Blasphemy laws.A 30-year old Catholic, Bashir Masih, has been sentenced to 7 years in prison for allegedly ripping pages from a copy of the Koran and writing spells on them. Masih's case is merely the latest incident in a long series of victims of these laws. The Justice and Peace Commission of Pakistan's bishops' conference has said that the blasphemy blasphemy, in religion, words or actions that display irreverence toward or contempt for God or that which is held sacred. Blasphemy is regarded as an offense against the community to varying degrees, depending on the extent of the identification of a religion with laws lend themselves to abuse. The laws are used, they state, by Muslim fundamentalists to persecute per·se·cute tr.v. per·se·cut·ed, per·se·cut·ing, per·se·cutes 1. To oppress or harass with ill-treatment, especially because of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or beliefs. 2. Christians on trumped-up accusations. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a report by the bishops, more than 80 Christians are imprisoned im·pris·on tr.v. im·pris·oned, im·pris·on·ing, im·pris·ons To put in or as if in prison; confine. [Middle English emprisonen, from Old French emprisoner : en- on charges of blasphemy- a large number considering the small percentage of Christians in Pakistan's population. Out of a population of 155 million, about 2.5 per cent are Christian, with 1.2 million of those being Catholic. Apparently any excuse will do to justify violence against Christians and their property. A gambling dispute between a Catholic and a Muslim led to a vicious attack on Catholic churches and schools in the town of Sangla Hill, 60 miles of Lahore, in the north eastern province of Punjab in November. A crowd of 3000 people rampaged through the Christian quarter when a Catholic won a large sum of money from Muslim neighbours. They refused to pay and, when the winner would not back down, they attacked the Church of the Holy Spirit Church of the Holy Spirit can refer to:
tr.v. con·se·crat·ed, con·se·crat·ing, con·se·crates 1. To declare or set apart as sacred: consecrate a church. 2. Christianity a. Hosts on the floor. They then turned their attention to two Catholic schools, smashing desks and setting fires. They also set fire to two Protestant churches. Muslim leaders sent out messages on loudspeakers reportedly saying that, as guardians of the Koran, the rioters should "teach a lesson to those unbelievers." Some 450 families fled their homes after being threatened. |
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