Amendments to the controversial Section 295-C were passed by Pakistan 's National Assembly on Oct. 26 in an effort to prevent some of the abuses that have plagued the law. However, those amendments have failed to satisfy the Christian community who sees the changes as inadequate and useless.
Section 295-C state that "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." In the past, the blasphemy law has been used by Muslims as a way of harassing Christians, settling personal disputes, as well as a means for financial gain. According to AsiaNews, since the law was instituted in 1986, 579 people have been charged and thirty are still waiting for the courts' decisions.
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Parvez Masih is presently in prison on charges under Section 295-C |
In an attempt to stem abuse, the amendments state that only senior police officers will be able to investigate blasphemy cases. They will also not be able to file criminal charges until after investigating the allegations. Normally charges have been filed as soon as the allegations are reported. However, since the abuse of this law has been so widespread, many Christian organizations doubt that these amendments will bring any significant change.
Pray that this section of the criminal code will be completely repealed at that those in prison under this law will be released. Pray for those suffering in prison, falsely accused of blasphemy and other crimes.
For more information on the difficulties facing the Church in Pakistan, click here.
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