathered around a woman at a restaurant in Lahore, the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab. Around 300 people had crowded outside the restaurant by the time they arrived, said Assistant Superintendent Syeda Shehrbano.

Videos of the scene circulated on social media, with one showing a woman, visibly scared, sitting in the far corner of the restaurant, shielding her face with her hand. In another, she is surrounded by officers, who had formed the only barrier between her and a growing crowd who were shouting for her to remove the shirt. In some videos, people can be heard chanting that those who blaspheme must be beheaded.

Footage shared on social media shows Ms Shehrbano standing at the restaurant's entrance, trying to restore order to an increasingly charged crowd.

"Nobody actually knew what was written on the shirt," she said. "The major feat was to try to get that woman out of the area in order to ensure that she is safe."

Ms Shehrbano adds that she had to "negotiate" with the crowd.

"We told them we would take the woman with us, her actions are going to be taken into account and we're going to hold her responsible for whatever crime committed as per the law of the land."

The footage later showed Ms Shehrbano putting her arm around the woman, now covered by a black robe and a headscarf, and pushing through the crowd. Other police officers formed a chain with their arms to clear their path as people in the crowd pushed against them. Ms Shehrbano said supporters of the hardline Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party were among those in the crowd.

The woman was brought into a police station, where several religious scholars confirmed that the text on her dress was Arabic calligraphy, not verses from the Quran. The police then asked the scholars to record a video stating their findings and that the woman was innocent.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68399822

 

[Ascalon]

A bunch of ignorant fuckwits.

Pakistan woman in Arabic script dress saved from mob claiming blasphemy​

The dress has the word "Halwa" printed in Arabic letters on it, meaning beautiful in Arabic


An angry mob in Pakistan accused a woman who wore a dress adorned with Arabic calligraphy of blasphemy, after mistaking them for Quran verses.

She was saved by police who escorted her to safety after hundreds gathered. She later gave a public apology. The dress has the word "Halwa" printed in Arabic letters on it, meaning beautiful in Arabic. Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan. Some people have been lynched even before their cases go on trial.

Police told the BBC they first received a call at about 13:10 local (08:10 GMT) on Sunday that a crowd had gathered around a woman at a restaurant in Lahore, the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab. Around 300 people had crowded outside the restaurant by the time they arrived, said Assistant Superintendent Syeda Shehrbano.

Videos of the scene circulated on social media, with one showing a woman, visibly scared, sitting in the far corner of the restaurant, shielding her face with her hand. In another, she is surrounded by officers, who had formed the only barrier between her and a growing crowd who were shouting for her to remove the shirt. In some videos, people can be heard chanting that those who blaspheme must be beheaded.

Footage shared on social media shows Ms Shehrbano standing at the restaurant's entrance, trying to restore order to an increasingly charged crowd.

"Nobody actually knew what was written on the shirt," she said. "The major feat was to try to get that woman out of the area in order to ensure that she is safe."

Ms Shehrbano adds that she had to "negotiate" with the crowd.

"We told them we would take the woman with us, her actions are going to be taken into account and we're going to hold her responsible for whatever crime committed as per the law of the land."

The footage later showed Ms Shehrbano putting her arm around the woman, now covered by a black robe and a headscarf, and pushing through the crowd. Other police officers formed a chain with their arms to clear their path as people in the crowd pushed against them. Ms Shehrbano said supporters of the hardline Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party were among those in the crowd.

The woman was brought into a police station, where several religious scholars confirmed that the text on her dress was Arabic calligraphy, not verses from the Quran. The police then asked the scholars to record a video stating their findings and that the woman was innocent.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68399822

Read this earlier.
And I can only think OFFS!

 

[Mythopoeika]

A bunch of ignorant fuckwits.

Pakistan woman in Arabic script dress saved from mob claiming blasphemy​

The dress has the word "Halwa" printed in Arabic letters on it, meaning beautiful in Arabic


An angry mob in Pakistan accused a woman who wore a dress adorned with Arabic calligraphy of blasphemy, after mistaking them for Quran verses.

She was saved by police who escorted her to safety after hundreds gathered. She later gave a public apology. The dress has the word "Halwa" printed in Arabic letters on it, meaning beautiful in Arabic. Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan. Some people have been lynched even before their cases go on trial.

Police told the BBC they first received a call at about 13:10 local (08:10 GMT) on Sunday that a crowd had gathered around a woman at a restaurant in Lahore, the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab. Around 300 people had crowded outside the restaurant by the time they arrived, said Assistant Superintendent Syeda Shehrbano.

