blasphemy |

Published by Liberty South Asia on May 3, 2019

EU Parliamentarians Threaten Pakistan Over Religious Persecution

“I have just sent a letter, signed by 52 MEPs, to the Prime Minister of #Pakistan urging him to take measures to dismantle the constitutional and institutional structures that have resulted in the persecution of religious minorities in the country,” wrote EU parliamentarian Marijana Petir on 30 April. The letter, posted below, goes far beyond…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on October 8, 2017

Pakistan’s Army Just Handed Religious Extremists A Huge PR Victory

This post was originally published by The Hudson Institute and is available here: http://www.southasiaathudson.org/blog/2017/10/6/pakistans-army-just-handed-religious-extremists-a-huge-pr-victory At a press conference on Thursday, Pakistan Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor handed religious extremists a huge PR victory. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the Army spokesman said, “Neither the armed forces have compromised on Namoos-e-Risalat (SAW), nor would they…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on March 3, 2017

Illegal rally exposes deep roots of religious extremism in Pakistan

In the wake of recent terrorist attacks, Pakistan has reiterated its vow to eliminate extremist militancy. To this end, the country’s military announced the launch of a new operation dubbed “Radd-ul-Fasaad” (Elimination of Discord), designed to remove the “latent threat of terrorism.” Unfortunately, a recent gathering in the nation’s capital shows that accomplishing the laudable…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on February 5, 2016

India’s Blasphemy Laws

The terrifying effects of Pakistan’s draconian blasphemy laws are well documented. Mere allegations have resulted in mob violence that has destroyed Hindu temples, Christian churches, and taken the lives of the accused. Even fundamentalist Muslims have found themselves entangled in the dangerous and subjective web blasphemy allegations. With this situation playing out so close to…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on August 18, 2015

Jamaat-e-Islami’s Condemnation of Niloy Neel’s Murder Rings Hollow

Following the murder of Bangladeshi blogger Niladri Chottopadhay (alias Niloy Neel) earlier this month, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (JI) issued a press release condemning the act and blaming the government of Bangladesh for failing to protect the public from “the real killers.” While JI publicly condemns the Niloy Neel’s murder, however, it is ignoring the impact of…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on July 28, 2015

“Blasphemy” Politics Threatens Bangladesh’s Democracy

Over the course of the past two decades, over 1,000 Pakistanis – mostly non-Muslims – have faced accusations of blasphemy – a capital crime in their country. So serious are these accusations that at least 50 people accused of blasphemy have been killed in vigilante acts before they ever saw trial. Last year, a mob…