Thursday 6 October 2011

Blasphemy again


In one of my previous posts, where I highlighted the insanity of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, it was suggested by a commenter that the degree of murderous intolerant bigotry I was criticising was only to be found amongst the poor and uneducated of that country. I beg to differ.

Salmaan Taseer was a Pakistani politician who campaigned against the blasphemy laws, for which he was murdered, even though he himself had never been accused of blasphemy. His killer freely admitted the crime and, quite properly was found guilty, and sentenced in accordance with Pakistani law.

The verdict and sentence have caused uproar and the judge has gone into hiding, fearful for his life. The courtroom itself has been attacked and damaged. And who was responsible for this incensed, rabid and furious attack? Dozen’s of Islamist lawyers apparently. Now lawyers the world over have been called many things. But poor and uneducated? Hardly.

Without a trace of irony the verdict has been condemned as “a direct attack on the ideology of Pakistan”  Yes I am sure that it is.

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