Videos of the scene circulated on social media, with one showing a woman, visibly scared, sitting in the far corner of the restaurant, shielding her face with her hand. In another, she is surrounded by officers, who had formed the only barrier between her and a growing crowd who were shouting for her to remove the shirt. In some videos, people can be heard chanting that those who blaspheme must be beheaded.

Footage shared on social media shows Ms Shehrbano standing at the restaurant's entrance, trying to restore order to an increasingly charged crowd.

"Nobody actually knew what was written on the shirt," she said. "The major feat was to try to get that woman out of the area in order to ensure that she is safe."

Ms Shehrbano adds that she had to "negotiate" with the crowd.

"We told them we would take the woman with us, her actions are going to be taken into account and we're going to hold her responsible for whatever crime committed as per the law of the land."

The footage later showed Ms Shehrbano putting her arm around the woman, now covered by a black robe and a headscarf, and pushing through the crowd. Other police officers formed a chain with their arms to clear their path as people in the crowd pushed against them. Ms Shehrbano said supporters of the hardline Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party were among those in the crowd.

The woman was brought into a police station, where several religious scholars confirmed that the text on her dress was Arabic calligraphy, not verses from the Quran. The police then asked the scholars to record a video stating their findings and that the woman was innocent.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68399822

This kind of mob stupidity reminds me of the time when an angry mob attacked a paediatrician because they had confused her job title with 'paedophile'. Duh!

 

[maximus otter]

A bunch of ignorant fuckwits.

Pakistan woman in Arabic script dress saved from mob claiming blasphemy​

The dress has the word "Halwa" printed in Arabic letters on it, meaning beautiful in Arabic


An angry mob in Pakistan accused a woman who wore a dress adorned with Arabic calligraphy of blasphemy, after mistaking them for Quran verses.

She was saved by police who escorted her to safety after hundreds gathered. She later gave a public apology. The dress has the word "Halwa" printed in Arabic letters on it, meaning beautiful in Arabic. Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan. Some people have been lynched even before their cases go on trial.

Police told the BBC they first received a call at about 13:10 local (08:10 GMT) on Sunday that a crowd had gathered around a woman at a restaurant in Lahore, the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab. Around 300 people had crowded outside the restaurant by the time they arrived, said Assistant Superintendent Syeda Shehrbano.

Videos of the scene circulated on social media, with one showing a woman, visibly scared, sitting in the far corner of the restaurant, shielding her face with her hand. In another, she is surrounded by officers, who had formed the only barrier between her and a growing crowd who were shouting for her to remove the shirt. In some videos, people can be heard chanting that those who blaspheme must be beheaded.

Footage shared on social media shows Ms Shehrbano standing at the restaurant's entrance, trying to restore order to an increasingly charged crowd.

"Nobody actually knew what was written on the shirt," she said. "The major feat was to try to get that woman out of the area in order to ensure that she is safe."

Ms Shehrbano adds that she had to "negotiate" with the crowd.

"We told them we would take the woman with us, her actions are going to be taken into account and we're going to hold her responsible for whatever crime committed as per the law of the land."

The footage later showed Ms Shehrbano putting her arm around the woman, now covered by a black robe and a headscarf, and pushing through the crowd. Other police officers formed a chain with their arms to clear their path as people in the crowd pushed against them. Ms Shehrbano said supporters of the hardline Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party were among those in the crowd.

The woman was brought into a police station, where several religious scholars confirmed that the text on her dress was Arabic calligraphy, not verses from the Quran. The police then asked the scholars to record a video stating their findings and that the woman was innocent.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68399822

“Muslim fundamentalists demand that woman takes her dress off in public.”

If they were literate enough to be offended, why weren’t they literate enough to be able to read what the dress actually said?



maximus otter

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

This kind of mob stupidity reminds me of the time when an angry mob attacked a paediatrician because they had confused her job title with 'paedophile'. Duh!

Except that never happened.
It was blown up into a media frenzy by irresponsible tabloids (and an irresponsible Guardian):

https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/a-tale-told-too-much-the-paediatrician-vigilantes/

 

[Mythopoeika]

Except that never happened.
It was blown up into a media frenzy by irresponsible tabloids (and an irresponsible Guardian):

https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/a-tale-told-too-much-the-paediatrician-vigilantes/

The Guardian! Again.

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

The Guardian! Again.

After the usual tabloid suspects (Mirror, Star, Sun etc.) grossly exaggerated a complete non-story featuring a couple of schoolkids thinking it would be funny to write "Paedo" on a Paediatrician's gate, a Berliner format paper, that likes to pretend it knows better, also shrieked with indignation at the myth of a hate-filled mob attacking a health worker.

 

[Mikefule]

"The cross is a recognised Christian symbol and it is very tasteless." The cross as a symbol IS tasteless. It represents a dying man on that cross. Whether he is depicted or not it is tasteless.

