Two Christians burned alive in a brick-kiln on charges of blasphemy

A Christian couple, Shahzad 26 years old and Shama 24 years old, were burned to death by a Muslim mob, from five villages in the south of Lahore (Punjab province), who accused them of committing blasphemy for burning pages of the Koran. This was reported to Agenzia Fides by the Christian lawyer, Sardar Mushtaq Gill, a human rights defender, who was called by other Christians and visited the scene of the tragic event, the 'Chak 59" village, near the town of Kot Radha Kishan, in the south of Lahore. The two, who worked in a clay factory, were kidnapped and held hostage for two days, starting from November 2, inside the factory. Tuesday morning at 7.00 am they were pushed into a brick-kiln.

As lawyer Gill explains to Fides, the incident, namely the supposed blasphemy, is connected to Shahzad’s father’s death. Two days ago, while Shama was cleaning the man’s house, she took some personal items, papers and sheets of paper she considered useless and burnt everything.

According to a Muslim man who witnessed the scene, pages of the Koran were burned. The man then spread the word in the surrounding villages and a crowd of over 100 people took the two young people hostage. Tuesday morning was  the tragic ending. The police, alerted by other Christians, intervened and arrested 35 people.

Lawyer Gill told Fides: "It is a tragedy, a barbaric and inhumane act. The whole world must strongly condemn this incident which shows how insecurity in Pakistan has increased among Christians. An accusation is enough to be victims of extrajudicial executions".

Sawan Masih sentenced to death for blasphemy, who since 2014 has been on death row in the prison of Faisalabad.  An optimistic Masih is confident about his release and is praying behind bars for his lawyers and judges  so that God deepens their courage and are able to apply true justice in their decisions.  Sawan Masih was accused of blasphemy in March 2013. Following his case, more than 178 homes in the Christian Joseph Colony neighborhood in Lahore were burned by a Muslim mob. Last spring he was sentenced to death for blasphemy, while no Muslim has yet been punished for all the damage caused.

Asia Bibi who was convicted of blasphemy is receiving a sentence of death by hanging.   In June 2009, she  was involved in an argument with a group of Muslim women with whom she had been harvesting berries after the other women became angry at her for drinking the same water as them. She was subsequently accused of insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad, a charge she denies, and was arrested and imprisoned. In November 2010, a Sheikhupura judge sentenced her to death.

The Pakistan Penal Code prohibits blasphemy against any recognized religion, providing penalties ranging from a fine to death. Some cases have also been registered under the blasphemy laws as a result of attacks on non-Muslim faiths.

In Pakistan calls for change in the blasphemy laws have been strongly resisted by Islamic parties. Prominent figures like Salman Taseer (the former governor of Punjab) and Shahbaz Bhatti (the Federal Minister for Minorities) have been assassinated for their opposition to the blasphemy laws.

Rights groups have said that Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are often misused to persecute minorities and to settle personal scores.