Imran Khan, who used to be a cricket player and philanthropist but is now Pakistan's 22nd Prime Minister, seems to have his heart set on dragging the rest of the world into Pakistan's blasphemy hell. Pakistan still has barbaric blasphemy laws with the death penalty as punishment. And if the country's laws don't get you, vigilante hard-line Muslims will. Politicians have been killed for trying to bring Pakistan into the 21st century. In 2011, Punjabi governor
Salmaan Taseer was murdered by his bodyguard for speaking out against blasphemy laws. His killer was hailed a hero. Now his son is a target of Islamists. And all it takes is for someone with a grudge to claim you have blasphemed. Mobs have taken the law into their own hands before it even gets to the court, like
this poor Christian couple who were beaten to death for
allegedly desecrating a Quran.
Khan now wants the U.N. to institute a global initiative against defaming religions. We know that really means Islam.
Speaking at the Eighth Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilization, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, said the premier had made a major announcement to counter Islamophobia and incitement to hatred being witnessed in some parts of the world.
“Hate narratives are spreading in several parts of the world; Islamophobia is on the rise and diversity is being seen not as a source of enrichment but as a threat, and politics of fear seem to be replacing politics of hope,” she asserted
So basically this post would be subject to whatever initiative they came up with. In other words, criticisim of blasphemy laws could get people in trouble.
Scary times ahead.
More on
Tribune.pk
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