Another tragic case in the nation of Pakistan happened which is shocking by the nature of not only the violence that happened, but by the sickening incitement of hatred by Islamic clerics in goading people to kill this individual. He was simply taken from the police station and set alight based on being an alleged blasphemer against the Islamic religion. Of course, the notion of forgiveness or if the person was innocent didn’t enter the minds of clerics who demanded his death and the people who killed this individual in such a barbaric way. Jibran Khan of Asia News comments that “The assailants poured gasoline on him and set him on fire, because previously it was rumored that he was guilty of blasphemy. The prison officers were unable to contain the attack of the fanatics, four policemen were injured and several are now hospitalized….Currently there is little information on the generality of the man, burned alive with inhuman brutality, who died as a result of serious injuries. From preliminary reports it appears that he had mental problems and had been thrown into a cell, while the investigators looked into the alleged violation of the “black law”. However, rumors that he had burned the Koran spread rapidly triggering the reaction of the fundamentalists and yet another extrajudicial killing over an alleged case of blasphemy.” The DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) of the Ahmedpur Bahawalpur District said, “The Chani Goth police station received a complaint that a person has burnt pages of the Quran, the police arrested the person and brought him to the police station and put him in the lock up. Some religious leaders announced on loud speakers that a man has committed blasphemy against Islam. A huge mob gathered outside the police station and they demanded to hand over the person who had committed blasphemy. They even blocked the main highway and within a few moments the mob broke the gates of the police station and attacked the police officers on duty.” He further stated that “…before we could know the details about the person who was arrested, the mob broke the lockup and took out the prisoner, threw petrol on him and burnt him alive. They also torched police vehicles in the police station, this continued for over 2 hours. The mob stood there until the man was completely burnt.” The police was only able to tell that the man was mentally unstable, although his identity remains shrouded in mystery at the moment. It is clear that police officers on duty were ill-prepared by the ferocity of the assailants whom had been whipped up into-a-frenzy by Islamist clerics demanding his death. DSP Naveed said, “We have registered the FIR about the incident and will arrest the culprits soon. We are thankful to Allah that no policemen were killed in the attack.” At the time of writing the body has been sent for autopsy in order to garner further details about the individual who was burnt alive. Currently, his body remains unclaimed and given the hatred of Islamists then family members and friends will be very scared because of enormous intimidation. This incident is a further reminder of the hatred within the hearts of a minority of religious Islamic clerics who believe that killing blasphemers is the work of Allah. Equally alarming are the laws in Pakistan related to this issue and clearly state institutions and religious fanatics are spreading fear within Pakistan because blasphemy could be aimed against anyone. Salman Taseer, the former Governor of Punjab, showed “the light of Islam” because he spoke up against religious tyranny and persecution. This Muslim leader who represented all individuals in the Punjab, irrespective of religion, took a stand in defending Asia Bibi who currently is still in jail for blasphemy. It is clear that Asia Bibi and other individuals in prison on the grounds of blasphemy need political asylum in a country which will protect the many individuals in prison on the same charges. After all, “the light of Islam” enshrined in Salman Taseer was put out by a Muslim fanatic who killed him. The Masihi Foundation Pakistan and Life for All Pakistan have strongly condemned the incident. “Religion should be kept separate from state affairs, burning a man alive is an inhuman act, the police has failed to take action against the people responsible. The law was abused by the mob – there is no justification for this barbaric act. The authorities must act and take action against this lawlessness. No one is above the law, there is no justification in killing a human being, it is for the judicial system to decide if the person is guilty or not. It is time to put an end to the law of the jungle or we will end up in insanity. Laws are made to protect people from other people, not to protect God from humans. We urge the Chief Justice to take notice of the incident and to take action against the people involved in the incident. The CJ must ensure the rule of the law in the Country of Pakistan.” The Bahawalpur Catholic Diocese has also condemned the incident. Father Zafar Samuel from Bahawalpur commented that “This is a sad incident, we condemn it. This is an inhuman act. It must be condemned. The Punjab province has been in the limelight for the abuse of the blasphemy law. There is a strong need to spread awareness regarding blasphemy and laws associated with it. These naive people have no idea what it is all about.” The Bishop of Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Rufin Anthony, stated “We strongly condemn the attack on the police station and the loss of a human life. The law enforcing agencies must act and ensure the rule of law. Taking the law into their hands is against the law. It is time for some changes in the legislation that will protect innocent lives and ensure the safety of the people accused and under trail. How much more blood do we have to endure for the authorities to realize that it is time to act. We don’t want incidents like Shanti Nagar, Kasoor, Sialkot, and Gojra to be repeated. We urge them to take this as an eye opener and rescue the suffering.” Also, for decades it is clear that nations like the United States and United Kingdom have given Pakistan vast sums of economic aid and military aid. Therefore, it is time for outside nations to raise the issue of human rights in Pakistan because sadly it seems that geopolitics is more important to nations which remain silent. http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Punjab:-Muslim-extremists-burn-alive-a-mentally-disabled-man-accused-of-blasphemy-25202.html leejay@moderntokyotimes.com http://moderntokyotimes.com