A Christian man attacked in Pakistan on May 25 died in hospital on Monday, prompting a leading bishop to call for greater protection for religious minorities in the Muslim country. Source: UCA News.
According to local observers, hundreds of Muslims took part in riots in Sargodha, Punjab province, Pakistan, in May that began with an accusation that Christians had desecrated the Quran, the Islamic holy book, and escalated into an attack that burned down his shoe factory.
The dead man was Nazir Gil Masih, a Christian in his 70s from Sargodha.
Bishop Samson Shukaruddin, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan, said Christians would never feel safe in their country unless a law was enacted making it a crime to fabricate allegations of blasphemy.
Christians make up just under 2% of the country’s population of 236 million.
“It is very important that laws are introduced that will impose penalties, including prison time, on anyone who falsely accuses someone of blasphemy,” the bishop told the Catholic charity Church’s Aid to the Needy (ACN).
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are some of the world’s most controversial, with critics saying they are often used to harass and intimidate religious minorities.
One oft-cited example is that of Asia Bibi, an illiterate Catholic woman who was charged with blasphemy in 2010, spent almost a decade on death row, and was eventually forced to seek refuge in Canada.
Bishop Shkardin said the government’s inaction was emboldening those who would weaponize the controversial law against innocent minorities.
“Unless the government gets serious and enacts laws to protect minorities, especially Christians, who are the major minority in Punjab, the situation regarding the misuse of blasphemy laws will only get worse,” he added.
“We are not asking for anything against the country of Pakistan. We are only asking that our lives and the lives of our families be protected.”
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Christian man dies from wounds sustained in May 25 attack in Pakistan (Crux)
