Pakistan Mob Burns To Death Man Accused Of Desecrating Quran

Because a book has more value than a human life: some 200 hundred enraged vigilante Pakistanis burned a man alive (after they had already beaten him and dragged him to the police station) because they believe he had desecrated a Quran. They didn't even have proof that he did it, because no-one actually saw him burn the book.

The man was a traveler and had spent Thursday night at the mosque, said Maulvi Memon, the imam in the southern village of Seeta in Sindh province. The charred remains of the Koran were found the next morning.

"He was alone in the mosque during the night," Memon said. "There was no one else there to do this terrible thing."

Villagers beat the man then handed him over to police. A few hours later, a crowd of around 200 stormed the police station, dragged the man out and set him on fire, said Usman Ghani, the senior superintendent of police in Dadu district.

Ghani said around 30 people had been arrested for the murder and seven police detained for negligence.

Why would a man be stupid enough to burn a Quran in the mosque he is taking refuge in for the night? But of course that didn't factor into the equation, because it was probably just a handy excuse to murder this man, for whatever reason.

All because of Pakistan's blasphemy laws which aren't going away any time soon. Just lobbying to change those laws can you get you killed.

In the past two years, two senior Pakistani officials who suggested reforming the laws have been shot dead, one by his own bodyguard. Lawyers threw rose petals at the killer and the judge who convicted him was forced to flee the country.

Ignorance and a religion that fosters anger. A toxic combination.