Campaign launched against Pakistan’s blasphemy law

(Nov.10,2009): To raise awareness in Church and society of the plight and oppression of minorities in Pakistan, particularly the Christian community, due to the blasphemy law, representatives of the nation’s Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Church in Pakistan launched their European campaign from Rome on Tuesday. The European countries include France, Holland, Belgium and Germany. AsiaNews said it has decided to support their struggle, as from its inception 6 years ago, the promotion of religious freedom has been the cornerstone of the agency. The Christians of Pakistan are a mere 4 million in a total of over 160 million, mostly Muslims. This small minority of believers is calling for the repeal of the notorious blasphemy law. This law, in force since 1986, punishes with life imprisonment or the death penalty, all those who insult the Quran or Muhammad. In the past 23 years, nearly a thousand people have been accused of this crime and several hundred have been killed. In recent years, at least 50 Christians have been tortured and eliminated for this crime and many villages and Christian churches have been destroyed and burned. The blasphemy law, as well as various laws inspired by Sharia law in Pakistan, is a sign of the increasing Islamization of the country, which is subjected to military and cultural pressure by the Taliban.