1. Extremists
Tens of thousands of people have rallied in the Pakistan city of Karachi against possible changes to the blasphemy law that was behind the killing of Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab.
A large number of police officers guarded Sunday’s demonstration (9 January 2011) which forced the closure of businesses and roads in the area. Participants chanted slogans and waved the flags of religious parties.
Quari Ahsaan, from the banned group Jamaat Ud Dawa, addressed the crowd from a stage saying “We can’t compromise on the blasphemy law. It’s a divine law and nobody can change it.”
Pope Benedict XVI has called for Pakistan to repeal its anti-blasphemy law. Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, a senior leader of Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), responded : “The pope has given a statement today that has not only offended the 180 million muslims in Pakistan, it has also hurt the sentiments of the entire Islamic world”.
2. Moderates
Despite warnings, thousands of flag-waving Pakistanis attended Salman Taseer’s funeral in Lahore and supporters posted furious diatribes against Qadri (the bodyguard who murdered the governor) on Facebook. Surprisingly, a Taliban-aligned cleric joined the protest, condemning the killing as “the product of extremism and fanaticism which is damaging for an Islamic society.”
Saroop Ijaz, a lawyer and human rights activists based in Pakistan, believes that Pakistan and its democracy are in a state of ethical and political uncertainty, and the coalition government is too fragile to address the issue without internal and external help. The international community is well-placed to demand change, given Pakistan’s extraordinary reliance on foreign support. Bibi needs to be saved, and the laws perpetuating these barbaric practices need to be repealed,
3. Conclusion
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Yousef Raza Gilani, told reporters in the capital, Islamabad, that he has no intention of amending the law, which calls for the death penalty, for anyone who insults the Prophet Muhammad. He made this announcement on Sunday, 9th January 2011 after speaking to the leader of one of the country’s largest religious parties.
Postscript
This article depicts THE THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS OF MAN. But we must not forget that there is a SOVEREIGN LORD. He is able to change DARKNESS to LIGHT, CHAOS to ORDER, and HATRED to LOVE. This must be our prayer for the present terrible situation in Pakistan.
The Micah Mandate is a Christian-based public interest advocacy ministry that seeks a transformation of our nation through justice, mercy and humility.
