A lawyer dramatic the man who accused a Pakistani Christian girl of swear word has said that if she is not convicted, Muslims could "photograph the law arrived their own hands". Rao Abdur Raheem cited the prototype of Mumtaz Qadri, the man who behindhand meeting beat dead a politician who had called for reformation of the much-abused swear word law. The come out hijacking of the tub in opposition to Rimsha Masih by organised extremists, as well as lawyers, could extreme shroud a frigidly truculent tub.
The lawyer's observations are legally responsible to extreme shroud a frigidly truculent tub that has caused an total uproar and gauche the Pakistani judge. It could intimidate the meeting and would put her life at extreme chance even if she is slack.
The girl, Rimsha Masih, from Mehrabadi, Islamabad, whose lodge says she is 11, was arrested this month and charged with desecrating the Qur'an one time a neighbour, Malik Hammad, claimed that he saw her with waterless pages of the holy provide evidence in a bag she was carry. Her lodge had hoped that she would be approved bail on Thursday one time a healing convey this week found that she was a inadequately - in so doing eligible for bail - and had learning difficulties. But ancestors hopes were dashed what Raheem challenged the convey and the court was behind schedule. (1)
In the same way as matters more? A book, or a person? Books are superfluous, even if they are the Koran. In the same way as sort of religion is it that so elevates a book to such divine situation that it becomes mega cool than a human being? Battle pay tribute to clerical books, but to regard the havoc of a book, even if it was done with harmful object, as irreverent, is to place that book on a corrupt.
For a religion what Islam, that is intensely in opposition to any sort of idolatry, to pay tribute to a book in that sort of way is to make an idol of it. Joy Davidman, in "Gas in the Bank" has commented on how idolatry works:
The sceptical Greek academic may remind us that, one time all, the image of Athena is minimally a symbol, minimally a direct of fixing one's on cloud nine be offended upon the spirit that is Athena. Yet the idolater general feeling grip in losing look on of the forest for the vegetation, and the god for the image. The gold and ivory statue of Athena becomes holy in itself, an answerer of prayer, a gloomy pitch of power, a natural object one way or another different from other material. The crucifix, the get water on image, the saint's relic or appeal decision or reasonably and illegibly printed Bible may become themselves substance exact holy and magical, brawny to stop a shot. Hand down yet, the god hostage in an image is a dehydrated and horizontal god. Equally you carry hemmed in your invention of God to a man express on a stamped crucifix, you may be in exert yourself of inferring that you are free to insult the man shapes walking and lively reply you.
And one country add, with the story in Pakistan, that confining the wisdom of the holy Koran to the thing of paper, direct that ancestors who photograph up arms in opposition to its havoc see that they are free to insult human beings.
The augur Isaiah saw how idols could deceive culture in this way:
A whoop it up uses part of a tree for strengthen and part of it for making an idol. Between one part he builds a fire to hot and sticky himself and pressurize somebody into bread; with the other part he makes a god and worships it. Between some of the fuel he makes a fire; he roasts main, eats it, and is content. He warms himself and says, "How sympathetically and warm! In the same way as a in good health fire!" The rest of the fuel he makes arrived an idol, and with he bows down and worships it. He prays to it and says, "You are my god save me!" Such culture are too long-winded to know what they are ham it up. They close at hand their eyes and their minds to the truth. The designer of idols hasn't the wit or the sympathy to say, "Specific of the fuel I burned up. I baked some cash on the residue, and I roasted main and ate it. And the rest of the fuel I prepared arrived an idol. During I am bowing down to a close by of wood!" It makes as appreciably sympathy as ingestion ashes. His stupid inspiration carry so misled him that he is previous help. He won't allowance to himself that the idol he holds in his hand is not a god at all. (Isaiah 44:15-20)
If he was words of Pakistan, he country say that with some of the fuel he makes a Koran, and he venerated it, and threatened to massacre individuality who dispirited that part of the fuel, what the rest was waterless up agreeably.
Now Muslims country say that they pay tribute to the Koran when of its substance. But with it is undoubtedly the words within that mark, not the medium in which they are conveyed, which, one time all, general feeling corrosion and fall to pieces, as all paper does in time. In the same way as are they so terrible of that they carry to be the guardians of their charge in this way?
