Pakistan may have another opportunity to execute another blasphemer for insulting Islam. This time it is an 11-year-old Christian Pakistani girl Rifta Masih accused of burning Islamic texts. In the meantime, Christians have been persecuted in the area as a local mullah claimed a witness saw the girl burn pages from an Islamic text.
Rifta Masih was arrested after demonstrators called for her death. Christians living in the area have been ordered to leave their neighborhood. A Muslim leader told the Christians to remove all their belongings from their houses by the first of September. In the meantime, Muslims have refused to sell or give Christians food or water. The girls parents have fled in fear of their own safety.
There are different accounts on what was allegedly burned with some saying that pages for the Koran were burned while others claim it was a small pocket book of Qur’anic verses.
The accuser is Hammad Malik, 23, who is described as a “scoundrel” by the Christian community. He claimed he saw her carry out a bag of garbage and noticed the burned pages. A local mullah claimed that there was another witness. That was enough to send hundreds into the streets calling for the death of the little girl.
I have written extensively on the rise of blasphemy or hate speech prosecutions against religious critics in the West. The Obama Administration has been working with Pakistan and other Muslim nations to develop an international standard for blasphemy prosecutions. The West has steadily yielded to the demands of religious groups that free speech must be curtailed in the name of faith. At the same time, Western governmental and religious leaders have denounced agnostics and atheists as one of the greatest threats facing the West (here and here and here and here). President Obama and Hillary Clinton have been facilitating this trend by working with Muslim nations to develop an international standard allowing for the prosecution of those who insult religion. The Administration has drawn a dangerous line with Muslim countries in first supporting the concept of an international blasphemy standard. As I have mentioned before, the efforts of the Obama Administration to work with these countries on an international blasphemy standard is a threat to free speech around the world. After first supporting an international blasphemy standard, the Administration sought to get Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and other countries to adopt the Brandenburg standard as the basis for such prosecutions. This case also shows why the use of the Brandenburg standard is so dangerous in the hands of such officials who view free speech as the cause of imminent violence. Past cases show that even the suggestion of blasphemy is enough to trigger violent riots in some Muslim nations. Because any joke or image of the Prophet can trigger violence, the standard is immediately satisfied in countries like Egypt and Pakistan, which can then claim some legal legitimacy under the standard created with the United States.
Secretary of State Clinton continues to push for the implementation of the new international effort to criminalize certain forms of anti-religious speech as our Muslim allies expand their definition of blasphemy.
Source: Guardian
He’s a terrible man when he’s angry.T can’t help it.He has a sense of humor.No wonder you can’t sleep when you eat so much.They crowned him king.His vanity was hurt by their talking so frankly.His vanity was hurt by their talking so frankly.I owe you for my dinner.I’m your lucky fellow then.The enormous increase of population will create many problems.
I live in Pakistan.
I have read all above comments and complete artical also. You know, if this incidant as mention above in artical is true then it is Outrageous for every human weather he is in USA or Pakistan.
I have a simple reply, plz try to know the truth before comment.
http://www.awaztoday.com/News-Talk-Shows/26588/Locals-React-on-girls-blasphemy-charge.aspx
Simon,
What give you the idea I wasn’t using “yours” in the generic sense? Especially since it was combined with “theirs”? And “any other”? I thought the generic usage was quite clear, but since you apparently did not and took offense, I do apologize for any confusion said usage may have caused.
Credentials are not required.
Your word that you are an atheist is perfectly good enough.
“..sky daddy to understand the idea that most progressives endorse is secular government free from the influence of any religion, but especially yours and theirs and any other that uses their theology as an excuse for killing others or force their values and traditions on people who don’t want them.”
-What on earth gave you the impression I worship I ANY pixies in the sky, or at the bottom of my garden?
I’m a fully fledged athiest with credentials to prove it, thank you very much!
thank goodness there are those who speak humanely,which is what we are supposed to be.the rev dog is probably a crackpot and how dare these vicious terrorists try to murder a child,there are many lovely muslims,but out there it must be contagious,this vicious way of life.i will burn any holy book i want and you sickos cant stop me,
“It must so hard for the leftist, multicultural & politically correct pinheads that pervade every facet of our lives to know how to respond to these fanatics. It is forbidden (for them) to insult Islam or Muslims, but it these people that almost on a daily basis bring the human condition to new low.”
Spoken like someone who has never read this site. We insult Fundamentalist Islam and Fundamentalist Muslims all the time around these parts. We also insult Fundamentalist Christians, Fundamentalists Jews, and Fundamentalists of any sort who thinks they get to force their religion upon others simply because it is their belief. It must be hard for the rightist, monocultural and panderers to the religious right pinheads trying to turn this country into a theocracy to demonize and battle the Fundamentalists worshiping a different invisible sky daddy to understand the idea that most progressives endorse is secular government free from the influence of any religion, but especially yours and theirs and any other that uses their theology as an excuse for killing others or force their values and traditions on people who don’t want them.
Enjoy your evening.
To Darren Smith – thank you for putting so eloquently what we all feel ( the the normal amongst us that is!). Unfortunately, the US seems to be hitched to Pakistan come what may. Why the US doesn’t shift it’s allegiance to India is beyond me. India doesn’t even need the billions of dollars the US gives to this basket case of a country. Supposedly an ally in the war on terror, it does nothing but export terror and give protection to the likes of Bin Laden. The real worry for us all is that guys with the mental capacity of two-year old’s have nuclear weapons at their disposal.
It must so hard for the leftist, multicultural & politically correct pinheads that pervade every facet of our lives to know how to respond to these fanatics. It is forbidden (for them) to insult Islam or Muslims, but it these people that almost on a daily basis bring the human condition to new low. These people are intolerant, inhuman cretins that deserve nothing but our utter contempt. It is time for the world to give them this message, loud and clear.
Different societies can bolster one another, or drag one another down, like individuals do to or for one another.
Guess which side of the coin ends up on top when there is political blasphemy emerging.
when we have kids that break the law they are put in Juvenal lockups but if we had a kid who burnt the koran or Bible they would be spoken to harshly and get probation, those who want to kill a child for something petty are pathetic,harsh n dangerous .I dont think u can kill a child for a book that isn’t even true, neither is the bible. if these books were true, dinosaurs shouldn’t have existed ,is there any evidence in the holy books about these great creatures that should have walked the earth,no.That’s cos they’re lies,so dont kill a child for a lie….