Christian leaders around the world have condemned the mob murder of a successful businessman in Pakistan and called on the Muslim nation to repeal its blasphemy laws. 72-year-old Christian Nazir Gill Masih died from severe injuries inflicted nearly two weeks ago when he was viciously attacked as hundreds of Muslims went on a rampage against him in the Punjab State city of Sargodha, and burned down his shoe-making factory.
Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) said the blasphemy accusations against Mr. Masih were “dubious” and that religious minorities in Pakistan were “under increasing threat from the flagrant misuse of the country’s notorious blasphemy laws”. A bishop told ACN that unless the law is changed to make false blasphemy accusations an offence, Christians and other minorities will never feel safe in Pakistan.
Bishop Samson Shukardin, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan, said that many Christians are illiterate and would therefore be unlikely to intentionally commit blasphemy. He added that authorities must take action to stop false accusations and violent mobs from terrorising victims, their families and neighbours. “It is very important that legislation is introduced whereby those found to have wrongly accused people of blasphemy are given sentences including jail terms,” he asserted..
Blasphemy in Pakistan carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment or the death sentence, but Christian and other human rights groups have warned that the laws are frequently abused.
Mr. Masih’s family claims he was set up after a man was seen tossing an Islamic holy book into a fire outside the victim’s home. Neighbours immediately accused him of blasphemy and incited the violence and the attack on the businessman. The family alleges that Muslim neighbours were jealous of Mr. Masih’s business success and had stepped up their persecution after he recently bought some shops.
The victim’s brother told Christian Daily International – Morning Star News his brother was burning wastepaper in the street outside his home. While his brother was inside, someone threw a copy of the Qu’ran into the fire, which led a neighbor to accuse him of blasphemy and enraged local Muslim clerics. Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported that the attack took place “on the instigation of a local cleric.”
Church of Pakistan President, Bishop Asad Marshall, posted on social media: “The question is not Where will this stop? because beyond the devastation of homes and lives, beyond the brutal killing of a hard working man, beyond the devastation of a community and the grief of a family, we have already come too far! The question is when will those who make change and those who pursue justice, seek truth and cry out for a more just and fair world, when will those lives rise up for the sake of Pakistan’s own.”
The chief executive of persecution watchdog Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Mervyn Thomas, said Mr. Masih’s life was “cruelly taken by extremists who have been emboldened by Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws and the culture of impunity that surrounds those who take these laws into their own hands.”
“We condemn this egregious act of violence and emphasise that Mr. Masih would likely still be alive had the police intervened sooner and more effectively. We call on the authorities in Sargodha to uphold the rule of law, and to ensure that all those responsible for his death are brought to justice. We also continue to call on Pakistan to repeal its blasphemy laws, which are wholly incompatible with the country’s national and international commitments to freedom of religion or belief.”
Police have reportedly made 100 arrests and are investigating 500 others over the fatal attack on Mr. Masih.
Nasir Saeed, director of the UK-based Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement that helps persecuted Christians in Pakistan, said he was “deeply saddened” and declared: “The death of Nazir Masih is a tragedy that should never have occurred. It is now the responsibility of the Pakistani government, with the support of the international community, to ensure that his death is not in vain.”
Image: Screenshot from X
