Geneva, September 04: Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan live in fear of persecution and even execution or murder on false charges of blasphemy against Islam, the World Council of Churches (WCC) says.
The Council, a global body linking Protestant and Orthodox churches in 110 countries, has called on the Pakistani government to change a law that allows for the death penalty for blaspheming Islam.
Since the law was adopted in 1986 religious minorities in the country have been “living in a state of fear and terror … and many innocent people have lost their lives”, the WCC said in a statement.
Pakistan is an overwhelmingly Muslim country where religious minorities account for roughly 4 per cent – three quarters of whom are Christians -of its 170 million people.
In August, the WCC head, Kenyan Methodist Samuel Kobia, protested to the Pakistani government over violence in Punjab when Muslims torched Christian homes, killing 8 people.
Reports at the time said the attacks in Gojra town were sparked by allegations, denied by church leaders as well as Pakistani government officials, that Christians had desecrated the Quran.
Pakistani government officials said the violence, which also brought protests from Pope Benedict, was the work of Islamist groups linked to Al Qaida and Taliban. The WCC, which works with the Vatican on many religious issues, said it felt the blasphemy law, and the way it was abused, was the main problem.
Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan Minister for Minorities, said the law had been abused by “extremist elements” against minorities and the government wanted to review it.
“We are receiving demands from different sections of society, especially from the minority communities, to review this law,” Bhatti said. “We are in the process of consultation with different stakeholders and after this consultation, we intend to review this law to stop the misuse.”
Convictions for blasphemy are common in Pakistan with most cases involving members of religious minorities.
–Agencies–