WCC Calls for the Repeal of Pakistan Death-Carrying Blasphemy Law

Dominicans for Justice and Peace, Franciscans International and Pax Christi International have united together with the World Council of Churches (WCC) to submit a report to the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva in April this year. The report considered the repeal of a death-carrying blasphemy law in Pakistan.

In the study of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan, only 90 blasphemy cases out of all 647 cases of blasphemies reported in the Pakistani media since 1988, were against Christians. Pakistan, with 162 million people, is a country where less then three percent of the population is Christian and 95 percent of the citizens belong to the Islamic faith.

The writers of the report to the UN commission said they "strongly consider that religious intolerance and discrimination on the basis of religion remain one of the root causes of a number of conflicts, wars and ongoing violence".

The new study, to mark the 7th anniversary of a sacrifice made by Bishop John Joseph of Faislabad, released on 8th May says that even though the higher courts in Pakistan have acquitted those accused of blasphemy in 102 cases on appeal after lower courts sentenced them, still 20 blasphemy-accused individuals, including six Christians have been murdered during their trials.

John Joseph, a 66-year old Catholic prelate, was a crusader against the blasphemy law. In a protest against the decision of a court in Sahiwal in Punjab providence that sentenced Ayub Masih, a Christian, to death on 6th May 1998, shot himself dead.

Peter Jacob, the executive secretary of the Catholic commission told Ecumenical News International (ENI) on 11th May, "We have launched yet another campaign demanding repeal of the blasphemy law on the anniversary of the sacrifice of Bishop John."

He continued, "Fair trial is impossible in blasphemy cases with even judges and lawyers under pressure. Worse still, the moment one is accused of blasphemy, a person's life is in danger."

The study also reports that Arif Hussain Bhatti, a retired Lahore High Court judge had been murdered allegedly by a religious organisation for defending two Christians charged with blasphemy and cited several lawyers and journalists who had been persecuted for defending those accused of blasphemy or for supporting the abolition of the blasphemy law.