Problem Of Blasphemy Laws Remains - 10th Anniversary Of Bishop’s Death
14/5/08
The grey gates of Doctor Robin Sardar’s residence now bear a sign that says in red Urdu letters, “This is the house of a blasphemer.” The place has been deserted since police arrested Sardar, a Protestant, on May 5, after an angry mob of 200 armed Muslims, some carrying kerosene, sought him out for allegedly uttering derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad. The scene was one that the late Bishop John Joseph of Faisalabad had fought hard to keep from happening before he shot himself dead on the steps of the court building in Sahiwal a decade earlier on May 6, 1998. The bishop’s “self-sacrifice,” as local people refer to it, was a desperate plea for Pakistan to rid itself of blasphemy laws he and others charge have been widely abused since the late President Zia ul-Haq amended them in 1986. The prelate pulled the trigger in protest after a Christian was sentenced to death for blaspheming the Prophet.
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Related UCAN Reports
Church, Hindus Condemn Killing Of Hindu Worker Over Alleged Blasphemy (April 16, 2008)
Christians Grieve Pentecostal Church Worker Slain In Peshawar (January 23, 2008)
Catholic Condemned To Death For Blasphemy Tells Of His Trauma (June 22, 2007)
Tags: Bishops AnniversaryAdd new tag, Blasphemy Laws, Pakistan