Following the January murder of Salman Taseer, the Muslim Punjab Governor who supported the reform of the blasphemy law in Pakistan, Shabhaz Bhatti has been killed (March 2) by members of the Pakistani Taliban. Found at the scene of his shooting were al-Qaeda pamphlets, giving the warning that anyone who simply criticized the blasphemy law would be shot. The blasphemy law requires that anyone who defiles the name of Muhammad receive a sentence of death. Bhatti, who was seeking to reform this law, was the only Christian minister in Pakistan, holding the position of Minorities Minister. He had received the International Religious Freedom Award in 2010.
One reason why Taseer and Bhatti were trying to reform this law is that it was so easily and often used by those who hold a grudge against another. The teachings of sharia favor Muslim witness, even if there is only one. So if a Muslim accuses someone of breaking the blasphemy law, and there is no evidence the accused can provide to the contrary, then there is little or no hope for the accused. Right now Asia (or Aasia) Bibi (or Noreen), a mother of four, is awaiting execution under the blasphemy law in Pakistan; Taseer was an outspoken advocate for Bibi and was consequently killed by his own bodyguards.
The country cheered Taseer’s bodyguards. Despite the numerous death threats Bhatti received and the obvious anti-Christian fervor within Pakistan, Bhatti was not assured protection by the Pakistani government. There is much evidence that the government was not very interested in protecting its Minorities Minister, and it is on the defensive. His bodyguards were not with him at the time of his murder, and the government is blaming this on Bhatti. The Obama administration was making an effort to help Bhatti secure an armored vehicle, but the government had refused this. As reported by a “senior TV anchorperson,” Bhatti had complained that the police were not providing adequate security for him. He also said that he had asked the government numerous times to provide him housing in the highly secure “Red Zone” where most other ministers live, but he was always denied.
Considering that Bhatti was the biggest government target for the Taliban, if the government had been serious about protecting him and the changes he stood for, they would have found a way to better guard him. An obvious lack of regard for the danger Bhatti was in makes Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s following statement hollow: “Such acts will not deter the government’s resolve to fight terrorism and extremism.” As the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom wrote in a press release: “The assassination today of Shahbaz Bhatti in Pakistan–a true hero for human rights and religious freedom for all–illustrates how barbaric that country’s system of blasphemy laws really is. Blasphemy laws don’t keep the peace, but embolden extremists . . . After the murders of Salman Taseer and now Shahbaz Bhatti for their advocacy against the blasphemy law, President Zardari must find the political courage to enact meaningful reforms, or Pakistan may well be lost.”
Sources: Pakistan’s Only Christian Government Minister Shot Dead; What’s Wrong with Pakistan?; Islamists Assassinate Pakistan’s Sole Christian Minister and an old ICC Friend; More Details Emerge on Murder of Pakistan’s Christian Cabinet Member; Pakistan: USCIRF Condemns Assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti–Urges Amendments of Blasphemy Law; U.S. Tried to Protect Pakistani Official; Clash of civilizations. Image source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/856618
Comments