Pakistan (MNN) — If you follow stories of the persecuted church around the world, you might know that the accusation of blasphemy can be life-threatening in some countries. Pakistan is one of them, and there’s been a surge of these cases recently.
But is there a, quote, “blasphemy business group” behind it? On February 2, a high court in Pakistan advised that a commission to investigate the question.
Asia Bibi spent 8 years on death row in Pakistan on blasphemy charges. She was acquitted in 2018. (Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs, Canada)
“It appears that what’s happening is that they’re enticing certain people to make what would appear blasphemous statements against Islam or against the Prophet Muhammad online, and then accusing them of blasphemy,” says Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs Canada.
He says the blasphemy law is easy to take advantage of, with no consequences for the accuser.
“So the law states that any derogatory remark in respect to the Holy Prophet Muhammad, either spoken or written or by visible reputation or by any imputation, innuendo or insinuation, directly or indirectly, shall be punished with death or imprisonment for life, and also shall be liable for a fine,” says Brobbel. “The way it’s written… anything can be turned into a blasphemy case.”
Religious freedom and human rights groups have been pushing against Pakistan’s blasphemy laws for years. Now it’s in the spotlight again. Pray for God to work justice through the commission’s investigations. Pray that it will move forward rapidly — according to this article, hundreds of people are trapped in court cases now. Pray that the blasphemy law itself will be addressed and changed in the future.
“There’s enough cases out there for them to see that there’s a real issue with the blasphemy law and how it’s being used and how it’s defined, and how it really is targeting religious minorities in Pakistan,” Brobbel says. “So there is no real freedom of religion or belief as a result of the blasphemy law.”
Pray also that Christians at risk or already under blasphemy accusations will keep sharing the gospel. Pray that God will use this for their good and encourage them even through these sufferings (see Romans 5:3-5).
Look for more to this story in part 2 coming later this week.
Header photo of Lahore, Pakistan courtesy of Syed Bilal Javaid via Unsplash.
