Pakistani Ambassador To The U.S. To Be Investigated For Blasphemy

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. That would, however, be a complete mischaracterisation of the law

and we know that, because it's used against private individuals, such as the 14 year old mentioned in the OP.

The law is a bit of pandering to religious fanatics; look at its effect - people get killed by renegade guards, mobs, or in prison. It's not a convenient way of attacking political opponents; it's a way of allowing mob rule to attack people that they hate for religious reasons. The law has widespread support in the religious lunatic faction in Pakistan, which is considerable. Look at the support the killer of the governor got:

Mr. RASHID: Well, a very large number of lawyers have sided with the killer. They more than 1,000 lawyers have signed up to defend Muhammad Mumtaz Qadri, the police official who shot Salman Taseer 26 times a few days ago. Liberal lawyers are horrified by what has happened, but they are very quiet because everybody now is very scared.

One of the religious extremist organizations issued a threat to the daughter of Salman Taseer because she had given an interview to the BBC and she had written an article, and one of these religious groups issued a death threat to her. And this religious leader has not been arrested and likewise, all those defending the killer, there's been no action taken against them.

INSKEEP: I want to make sure I clarify what we're talking about here, because if you're a lawyer, obviously any defendant is entitled to a defense, is entitled to a lawyer. That's part of the legal system. Are you saying these 1,000 lawyers who've signed up on behalf of the defendant are going beyond legal advocacy here?

Mr. RASHID: Well, yes, because what they're doing is that they're expressing their political point of view, which is that they believe that the killer was totally justified in killing the governor. And they're expressing their support for the killer and they're expressing their support for what he said, which was I stand by the blasphemy law. I'm a slave of the Prophet Mohammed and I will do whatever he says. Now those few words that he uttered as he was being put into a police car is what has really motivated these lawyers to defend him.

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/14/132924332/Pakistani-Lawyers-Make-Governors-Assassin-A-Hero

This is about religion. It's pointless for you to try and makes excuses about it. No-one believes you.