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Pakistan: 55-Year-Old Christian Falsely Accused of Committing Blasphemy

July 15, 2019

Rashid Masih, a community leader in the neighborhood, said: “It is actually a matter of property dispute. The complainant is misusing the blasphemy law to settle her personal scores.”

This is all too common in Pakistan. That nation’s draconian blasphemy laws are frequently manipulated and misused in order to victimize Christians and other religious minorities, and leave them with no recourse. Christians in Pakistan are targeted with accusations of blasphemy that are often just a cover for attempts to settle personal grudges, appropriate their property, or achieve some other end. Pakistan’s blasphemy laws have been used to victimize innumerable innocent people, both Christian and non-Christian. Often this happens with the approval of the relevant authorities.

The Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, calls upon the international human rights community to bring pressure upon the government of Pakistan to repeal these unjust laws, and allow the Christians of the nation to practice their faith in peace and live in peace.

“55-Year-Old Christian Falsely Accused of Committing Blasphemy in Pakistan,” International Christian Concern, July 13, 2019:

07/13/2019 Pakistan (International Christian Concern) – A 55-year-old Christian named Saleem Masih was accused of blasphemy in Khanewal, located in Pakistan’s Punjab Province, on June 13. Sources reached by International Christian Concern (ICC) say that the accusation comes as a result of a property dispute between Saleem Masih and his sister-in-law, Ayesha, who recently converted to Islam.

Ayesha accused Saleem Masih of burning pages from the Quran and had him arrested under section 295-B of Pakistan’s Penal Code. The accusation and arrest are documented by First Information Report (FIR) # 289/19….

According to Sabir, Ayesha falsely registered a case against him and other members of his family in March 2019. They were arrested as a result but were granted bail by the local court. The case against is still pending before the court.

Sabir said Ayesha continued to threaten his entire family following the March 2019 incident. This time, Ayesha accused Saleem Masih of stealing valuable items from her house and setting pages of the Quran on fire.

Speaking with ICC, Rashid Masih, a community leader in the neighborhood confirmed, “It is actually a matter of property dispute. The complainant is misusing the blasphemy law to settle her personal scores.”

Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws are often abused to settle personal scores or incite religious hatred….

Photo by Ab basit007 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42850424