ICC Note:

Last week, a Christian woman and her 9-year-old son narrowly avoided being charged with blasphemy in Quetta, Pakistan. According to reports, the Christians were accused of burning pages of the Quran. Thanks to the timely intervention of religious leaders both from the Christian and the Muslim community, formal blasphemy charges were avoided and the Christians were set free. Accusations of blasphemy, even false ones, often end in tragedy for those accused. Extra-judicial killings, death sentences, and life imprisonment are not uncommon when a religious minority in Pakistan is accused of blasphemy. 

10/28/2016 Pakistan (Christian in Pakistan) – The acquittal of blasphemy charges against a Christian woman and her son was recently welcomed by the Christian community of Pakistan. In a statement sent to Fides, Fr. Renald Remindran expressed relief and jubilation over the miraculous occurrence. The accused woman and boy were arrested and interrogated on blasphemy charges on October 20.

Shakeela Kausar, employed as a nurse at the Civil Hospital in Quetta, and her 9-year-old son, Izhan, were accused of committing blasphemy by burning pages of holy Quran. They were arrested on October 20, the same day they were accused of committing blasphemy.

Following the incident, local Christian and Islamic religious leaders played a vital part by intervening and were able to resolve the case of alleged blasphemy. Details emerged that some local Christian leaders managed to get leaders of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) involved in the intervention process. Through this partnership, they were able to acquire acquittal for the Christians respondents.

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