It is as if the news regarding the misuse of Blasphemy Law will never stop. Lala Hassan an activist of the Peoples Resistance movement in Karachi narrated an incident about a woman being wrongly accused of disrespecting the Quran in Sanghar District of Sindh. Considering the ruthlessness of a raging mob, it could be her fortune that the police arrested her before the mob could delivery its judgment which was threatening her with dire circumstances.
According to reports a shopkeeper of the city had made a complaint with the Police that he had gone to recover a loan from the woman while talking she was holding the Holy Quran and refused to give him back his money. According to the complainant the woman put down the Quran with force, but interestingly it he told the media that she first kissed & embraced the holy book & after the talk with him, she then put down the Quran in a forceful manner
The woman is about 60 years old & she had been purchasing eatable items from that shop. She is also facing allegation of supervising a red light area.
She is at the moment in Police custody & the local tribals have called meeting today & announced that if the woman is found guilty she will be booked under the Blasphemy Law & if the allegations were incorrect, the police would be asked to register case against complainant. It is being revealed through many local sources in Sanghar that the dispute is primarily based over the load money and has nothing to do with any blasphemous act by the woman.
Its worrisome that in the past few days we have heard of many reports regarding the Blasphemous Law, I believe the law is definitely a problem which needs to be carefully addressed, but more importantly the state needs to deliver a strong message to its people that regardless of what the law states they have no right to be the judge jury and executioner without a proper investigation in the facts of the matter. More recently I believe with the hype surrounding the Gojra incident it is possible that vengeful individuals are exploiting the system and using mere accusations to rally an emotional crowd to exterminate their rivals. This must stop at all costs
Comments
5 responses to “Women threatened for Disrespecting the Quran – Sanghar, Sindh”
Awab, thanks for sharing it in such balanced manner and with passion.
Quite frankly, I find it to be a positive thing that "the local tribals have called meeting today & announced that if the woman is found guilty she will be booked under the Blasphemy Law & if the allegations were incorrect, the police would be asked to register case against complainant."
On the face of it, this is a responsible attitude (if it is as good as it sounds).
Yes, blasphemy law needs to be reviewed, revised or repealed – whatever the majority of the people of this country decide. But the majority RESERVES the RIGHT to be ASKED.
This is where our liberals and progressives are WRONG. They do not recognize that the people have got the right to have laws of their choice. Our intellectual elite insist on deciding what is good or bad for the people – usually importing values and laws from abroad and then thrusting them on the poor masses.
True, blasphemy law as well as the Hudood Ordinance are primitive but are they more indecent than the "nationalization" carried out in the early 1970s? How unfair that while we highlight the abuse of blasphemy and Hudood laws (and perhaps we are right in criticizing these), other equally unjust and visibly un-democratic practises are even boasted about and remembered with nostalgia – WHY? Is it just because they have the blessings of Marx, Lenin, Stalin or Che Guvera while blasphemy law does not?
We need to EMPOWER THE MASSES, and we need to do it UNCONDITIONALLY.
Step One, Let's decide that the consensus of the nation will be inviolable (and please remember that the majority of this nation has PERSISTENTLY proven to be against bigotry for more than a hundred years; in 1947 they elected Jinnah and in 1988 a woman prime minister – always, always against the brainwashing of the bigots). STEP TWO, which can come only AFTER Step 1, is complete equality between citizens as enshrined in the August 11 speech of Jinnah.
Insha Allah, discriminatory laws will be repealed in this country BECAUSE Islam does not encourage discrimination – at least not the Islam of Bhittai, Bullhay Shah and Jinnah, which is the Islam which is followed and endorsed by the "majority". But as long as we plead the right case on the wrong grounds, we shall rightly fail.
Let's remember that the court of appeal is not in Clifton. It is the hearts of the dirty unwashed.
The misuse and abuse of Islamic/Quranic laws is real blasphemy against Quran and Sunnah.
@Unaiza Fatima
What you more you expect from people when ruling elite spend only 1% on peoples' education.
How come all the Blasphemy related news are coming all at once
Are we going to celebrate this 14th of Aug as the last one? I wonder!!
May Allah guide all the human beings, Ameen.
phewwwwwwww!
are we done with this blasphemy issue?
seems like every highway,every road and every cross road is going to gojra.