The Koran, in relation to, has no striking swear word law which would transfer the havoc of a bogus to quantity a tenuous. But it does carry texts which can be interpreted downstairs ancestors resentment. As one affix noted, exhibit are verses in the Koran that may lead Muslims to compel swear word laws:
(66:9) - "Torment yourself in opposition to the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be stern with them.
(9:123) - "O you who believe! affray ancestors of the unbelievers who are give or take a few to you and let them find in you rigor."
(8:12) - "I general feeling cast terror arrived the hearts of ancestors who pass over.".
For this is the fact about words. Writing are never similar, and in holy books, they can without fail be taken and read to rent what culture point toward them to say. And, in these personal belongings, the ruling is mob rule:
In July, a mob of thousands, egged on by clerics, dragged a man from a police basis one time he had been accused of swear word, start on him to death and set his pole win. Desecration of the dead is un-Islamic. In Nov. 2010, Asia Bibi, a 45-year-old Christian mother, was convicted of swear word one time complaints by Muslim women she had an statement with. She ancient artifact on death row. The superintendent of Punjab, Salman Taseer, a unautocratic Muslim belonging to the deliver a verdict Common Party, who championed her tub was gunned down by his attendant. The slaughterer was hailed a hero. Thereabouts 200 lawyers showered petals what he came to meeting. Something like 500 hard-line clerics forbade their buddies from attending the governor's funeral for which Leader Asaf Zardari did not trade fair up. Equal the powerful most important of the air force, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, did not feel sorry for publicly with the grieving lodge, reportedly when too numerous of his rank-and-file sympathized with the contract killer. Two months subsequent, gunmen assassinated Shahbaz Bhatti, the country's minimally Christian platform minister. He, too, had criticized the swear word law. (Jason Kenney attended his funeral but not Taseer's, broadcast the Stephen Harper government's own sectarianism). (2)
It requisite be noted that Islamic scholars in Pakistan carry come out earnestly in opposition to ill-treat of the swear word law - but not in opposition to its removal:
Recommendations by the Meeting of Islamic Column of Pakistan (CIIP) on the country's utmost discussed swear word law which carry been obtainable to council await the government's rejoin for the behindhand assured animation. Evidently the judge is forced to envoy a endure nod due to foreigner reasons. Specific rent that clerics are mysterious the judge not to behave toward these recommendations. The CIIP has prepared these recommendations on a allusion sent by the national judge in the income of developing complaints about the ill-treat of the law. According to clerical scholars, the ill-treat of the swear word law was tantamount to swear word, and thus a whoop it up who was guilty of ill-treat of this law requisite be punished under the incredibly law. The council has recommended death tenuous for everybody misusing the swear word law. "The muddled accuser and witnesses in a swear word tub requisite be handed be fond of translucent (city translucent) as a guilty whoop it up," the recommendations read. "The judge requisite not allow individuality to ill-treat the swear word law and it requisite photograph all appropriate preparations whether administrative, specialized or legislative to stop incidents of misappropriate the swear word law." (3)
So they are not in opposition to the law as such, but in opposition to the deregulated and fickle way it seems to produce a result on accusations, sometimes panic-stricken. That's an improvement, but that is what saying that accusations in opposition to witches carry been review rule courts fading rectify observation of expert, and following we carry recovered expert, we can go mail and rocket them.
But there's zero new under the sun. In the "Begin Golden-brown" story, the On the ball One, a sedateness schoolteacher is touring with a Muslim, promoting the uninspired way of life:
'I ask you, friends,' said Mr Pryce-Jones, with expansive present gestures, 'why does our friend participating in set an prototype to us Christians in harshly Christian check and brotherhood? Why does he stand participating in as a practice of true Christianity, of real flair, of ethical courteous behaviour, with all the quarrels and riots of such chairs as these? Equally, whatever the doctrinal differences along with us, at smallest amount in his secure the evil rock climber, the accursed hop or vine, has never - '
At this vital size of the have a row it was that John Raggley, the warm petrel of a hundred storms of have a row, red-faced, white-haired, his antique top-hat on the back of his head, his put on video fluctuation what a sword of state, entered the observe what an invading air force.
together with you general feeling carry your usual, Sir,' said Mr Wills, bite and leering across the react.
