Excerpt from The Targeting of Minority ‘Others’ in Pakistan
As for the blasphemy laws, they “are a true instrument of institutional violence and suppression on behalf of the state religion”, conclude Bouvier and Cosadia. Under Article 295 C of the Pakistani Penal Code, “anyone who desecrates the name of the Prophet Muhammad faces the death penalty. Members of religious minorities are harassed, tortured by the police or by inmates or guards while in prison, physically assaulted during trials, and heavily sentenced each year by the judiciary. The sentences”, as substantive documentation on the matter clearly shows, “are often based on false accusations and slanderous denunciations. Even Muslims are victims of this fallacious legislation each year.Thank you for reading this and please know that your sharing, liking and commenting on this post goes a long way in helping to give voice to the persecuted.
All proceeds from the sale of the book support the work of the BPCA. Much of the early sales will be used to support victims of the Peshawar bomb attacks – December 2013.
