Tag: Blasphemy

Pakistani Christians call for ‘fair’ blasphemy inquiries

March 30, 2017 Pakistan Asia Bibi, Blasphemy, Human rights, Minorities, Pakistan, Quran

Christians call for fairer treatment in blasphemy inquiries, like the case of Asia Bibi.

Pakistani Christians are calling for fairer investigations into alleged blasphemy cases, after a Muslim man caught burning pages of the Quran was quickly acquitted, UCANews reports. After the man was beaten up and handed over to the authorities, the police found that he had been ‘mentally instable’ when he caused . . . Read More

Pakistan government to Facebook, Twitter: Remove insults to Islam

March 17, 2017 Pakistan Blasphemy, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Nabeel Masih, Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League

A Pakistani government minister has asked Facebook and Twitter to remove content considered insulting to Islam or Muhammad. “We will go to any extent even if we have to go to the extent of permanently blocking all such social media websites, if they refuse to cooperate,” Interior Minister Nisar . . . Read More

Pakistan’s blasphemy laws

March 14, 2017 Pakistan Blasphemy, Islamic extremism, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Religious freedom

What the laws say Chapter XV of Pakistan’s Penal Code, titled “Of Offences Relating to Religion,” contains six sections. Four of them outlaw a number of acts, ranging from tresspassing on places of worship to “malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings,” with penalties ranging from one to 10 years . . . Read More

Six years on, justice thwarted in case of Pakistan’s murdered Shahbaz Bhatti

March 3, 2017 Pakistan Asia Bibi, Blasphemy, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Pakistan Peoples Party, Paul Bhatti, Rawalpindi, Shahbaz Bhatti, Taliban

The memorial to Shahbaz Bhatti, which marks the location of his assassination. Islamabad, Pakistan.

Six years on, justice for the murdered Pakistani Christian federal cabinet member Shahbaz Bhatti remains elusive, as does the social equality for which he gave his life. The Christian community says the Pakistani political leadership is not doing enough to ask the police and the judiciary to ensure his killers . . . Read More

Ahok wins vote, but not enough for re-election

February 16, 2017 Indonesia Ahok, Blasphemy, Indonesia, Jakarta

Jakarta’s Christian governor recorded the most votes in the Indonesian capital’s gubernatorial elections yesterday (15 February), but failed to achieve the 50% necessary to secure his re-election. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (better known as “Ahok”) recorded 43% of the votes, around 3% more than his closest rival, Anies Baswedan. Voters will . . . Read More

‘UN failing religious minorities and Christian converts’

February 15, 2017 Global News -- No Particular Country Blasphemy, China, Genocide, Indonesia, Islamic State, Myanmar, Pakistan, Religious freedom, Saudi Arabia, UN

The suffering of persecuted Christians around the world is exacerbated by the failure of UN bodies to fulfil their obligations to uphold religious freedom, a damning report has claimed. The 27-page report, starkly entitled The UN’s Failure to Promote and Protect Religious Freedom, argues that concerns about the protection of . . . Read More

‘I’d prefer if my leader is a Muslim’

February 13, 2017 Indonesia Ahok, Blasphemy, Indonesia, Islamic Defenders Front, Islamic extremism, Jakarta, Joko Widodo, Sharia

Tens of thousands of Muslims have taken to the streets of Jakarta in recent days in an attempt to persuade Indonesians not to re-elect the capital city’s Christian governor, who stands accused of blasphemy. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (better known as “Ahok”) is accused of “misusing” a Qur’anic verse (which, some . . . Read More

Pakistani boy refused bail in Kaaba ‘blasphemy’ case

February 13, 2017 Pakistan Blasphemy, Islamic extremism, Kasur, Lahore, Nabeel Masih, Nadeem Masih, Sweepers

UPDATE (13 Feb, 2017): A Pakistani Christian boy accused of blasphemy for “liking” and “sharing” a Facebook post which “defamed and disrespected” the Kaaba in Mecca – the building at the centre of Islam’s most sacred mosque – has been refused bail. Lawyers for Nabeel Masih, 16, argued that he . . . Read More

Pakistani Christian accused of blasphemy out on bail after three years in prison

February 3, 2017 Pakistan Adnan Prince, Blasphemy, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Lahore, Lashkar-e-Taiba

The Voice Society UPDATE (3 Feb 2017) After spending more than three years in jail, a Christian accused of blasphemy, and facing the death penalty, was granted bail by the Supreme Court in Lahore on 1 Feb. Adnan Prince has been imprisoned in Lahore’s district jail since November 2013 after . . . Read More

Extremism inside Indonesia’s largest Islamic group

February 2, 2017 Indonesia Ahok, Blasphemy, Indonesia, Islamic Defenders Front, Islamic extremism, Joko Widodo, Nahdlatul Ulama

After Indonesian Christian leaders met the country’s President to plead for action against the country’s Islamic Defenders Front, there are now fears that the largest Islamic organisation in Indonesia may also be becoming increasingly conservative in its views. The Christian leaders told President Joko Widodo that the Islamic Defenders Front . . . Read More

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