US ‘outraged’ at Pakistan blasphemy trial killing

July 31, 2020

The United States on Thursday demanded action over the killing of a US citizen on trial for blasphemy at a Pakistani court.

Tahir Ahmed Naseem, a member of the minority Ahmadiyya community, was shot multiple times in the middle of a crowded courtroom in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Wednesday. The shooter was apprehended on the spot.

“We are shocked, saddened, and outraged that American citizen Tahir Naseem was killed yesterday inside a Pakistani courtroom,” the US State Department said in a statement. 

“Mr. Naseem had been lured to Pakistan from his home in Illinois by individuals who then used Pakistan’s blasphemy laws to entrap him.”

Why was Naseem on trial?

Naseem was facing allegations of blasphemy, charges that critics believe are often used to settle personal scores in the conservative Muslim nation. He was accused of telling a student at an Islamic school that he was a messiah sent by God. Naseem faced multiple charges, including insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

A hardline Islamist group on Thursday called for the release of shooter, claiming that he was defending his religion.

Questions are being raised as to how the shooter managed to get a gun inside the courtroom and through multiple checkpoints.

“We urge Pakistan to immediately reform its often abused blasphemy laws and its court system, which allow such abuses to occur, and to ensure that the suspect is prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” the US State Department said, demanding action.

Read more: Sajid Soomro: Another Pakistani academic falls victims to blasphemy law

Pakistan’s blasphemy laws

Human rights groups have said Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, introduced by former military ruler Ziaul Haq in the 1980s, can often lead to riots or killings.

Although Pakistani authorities have yet to put someone to death for the offense, crowds and individuals often take the law into their own hands. More than 50 people have been victims of extrajudicial killings before their court trials had even finished.

In one prominent case, a governor in Punjab province was murdered by his own guard after he defended a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, who faced blasphemy charges. Bibi herself was acquitted after spending eight years on death row and left for Canada last year after death threats from Islamic extremists.

Asia Bibi case highlights Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws

Leaving ‘for Canada’

A decade after being accused of blasphemy, Asia Bibi left Pakistan with her husband Ashiq Masih for Canada. A family member told DW that Bibi’s two daughters were waiting for her in Calgary. Her departure was delayed six months, reportedly due to extreme pressure from the deep state not to speak out against the state when she leaves the country.

Asia Bibi case highlights Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws

A dispute over water

In 2009, Asia Bibi was accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad while she was working in a field in Punjab’s Sheikhupura district. The Muslim women who were working with Bibi objected to her fetching water, saying that as a non-Muslim she was not allowed to touch the water bowl. The women then complained to a local cleric and leveled blasphemy charges against Bibi.

Asia Bibi case highlights Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws

A sensitive matter

According to local media, the argument in the field led to a mob attack on Bibi’s house. Later, police took Bibi into custody and launched an investigation into the blasphemy accusations. Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, where 97 percent of the population is Muslim.

Asia Bibi case highlights Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws

Controversial law

The blasphemy law was introduced by General Zia-ul-Haq, a military dictator, in the 1980s. Activists say they are often implemented in cases that have little to do with blasphemy and are used to settle petty disputes and personal vendettas. Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis — a minority Islamic sect — are often victimized as a result.

Asia Bibi case highlights Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws

The Pakistani state vs. Bibi

In 2010, a lower court convicted Bibi of blasphemy. Although the defense lawyer argued that the blasphemy allegations were made to settle personal scores, the court sentenced Bibi to death by hanging. Bibi’s family has been living under constant fear since 2010. Her husband, Ashiq Masih (R), says he has been fighting a battle for his wife’s freedom ever since.

Asia Bibi case highlights Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws

Assassination of critics

In 2010, Salman Taseer (R), the then governor of Punjab province, backed Bibi and demanded amendments in the blasphemy laws. Taseer’s anti-blasphemy law position angered extremists. In 2011, Taseer was gunned down by his own bodyguard in Islamabad. The same year, Shahbaz Bhatti, the then minister for minorities and a prominent blasphemy law critic, was also assassinated by unidentified gunmen.

Asia Bibi case highlights Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws

Celebration of killings

After Taseer’s murder, Qadri became a hero for Pakistani Islamists. Qadri was showered with rose petals by right-wing groups as he was taken to jail by the authorities. Qadri was sent to the gallows in 2016. Thousands of people – mostly supporters of Islamic groups – attended Qadri’s funeral. Local media reported that Qadri’s supporters built a shrine after his death to honor him.

Asia Bibi case highlights Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws

Fear in the judicial community

After the killings of blasphemy law critics, many lawyers refused to take up Bibi’s case in the higher courts. In 2014, the Lahore High Court upheld her death sentence. Pakistan’s top court, the Supreme Court, was scheduled to hear Bibi’s appeal against the conviction in 2016, but one judge refused to be a part of the judicial bench, citing personal reasons.

Asia Bibi case highlights Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws

Victims of blasphemy law

According to the American Centre for Law and Justice, at least 40 Pakistanis were sentenced to death on blasphemy charges in 2016. The law is often used to target religious minorities and secular Muslims. Although there hasn’t been any legal execution under the blasphemy law, there have been instances where angry mobs have lynched alleged blasphemers.

Asia Bibi case highlights Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws

Persecution of religious minorities

Pakistan’s Christians and other religious minorities complain of legal and social discrimination in their country. In the past few years, many Christians and Hindus have been brutally murdered over unproven blasphemy allegations.

Asia Bibi case highlights Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws

Threats from Islamists

Religious extremists in Pakistan, particularly the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) group, have warned the authorities against reversing Bibi’s blasphemy verdict. The country’s Christian minority fears that if the judges decide to reverse the death sentence, they could face a violent backlash from the country’s hardline Islamic groups.

Asia Bibi case highlights Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws

International support for Bibi

Rights groups and Western governments demand a fair trial in Bibi’s case. In 2015, Bibi’s daughter met with Pope Francis, who offered prayers for her mother at the Vatican. In 2014, Amnesty International dubbed the Lahore High Court’s verdict against Bibi a “grave injustice.” The American Centre for Law and Justice also condemned Bibi’s sentence and urged Islamabad to protect religious minorities.

Author: Onkar Singh Janoti