Sunday, 6 September 2020

The Murder of an American "Blasphemer" in Pakistan


The Murder of an American "Blasphemer" in Pakistan

by Raymond Ibrahim  •  September 6, 2020 at 4:00 am
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  • Although Tahir Naseem's teenage killer was apprehended and is being charged with murder, he is, among many people in Pakistan, a great hero.
  • "Pakistan's blasphemy laws are often used against religious minorities and others who are the target of false accusations." — Amnesty International, December 21, 2016.
  • Worse, if many have already decided on a guilty verdict for blasphemy before any of the facts are even presented, they will take "justice" into their own hands. Radicals have been also known to threaten or murder lawyers and public figures who defended the accused.
  • From the point of view of many in Pakistan, by killing the American blasphemer Naseem in court, all that the 15-year-old Khan did was to implement Pakistani law as stated in Section 295. His actions are then seen as a reflection of the zealous love he bears for Islam, and rather than being punished, Khan deserves only the highest praise.
On July 29, U.S. citizen Tahir Naseem was murdered in a Pakistani courtroom during a hearing for a charge of blasphemy, which included "denigrating the Koran and the Prophet Muhammad." His killer, 15-year-old Faisal Khan, is a hero among many Pakistanis. Radicals have been also known to threaten or murder lawyers and public figures who defend people accused of blasphemy. Two of Asia Bibi's advocates when she was in prison, Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti and Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, were assassinated in 2011. Pictured: A candlelight vigil in Lahore commemorating Salman Taseer on January 7, 2011. (Photo by Arif Ali/AFP via Getty Images)
A recent murder has cast a "fresh spotlight on Pakistan's blasphemy laws." On July 29, 2020, Tahir Naseem, 57, a U.S. citizen, was shot dead in a Pakistani courtroom during a bail hearing for a charge of blasphemy, which included "denigrating the Koran and the Prophet Muhammad," Reuters reported. Although his teenage killer was apprehended and is being charged with murder, he is, among many people in Pakistan, a great hero:
"Faisal Khan, a 15-year-old Pakistani, beams for selfies with lawyers and police. Thousands hail him in the streets as a 'holy warrior.' His claim to adulation? Allegedly gunning down in open court an American accused of blasphemy, a capital crime in this Islamic republic. Khan is charged with murder, which also carries a death sentence. But while lawyers line up to defend him, the attorney for Tahir Naseem, the U.S. citizen, has gone into hiding."

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