Tags

Blasphemy

• Blasphemy Charges Dropped Due to False Accusations

  

  A 72-year-old Christian man in Faisalabad was arrested and charged with blasphemy on February 10th after being accused of tearing a copy of the Quran. The case against Younis Bhatti (also known as Bhagat) was filed by Sosan Fatima, a woman who had previously attended the Brethren house church founded by the Bhatti family. Having allegedly converted to Islam, Sosan claimed that she was reading the Quran at her home when Younis forced his way into the house. Purportedly, he then grabbed the Islamic scriptures from her and tore its pages, assaulting her during the incident.

• Couple Released on Bail Due to Lack of Evidence

  

  On September 8th, Kiran Bibi answered the door to a man who said he noticed pages of the Quran apparently falling from the rooftop of her family's home. When she invited him to investigate this further by going up to the rooftop, they found a bag with loose papers in it. Kiran stated that the bag had been given to her by a Muslim employer to sell to a scrap vendor, and that her children may have unintentionally thrown some of the pages down without realizing their significance.

• Christian Boy Beaten for Alleged Blasphemy

  

  A young Christian boy was recently badly beaten by his Muslim schoolteacher after he allegedly committed a blasphemous act in class. The incident, which took place in the Pakistani city of Khanewal, has raised concerns about the lack of religious tolerance and justice in the community.

• Christian Parents Charged with Blasphemy

  

  Shaukat Masih and his wife Kiran live in Lahore, Pakistan, with their three children, ages thirteen, nine and seven. The Christian couple has been accused of desecrating the Quran after loose pages fell from the rooftop of their house, even though they were not home at the time of the incident. As a result of the accusations, the couple has been detained. Without family members available to look after their three school-aged children, the accused parents arranged for the children to stay with another Christian family in the area.

• Christian Charged Under Anti-Terrorism Laws

  

  In September 2022, Imran Rehman was accused of blasphemy because of the material he posted on a WhatsApp group chat. The Pakistani believer was arrested and detained to await trial. Unfortunately, since his arrest, proposed changes to Pakistan's laws were drafted. If approved, blasphemy cases could be tried under the revised anti-terrorism laws. Even though the legislation is still only in draft form, Imran recently had terrorism charges laid against him.

• Alleged Blasphemy Instigates Outrage

  

  A blasphemy allegation has created unrest in the Sargodha district of Punjab, leaving Christians concerned about their safety. This is the third such incident to have occurred in the area over the past month – including one ongoing case involving Haroon Shahzad, who was accused of blasphemy after posting a Scripture passage to his Facebook page on June 29th. (To review the previously posted report, go to this page.)

• Hundreds Flee After Blasphemy Charges

  

  Police have charged a Christian man, Haroon Shahzad, with blasphemy after he posted a Bible passage onto his Facebook page on June 29th. The passage, 1 Corinthians 10:18-21, refers to the sacrificing of food to idols, and the timing of the post coincided with the beginning of the Islamic feast of Eid al-Adha. The post was made without comment.

• Christian Receives Death Sentence

  

  A 22-year-old Pakistani Christian was sentenced to death for blasphemy on May 30th. Noman Masih was found guilty of blaspheming against the Muslim prophet Muhammad because of the pictures he was accused of distributing in 2019.

• Two Youths Accused of Blasphemy

  

  Two Christian teenagers, one of whom is a minor, were arrested on May 18th due to accusations of blasphemy. Adil Babar, who is 18 years old, and a younger neighbour, Simon Nadeem, were charged after a complaint was filed claiming that they had insulted the Islamic prophet Mohammad while playing on the street.

• Church Leader Faces Accusations of Blasphemy

  

  Bahzad Mziri, the bishop of an Anabaptist church in the Kurdistan city of Duhok, is facing threats of blasphemy charges after social media comments were published. Considered by some Iraqi Facebook recipients to be offensive to Islam, the post comparing Jesus to the Islamic prophet Mohammed was made in response to insulting statements published online earlier by a Muslim leader. The post on the bishop's Facebook account was reposted on February 16th by Muslims intent on inciting anger.