I'm not a Christian, but I don't agree with that analysis.

If you see the cross or crucifix simply as an image of a man being tortured to death then of course it is distasteful. It is a distasteful as, for example, a T shirt showing someone being executed in the electric chair.

However, that is a simplistic interpretation of the cross or crucifix. Christians see the cross as a symbol of the willing sacrifice of God's son for the benefit of all mankind. They see it as a symbol of God, through His son, choosing to endure mortal pain for the salvation of all mankind. Also, they don't see it as a symbol of someone dying on the cross, but a symbol of someone not dying on the cross.

For comparison, we think it is perfectly normal and, I suppose, generally considered good taste, to have memorials in most villages, towns and cities to "the glorious fallen" or those who "gave their lives" or "made the ultimate sacrifice". Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori: it is a sweet and proper thing to die for your country.

The truth is, enormous numbers of ordinary young people were butchered and slaughtered, suffering unimaginable terror and pain, and most of them (felt that they) had no choice. I am sure that many of them only dimly understood the reasons for the 2 wars they fought in.

As a society, we choose to honour their "courage and sacrifice" rather than putting up memorials to their brutal slaughter. Is that tasteless? I think not.

 

[Yithian]

Does the BBC news site really have to explain what 'persona non grata' means?

The BBC has missed the point while attempting to make it clearer.

Those declared personae non gratae are ordinarily diplomatic staff subject to expulsion from host nations, but in this case cities in the Philippines actually have a legal power (uncommon in other jurisdictions) to make such declarations as a sign of local disapproval.

This isn't some kind of metaphorical or colloquial usage that just 'translates' from the Latin—it's part of their legal lexicon.

 

[ramonmercado]

Pakistan again.

A court in Pakistan has sentenced a 22-year-old student to death on charges of blasphemy over Whatsapp messages.

The court in Punjab Province said he had shared blasphemous pictures and videos with the intention to outrage the religious feelings of Muslims. A 17-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment as part of the same case. Both have denied wrongdoing.

Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan. Some people have been lynched even before their cases go on trial.

The complaint was filed in 2022 by the cybercrime unit of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Lahore, the capital of Punjab.
The case was referred to a local court in the city of Gujranwala.

In the ruling this week, the judges said the 22-year-old was sentenced to death for preparing photos and videos which contained derogatory words about Prophet Muhammad and his wives. The younger defendant was given a life sentence for sharing the material.

The plaintiff had alleged he had received the videos and photos from three different mobile phone numbers. The FIA said that it had examined the plaintiff's phone and established that "obscene material" had been sent to him.

Defence lawyers argued that the two students had been "trapped in a false case".

The father of the death-row convict, whose identity has not been disclosed, told the BBC that he was filing an appeal in the Lahore High Court.

The other student was sentenced to life imprisonment instead of the death penalty because he is a minor, the court said.

Laws against blasphemy were first codified by India's British rulers and expanded in the 1980s under Pakistan's military government.

Last August, scores of churches and homes were burnt in the eastern city of Jaranwala after two Christian men were accused of damaging the Quran.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68511557

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

Pakistan again.

A court in Pakistan has sentenced a 22-year-old student to death on charges of blasphemy over Whatsapp messages.

The court in Punjab Province said he had shared blasphemous pictures and videos with the intention to outrage the religious feelings of Muslims. A 17-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment as part of the same case. Both have denied wrongdoing.

Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan. Some people have been lynched even before their cases go on trial.

The complaint was filed in 2022 by the cybercrime unit of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Lahore, the capital of Punjab.
The case was referred to a local court in the city of Gujranwala.

In the ruling this week, the judges said the 22-year-old was sentenced to death for preparing photos and videos which contained derogatory words about Prophet Muhammad and his wives. The younger defendant was given a life sentence for sharing the material.

The plaintiff had alleged he had received the videos and photos from three different mobile phone numbers. The FIA said that it had examined the plaintiff's phone and established that "obscene material" had been sent to him.

Defence lawyers argued that the two students had been "trapped in a false case".

The father of the death-row convict, whose identity has not been disclosed, told the BBC that he was filing an appeal in the Lahore High Court.

The other student was sentenced to life imprisonment instead of the death penalty because he is a minor, the court said.

Laws against blasphemy were first codified by India's British rulers and expanded in the 1980s under Pakistan's military government.

Last August, scores of churches and homes were burnt in the eastern city of Jaranwala after two Christian men were accused of damaging the Quran.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68511557

Beggars belief doesn't it?
At a time when Saudi Arabia, once the big bad bogey man of Islamic theocracies, is taking a few baby-steps towards liberalising, it appears that Pakistan is heading in totally the opposite direction back into medieval barbarism.