Priest Discusses Pakistan's Blasphemy Laws
ACN spoke with Father Emmanuel Yousaf of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Pakistan about the country’s blasphemy laws. Unfortunately accusations of blasphemy against Christians in Pakistan has increased over the last year.
By ACN Staff
Fr. Emmanuel Yousaf (left) and Archbishop Joseph Arshad (right). (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
The 22 August is the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief. There is growing persecution based on religious belief around the world, with Christians being the most targeted of any religious group. Ahead of the 22 August, Maria Lozano from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) interviewed one of our Church partners in Pakistan, Father Emmanuel Yousaf. Fr. Yousaf is the director of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP). He explained to ACN the impact on the victims of Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws.
Shafique Masih and his family. Masih was one of the two Christians accused of insulting Islam during protests in Faisalabad, Punjab province, in May,1998, sparked by a death sentence of a Christian under the blasphemy law. Masih works as a welder in a rented shop and lives with his family at a shelter house built by the Catholic bishops’ National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP). (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
At present the CCJP is defending 12 blasphemy cases (11 Christians and 1 Hindu). Fr. Yousaf explains the devastating impact that an accusation of blasphemy can have on a person:
“When a person is accused falsely, it is not only limited to the victim itself, or the family but the whole locality and neighborhood gets affected. Even their houses and churches are attacked and burnt. For example, in the incident in Shanti Nagar, a Christian village in Khanewal city, the whole village was attacked as a result of one falsely accused person, Baba Raji. Similarly, seven people were burnt alive in Gojra, a town close to Faisalabad, and Joseph Colony, a village on the outskirts of Lahore city, was attacked by a large mob, setting fire to over 150 houses, including that of Sawan Masih, a falsely accused sanitation worker. There are many more cases like those mentioned above. We have witnessed them. In such cases, it is observed that a falsely accused victim even after being acquitted would not be able to return to her or his neighborhood or even her or his hometown. The lives of these victims are threatened forever, and many have been killed.”
The blasphemy laws disproportionately impacts Pakistan’s religious minorities. Around 52% of blasphemy cases are taken against religious minorities. Christians are charged in 14.5% of the cases, despite Christians only making up 1.27% of Pakistan’s population. Over the last year the number of accusations has increased. The rise in the number of accusations is partly because of increased use of WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook.
Fr. Yousaf further elaborated on the causes of the increase in accusations:
“During the pandemic we have seen an increase in these cases, taking advantage of the fact that the pandemic has caused hurdles in fact-findings and judicial investigations and the court proceedings were delayed. Another worrying concern is that while in the past most of the cases used to be in rural areas, where someone would accuse another person of blasphemy in order to settle a personal score or obtain land or property, we are now witnessing an increase in urban areas, where cases are being registered against educated sectors of society such as students, nurses, doctors and many other professional fields. This is a cause for concern as it indicates that religious radicalization is on the rise and, therefore, there is a greater determination on the part of the majority to force others to convert or subscribe to their ideology, and when they refuse to do so, they are falsely accused of blasphemy.”
Fr. Yousaf explained at the current moment the CCJP is not calling for the repeal of the blasphemy laws. The current climate in Pakistan means that this is not realistic. Instead, the CCJP is calling on procedural amendments to the law to help defendants from religious minorities. ACN is supporting the CCJP in its work. If you would like to help please consider making a donation.