Photo via islamicity.com

Pakistani Christian man serving life for 'blasphemy'

An organization that advocates for persecuted Christians is calling on Pakistani officials to release a Christian man serving life imprisonment in Hajwairi, Pakistan following false allegations of blasphemy, reports Jeremy Reynalds, correspondent for ASSIST News Service.

According to a news release from International Christian Concern (ICC), on Jan. 11 a Pakistani court sentenced Imran Masih to life imprisonment and fined him 100,000 Pakistani Rupees ($1182) after his Muslim neighbor, Hajji Liaquat, accused him of burning the Qur’an.

ICC said on July 1 2009, Masih was cleaning his store when he found an Arabic book. Before trashing it, he asked his Muslim neighbor, Liaquat, whether the book was Islamic literature. Liaquat assured him that it was not.

ICC said however, after Masih burned the book, Liaquat showed the half-burned book to passers by and accused Masih of desecrating the Qur’an. Later, the local mosques incited Muslims to attack Masih by announcing that he had desecrated the Qur’an.

ICC said Masih ran for his life and hid at his house before the police arrived and arrested him. At the time of arrest, a group of 400 Muslims had gathered outside Masih’s home. The individuals overpowered the police and attacked him Masih.

Masih’s family immediately fled from Faisalabad because the Muslim protesters wanted to kill them. According to the family, Liaquat falsely accused Masih of desecrating the Qur’an because he wanted to rent the rented location where Masih ran his business.

ICC said Christians in Pakistan have repeatedly been attacked by Muslim mobs after accusations of blasphemy. According to Pakistani law, desecrating the Qur’an is considered blasphemy and results in life imprisonment.

ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa and South Asia, Jonathan Racho, said in a news release, “We call upon Pakistani officials to release Imran Masih and ensure the safety of his family. Pakistan must revise its blasphemy law, as it continues to be abused by Muslims to settle personal grudges against Christians.”

ICC asked those interested to call the Pakistani Embassy in their country and politely ask the officials to release Masih from prison.

ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide.

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TAGS: Pakistani Pakistani Christians life imprisonment blasphemy persecution International Christian Concern

[02/19/2010]

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