A special Report by ICC
11/24/2013 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – With Christians in poverty regularly suffering the injustice that comes packaged with the abuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy law, issues relating to the natural consequences of the law are in need of urgent resolution.
Elderly Woman Falsely Accused of Blasphemy
On Oct. 29, Asia Masih, an elderly woman of poor economic standing in the Chamanzar Colony, in Faisalabad, was falsely accused of burning the Quran. She had been cleaning her home, when two Muslim students saw her burning some remains in the garden. They noticed that a few pages with Arabic text were burning in the flames and quickly jumped to the conclusion that the pages were from the Quran.
When they confronted her with accusations of blasphemy, which according to the law is punishable by life imprisonment or death, Masih was so frightened by the possible consequences that she saw no choice but to flee her home and go into hiding. She had only moved into the neighborhood the day before the incident.
Upon hearing what happened, a Christian activist, known by the initials R.D., who is a member of the Human Rights Defender Network, collected evidence to prove the woman’s innocence. He even approached an Islamic leader, belonging to the Peace Committee of the city, whose  cooperation and subsequent statement was vital to exonerating the woman from the bogus charges.
In his statement, he stated decisively that the pages in question “are not from the Koran, but a school book in Arabic.” He also called on Muslims to “properly evaluate the facts,” before throwing wild accusations that only end up “fomenting hatred and division.”
To its credit, the Peace Committee where the Islamic leader served, offered its full cooperation in analyzing the facts and later exonerating the falsely accused woman and her family, thereby declaring their innocence to the whole city. However, even though it came by the efforts of Muslim leaders, Asia Masih’s exoneration was not enough to give her the confidence to return home.
Although the incident showcased a valuable partnership between Christian and Muslim leaders, it revealed the persistent shadow of a powerful social prejudice against Christians and the unnerving natural consequences of a blasphemy law that is both needless and dangerous. As an ICC source says, “Criminal charges under Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws are disproportionately filed against Pakistani Christians. These laws are often abused to settle scores, eliminate business rivals and persecute religious minorities.”
Illiterate Vendor Brutally Beaten by Mob of Muslims
On Oct. 27, an illiterate vendor was brutally beaten by 15 to 20 furious Muslims in Pakistan’s northeastern town of Wazirabad, 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Lahore. He was attacked by the mob when they discovered that fireworks purchased from him were wrapped in pages that had a few verses from the Quran written on them. Since he was illiterate, he did not know that the words were from the Quran, but he still wasn’t spared the brutal rod of street justice.
“I registered the case against Tariq Masih and his brother on the directions of Mullah Sherazi and prayer leaders of three other mosques of the area,” said Khurram Shahzad, the man who purchased the fireworks from the vendor. “We would have thrashed him more had our elders not stopped us. Tariq Masih admitted before us that he had used the holy pages and sought forgiveness. He even promised us that he would not make the fireworks again.”
Masih went into hiding after the beating, but the police have arrested his brother, Arif Masih, to keep Muslims from turning violent and to pressure the “fugitive” into turning himself in, authorities said, according to Morning Star News.
“The police have also told us that they have put his name on the exit control list at all airports, and he will not be able to leave Pakistan,” Shahzad said. “His punishment will be an example to all those who dare insult Islam and our holy book.”
In another incident in October, a banned Islamic extremist group allegedly pressured police into charging a Christian with blasphemy. Also, a woman has been imprisoned since 2009, after allegedly using blasphemous words in a quarrel with Muslim coworkers who refused to drink water from the same glass as her because she was a Christian.
As an ICC source says, “When a blasphemy accusation is made against a Christian, it seems that many in Pakistan’s Muslim majority society  are willing to assume guilt even with little or no evidence. This makes the issue of blasphemy even more difficult for Christians who already face many problems when accused of blasphemy, including social hostility, extremists and the inability to retain competent legal representation because of poverty,”
Issues Relating to Blasphemy Laws Need Urgent Resolution
With such unreasonable incidents of Christian persecution, it is safe to say that the application of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are grossly violating the religious freedom of Christians and regularly being wielded as a weapon to persecute Christians, largely in poorer communities and rural areas.
Although the blasphemy laws were introduced in Pakistan to make society more tolerant and respectful towards Islam, that is not how they are being used. Instead, the laws are being abused to perpetuate a social distaste for Christians and target them for persecution.
The international community calls on the Pakistani government to urgently address the widespread persecution of Christians, directly related to the abuse of blasphemy laws. As an ICC source says, “Unless Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are struck down or at least reformed, Christian and other religious minorities will continue to be persecuted through the abuse of these laws.”