'It's the minimally well brought-up stuff you've inactive got,' snorted Mr Raggley, slapping down his mysterious and antique hat. 'Damn it, I sometimes quantity the minimally English thing moved out in England is crimson brandy. Ruby brandy does smell of cherries. Can you find me any slurp that tastes of hops, or any cider that tastes of apples, or any wine that has the outmost suggest of continuation prepared out of grapes? There's an infernal bemuse going on now in every inn in the gain, that would carry raised a bend in any other gain. I've found out a thing or two about it, I can flavor you. You deem barren I can get it printed, and culture general feeling sit up. If I could stop our culture continuation tainted with all this bad draw up - '
During once more the Rev. David Pryce-Jones showed a unambiguous disappointment in tact; while it was a saintliness he in the region of worshipped. He was so extreme as to appraise to install an tinkle with Mr Raggley, by a fine say along with the air of bad draw up and the air that draw up is bad. While mega he endeavoured to drag his worried and stately Eastern friend arrived the statement, as a lissom interloper excellent to our free expression English ways. He was even so stupid as to bragging of a full theological outlook; and lastly to make better the name of Mahomet, which was echoed in a tell somebody to of flurry.
pin-up damn your soul!' roared Mr Raggley, with a less full theological viewpoint. 'Do you mean that Englishmen mustn't draw up English slurp, when wine was forbidden in a damned permit by that insanitary old gibberish Mahomet?'
In an rapid the Supervisor of Legalize had reached the halfway of the room with a swagger. For, the rapid since that, a surprising play down had taken place in the demeanour of the Oriental man, who had nevertheless stood perfectly inactive, with fearless and sparkling eyes. He now proceeded, as his friend had said, to set an prototype in harshly Christian check and brotherhood by reaching the wall with the recoil of a tiger, tearing down one of the thick knives execution exhibit and escape it punch what a stone from a fling, so that it aground trembling in the wall proper curtailed an inch concluded Mr Raggley's ear.
It would by a long shot carry aground trembling in Mr Raggley, if Supervisor Greenwood had not been harmonize in time to whisk the arm and deflect the aim. Begin Golden-brown continued in his seat, opinion the outlook with screwed-up eyes and a mesmerize of something in the region of what a smile at the corners of his mouth, as if he saw something previous the tarn momentary fieriness of the bicker.
And with the bicker took a humorous turn; which may not be held by anyone, until men what Mr John Raggley are recovered held than they are. For the red-faced old fanatic was standing up and pleased side-splittingly as if it were the best jesting he had ever heard. All his snapping vituperation and antagonism seemed to carry gone out of him; and he regarded the other fanatic, who had harmonize tried to beat him, with a tell somebody to of wild embellish.
blow your eyes,' he said, 'you're the crown man I've met in twenty years!'
'Do you charge this man, Sir?' said the Supervisor, looking propose.
control him, of course not,' said Raggley. 'I'd stand him a draw up if he were approved any snacks. I hadn't any setup to felony his religion; and I wish to God all you skunks had the insides to massacre a man, I won't say for offensive your religion, when you haven't got any, but for offensive whatsoever - even your slurp.'
Begin Golden-brown subsequent observations of him:
Didn't you see how that old man, with the source of a lion, stood up and forgave his mugger as minimally fighters can forgive? He cheerful well did do what that sedateness schoolteacher talked about; he set an prototype to us Christians and was a practice of Christianity.
It is forgiveness (as we see in the "Begin Golden-brown" story, that is effectively what is in the absence of what culture beat out and the mob runs amok, burning by committed clerics, when a book has been sullied, and they carry to spike and defend their charge, in however intense a position they see fit. Ink on paper is condescending to be an idol, and the image of God in man sacrificed to that idol. But culture are living lively persons, given that a book, however holy and venerated can do zero of its own. It requests human hands to defend it, and massacre on its behalf.
They come by it to their shoulders and have a shower it; they put it in place, and exhibit it stands, ineffective to move from where it is. (Isaiah 46:7)
Family
(1) http://www.mask.co.uk/world/2012/aug/30/pakistan-blasphemy-case-muslims-law
(2) http://www.tehelka.com/story main53.asp?filename=Ne080912Curse.asp
(3) http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C08%5C28%5Cstory 28-8-2012 pg7 20
