EDITORIAL: The horrific lynching of a Sri Lankan citizen in Sialkot over alleged blasphemy prompted the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) to hold a ‘brain storming’ session on Monday to prevent recurrence of such incidents. A statement issued following the meeting, also attended by experts in psychology, sociology and police officials, averred that the problem was non-enforcement of the law, and that the system should ensure that those involved in the Sialkot tragedy or any other such incidents are punished. Talking to journalists, CII Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz said the purpose of the meeting was to determine and understand the causes and factors behind the tragedy. That should not be so difficult to identify as in every such incident the motive turns out to be either a personal grudge or a property grab. All it takes for the real perpetrator to get rid of someone, Christian or Muslim, is pointing of the finger at them. Scores of people falsely accused of committing blasphemy have been brutally lynched, like in Sialkot. And those who somehow survive have no hope of getting justice. Lawyers refuse to defend them and judges in the lower courts routinely hand them a guilty verdict without examining the witnesses for fear of their own lives.
CII Chairman also said legislation is needed to prevent such incidents, but stopped short of explaining whether what is required is an amendment to the existing blasphemy laws to stop their misuse or something else. Pakistan inherited blasphemy laws enacted by the British colonial authorities and these laws were made more severe by military ruler Gen Ziaul Haq and later civilian ruler Nawaz Sharif. Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer who while defending a poor Christian woman, Asia Bibi — falsely accused of blasphemy — had sought amendment to remove immunity for false accusers. For that he was assassinated by a man in his security detail. Religious parties have also been threatening dire consequences if these laws are changed even though they are man-made, and like so many other things, man-made laws can be flawed, too. But in the prevailing atmosphere of fear and intimidation, any rational and serious discussion of the issue is not possible. Dr Qibla Ayaz and his colleagues, of course, are aware that in the Hudood laws the punishment for a false accuser is the same as for the accused, hence, they could have suggested application of the same principle to blasphemy cases. Instead, they chose the path of ambiguity, deciding to continue the consultation process with experts to “eradicate extremism”, which is encouraged by religio-political parties for their own purposes. The JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had supported Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) when it staged a countrywide agitation against the exoneration of Asia Bibi by the Supreme Court, whilst the latter had felt free even to call for the assassination of three honourable members of the bench who let her go. The Maulana along with some other religious figures had also offered justification for the appalling atrocity in Sialkot.
If the CII is really serious about putting an end to killings in the fair name of Islam and its holy personages, it may seek to benefit from what Imam Abu Hanifa had to say on the subject. According to eminent religious scholar, Javed Ghamdi (who had to find refuge abroad for his knowledge-based interpretations of Islamic teachings), the issue is mentioned in the works of the Imam suggesting the following approach: Anyone accused of blasphemy should be provided with a chance to clarify his/her position. If such a person denies having made any irreverent remark he/she can go free. In case such a person insists on remaining disrespectful he/she should be detained for three days to think and retract. If still unrepentant, such an individual deserves the punishment of an apostate. Surely, no one in this country can claim to have a better understanding of Islam than Imam Abu Hanifa, the founder of the Hanafi school of thought followed by a vast majority of Sunni Muslims in this country.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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