The EU Parliament is correct. Here at ChristianPersecution.com, we have documented numerous instances in which Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are used to victimize Christians and other religious minorities. Christians comprise only 1.2% of the nation’s population, but were 3.5% of those who were accused of committing blasphemy in 2020.
A small number of Pakistani Christians are Orthodox. Orthodox Christians in Pakistan are under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Singapore and South Asia, which comprises all the Orthodox Communities, Parishes, Foundations and Philanthropic Projects in Singapore, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Afghanistan, Brunei, Timor, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, as well as Pakistan.
“EU Parliament Calls on Pakistan to Abolish Blasphemy Law,” International Christian Concern, May 7, 2021:
05/07/2021 Pakistan (International Christian Concern) – The European Parliament has called on Pakistan to abolish their notorious blasphemy law. The move comes as cases of blasphemy have dramatically increased, disproportionately affecting religious minorities. Moreover, it is widely reported that such cases are mishandled due to societal pressure and other issues surrounding the cases. This has added to the pressure for countries to call out Pakistan’s troubled history with their blasphemy law.
The blasphemy law is often abused by the majority Muslim community as a tool of suppression and effectively muzzles the religious minority community.
The EU Parliament’s move comes as Pakistan’s blasphemy law and other legal structures like it around the world are facing increased scrutiny. The United States Congress passed a resolution at the end of last year calling for the global repeal of all apostasy, heresy, and blasphemy laws citing numerous cases where such laws directly hinder religious freedom and freedom of expression.
Pakistan has one of the harshest blasphemy laws in the world with varying degrees of penalty depending on the level of offense, including life in prison and even the death penalty.
Blasphemy accusations are disproportionately brought against religious minorities, even though they only make up 3.6% of the total population….
