The bad news: A British citizen, 65-year-old Mohammad Asghar, has been arrested for blasphemy in Pakistan (where he was living) for blasphemy. According to Dawn.com, blasphemy is a capital crime in that country, and, after a trial, Asghar was sentenced to death.:

Asghar was arrested in Sadiqabad in 2010 after he wrote letters to different people, a police officer among them, claiming that he was a prophet. Police booked Asghar under section 295-C of the PPC. The section reads: “Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), shall be punished with death or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.” Public prosecutor Javed Gul produced before the court a copy of letters which Asghar wrote to an SHO of Sadiqabad. Four police officials testified against Asghar. The prosecution also submitted opinions of handwriting experts testifying that the letters were written by the accused.

Note that the blasphemy wasn’t even a direct insult to Islam, but merely a claim that Asghar himself was a prophet. Since a court-appointed panel determined that Asghar was not suffering from any “mental disorder,” this was deemed to be serious blasphemy and not just delusional ravings (unlike the utterances of many Muslims). I guess claiming that you’re a prophet is a direct defilement of the Only True Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him but death on those who try to be his rival).

The good news: Although 1,274 people have been arrested in Pakistan for blasphemy between 1986 and 2010, none have been executed, even after conviction. The preceding link, also from Dawn.com, notes this:

An estimated number of 1,274 people have been charged under the stringent blasphemy laws of Pakistan between 1986, from when they were included in the Constitution by General Zia ul Haq, until 2010. Pakistan’s Penal Code Section dates back to pre-partition India when it was introduced in 1860. Section 295, better known as the Blasphemy Law, deals with religious offences and was meant to prevent religious violence. Prior to 1986, only 14 cases pertaining to blasphemy were reported. The blasphemy laws include a death penalty for the defamation of the Holy Prophet and life imprisonment for the desecration of the Holy Quran. . . . However, the death sentence has never been implemented.

The bad news: “According to sources, 51 people accused of blasphemy were murdered before their respective trials were over.” Also, “blasphemers” have been sentenced to life imprisonment.

The second link to Dawn.com gives a timeline of various cases of blasphemy since 1990. Here are a few of many examples (quotes are direct from the article). Note how trivial the “crimes” are:

1991. Chand Barkat, 28, a bangle stall holder in Karachi, was accused of blasphemy by another bangle vendor, Arif Hussain, because of professional jealousy. Barkat was denied bail for 15 months even though six Muslim witnesses had said in court that they had no proof he had committed blasphemy. He was finally acquitted in 1993 but had to go into hiding due to harassment by Muslim neighbours. According to reports, the accuser formed a group that wanted to kill Barkat after his acquittal which forced him to leave Karachi and go into hiding.

1992. Naimat Ahmar, 43, was a Christian teacher in Faisalabad. Naimat’s collegaues, unhappy with his professional success, convinced a student, Farooq Ahmed, that Naimat had committed blasphemy and urged him to take the law into his own hands. Ahmed believed Naimat had uttered insults against the Prophet and stabbed him to death. He was jailed for 14 years and was reportedly praised in prison for his act.

1994. Hafiz Farooq Sajjad, a Muslim, was stoned to death after a Quran in his house caught fire. The local mosque announced that a Christian had burned the Quran and a mob gathered outside Sajjad’s house. Sajjad was beaten by the mob after which the police came and took him into custody. However, the mob reached the police station and pelted Sajjad with stones, eventually setting him on fire. The police had fled for safety by this point.

2003. While in police custody Masih contracted tuberculosis and was sent to Gulab Devi Chest Hospital for treatment. He was killed by a police officer, Faryad Ali, who was one of the guards escorting him. He used a hammer to kill him in the presence of other officers and claimed that it was his duty as a Muslim to kill Masih.According to Masih’s family, they were informed of the death two days after it happened. Ali was arrested under formal murder charges.

2005. In August 2005, an anti-terrorist court found Younus Sheikh guilty of disrespecting the Quran after he wrote a book ‘Shaitan Maulvi’ which mentioned that the concept of stoning to death after committing adultery does not exist in Islam. The judge imposed a fine of Rs 100, 000 rupees and sentenced him to lifetime imprisonment.

Apparently, even discussing the blasphemy laws is blasphemy!:

2011. In January 2011, Salman Taseer was assassinated by his bodyguard for voicing his opinion on blasphemy law and supporting Asia Bibi.

2012. After a trial spread over 14 months, Additional District and Sessions Judge Raja Pervez Akhtar jailed a blasphemy accused for 10 years and imposed a fine of Rs 200,000. Convict Ghulam Ali Asghar, a resident of Chinji village in Talagang tehsil, was booked on Nov 17, 2011, on a charge of blaspheming the Holy Prophet (PBUH) by misquoting a Hadith in Punjabi language. Ghulam Ali Asghar was acquitted under 295-C, but imprisoned him for ten years under 295-A (which forbids outraging religious feelings). The convict will have to undergo an additional jail term of six months if he does not pay the fine.

Finally, this year, Pakistan’s ambassador to the U.S., Sherry Rehman, has had a case filed against her for simply opposing the death penalty for blasphemy laws.

Pakistan is, of course, an ally of the U.S., and yet it’s about as barbaric as you can get about free speech and “insult” to religion. What’s worse, even discussing the blasphemy laws can land you a stiff prison sentence—or death at the hands of an outraged mob. How can you change the law if you’re forbidden to talk about it?

h/t: Tom