Aid to the Church in Need: Pakistan: Charity speaks out against Blasphemy Laws

Pakistan: Charity speaks out against Blasphemy Laws

Posted by Press Release on 10/8/2009, 10:15 am
Board Administrator

ACN News, Monday, 10th August 2009 – PAKISTAN

Charity speaks out against Blasphemy Laws

By John Pontifex

AID to the Church in Need has called for action to abolish Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws describing them as “inextricably linked” to the recent attacks that left eight people dead.
In a recent statement, senior figures from the Catholic charity for persecuted and other suffering Christians say that the laws threaten the safety of all Pakistanis – not just minorities.
The statement, goes on to stress the problems caused by the misuse of the laws, saying that their abuse amounts to a fundamental infringement of human rights.
Under Article 295-B of the Blasphemy Laws, defiling the Qu‘ran carries a sentence of life imprisonment and defaming the Prophet Mohammad (Article 295-C) is punishable by execution.
The ACN statement reads: “Aid to the Church in Need calls on people of goodwill to work towards the abolition of the Blasphemy Laws.”
“As long as these laws are in existence, Pakistan is trapped in an ever-deepening cycle of violence, misery and community breakdown.”
The statement continues: “The laws’ misuse has meant that they have become an instrument of oppression, a club to beat those who are vulnerable.”
It comes after Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani pledged on 6th of August to review laws that are “detrimental to religious harmony”.
Although the Prime Minister did not specify it, his announcement suggests the government may review the Blasphemy Laws.
The Prime Minister made his statement on a visit to Gojra city, in Punjab province, where a week ago eight Christians were killed in an outbreak of violence sparked by an allegation made against children accused of breaking the Blasphemy Laws.
According to reports, the youngsters had been cutting up old school books to make confetti for a wedding little realising that the pages contained verses of the Qu‘ran.
The allegations prompted 3,000 people to rampage through the streets of Gojra and the nearby village of Korian in an incident in which nearly 140 homes and four churches were damaged or destroyed.
The Pakistan government announced on 6th of August, a compensation package of 21 million Rupees (€1.6 million/$2.7 million) to repair the damage to property and services.
Soon after the attacks, Pakistan police took 200 people in for questioning in connection with the violence. A further five were arrested last Thursday.
Clergy have spoken of the grief and anger of the people mourning the eight killed in the violence.
They included nine-year-old Umia Alnaf and Mausa Masih, aged 10. Many people were injured.
The ACN statement concludes by calling for prayer – especially for the grief-stricken: “At this time of tragedy and loss – especially for Pakistan’s Christians – Aid to the Church in Need asks people to pray for an end to acts of violence and intimidation. May those grieving lost loved ones or fearful of their future be consoled by God.”
Aid to the Church in Need is giving $5,000 (€3,000) emergency aid to be administered by Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faisalabad, the diocese where the atrocities took place.
Last year, ACN gave $490,000 (€340,138) in aid to help oppressed and needy Christian communities in Pakistan.

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy See, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need. ACN is a Catholic charity – helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Fr Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An outstanding Apostle of Charity”, the organisation is now at work in about 130 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 46.5 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

While ACN gives full permission for the media to freely make use of the charity’s press releases, please acknowledge ACN as the source of stories when using the material.

For more information please contact the Australian office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or write to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148. Web: www.aidtochurch.org

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Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 ABN: 62 418 911 594
Ph/Fax (02) 9679-1929 e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org web: www.aidtochurch.org