July 10, 2003

Watch What You Let Someone Else Say

As a Christian in Pakistan, you have to watch what you say. You especially have to watch what you write. You even have to watch what other people write.

Munawar Mohsin was a sub-editor at the English-language newspaper Frontier Post. A judge has determined that he was responsible for selecting a letter to the editor for publication. That was enough to merit a life sentence. In Pakistan, life means life. And believe it or not, Mohsin got off easy. The sentence is often death.

Mohsin was convicted of blasphemy. The letter that was published was determined to be derogatory toward Muhammad. Mohsin's crime was fairly easy to detect. Students from a seminary formed a mob and attacked the newspaper's office, destroying the printing press. They also damaged other nearby buildings. They probably just thought of it as a field trip. After graduation the ones that don't join the remnants of the Taleban or become suicide bombers for Hezbollah will immigrate to the UK as mosque spokesmen to tell us on the evening news that Islam is a peaceful religion. They may go to India to wait and see if another American Christian preacher says something about Muhammad, so they can gather a mob to kill some more Hindus.

It probably won't come as a surprise that most of the hundreds of people convicted of blasphemy in Pakistan are Christians. As a Christian, it pays to be a very good neighbour. All it takes is person going to the police and simply accusing someone. Before the investigation can start, the accused must be arrested. They can then languish in jail until their case comes to court. Mohsin was incarcerated for two years before his trial.

President/General Musharraf had intended to change this, but he had too much opposition. Radical groups protested. I wouldn't be surprised if this including those seminary students. It is enough that the accused might have blasphemed. It is easier to jail more Christians that way.

Of course they want to come to this country and be free to incite others to kill Christians. In fact, when anyone objects to this, they protest that they are being persecuted. That takes a lot of cheek. They are free to preach death to Christians and the overthrow of non-Islamic governments while living on the social welfare benefits of those governments.

In their countries of origin Christians are not free to preach the Gospel. Christians are prohibited from evangelising those who do not believe that Jesus is God. Christians are prohibited from saying that Allah is not God and Muhammad is not his prophet. Christians may not be forced to directly blaspheme the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, but they may not openly declare Him on pain of death.

The situation in Pakistan is proof that completely apart from terrorist attacks, Islam is not a peaceful religion. There may be Muslims who are themselves peaceful. I don't have any problem with that. But as long as the Muslim nations prohibit the preaching of the Gospel with the threat of criminal sanctions and even death, it couldn't be clearer that they are simply lying.

Posted by david at July 10, 2003 11:41 PM | TrackBack
Comments

We so little appreciate or truly care for our own religious freedom. How many of us would truly proclaim Jesus is the Christ under pain of death? I pray that we would, and I believe we would, but the idea of having to do so is barely even thinkable in our so-called modern world.

Posted by: Mary at July 14, 2003 12:18 AM