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August 7, 2005

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www.joyjunction.org

JAILED PAKISTANI CHRISTIAN'S LIFE IN DANGER

The condition of a jailed Pakistani Christian is deteriorating.

Yousaf Masih is the latest believer to run afoul of Pakistan's strict blasphemy law.

In an interview with AsiaNews (www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=3852), Shabaz Bhatti, president of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), denounced the poor conditions in which the 60-year-old man is detained.

Bhatti recently visited with Masih. He told Asia News he could see Masih was "sick, weak and scared about his future and that of his family."

Masih was arrested on June 28 in Nowshera, a small city east of Peshawar in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP). A sweeper, he had been asked to burn some papers, including some with verses of the Koran. As he was illiterate, he did not know what they were.

Bhatti said the man was tortured first at the police station and later in prison. He told Asia News, "We are very worried for his life, because those condemned for blasphemy are not even safe in prison. The director of the prison himself warned us Masih's life is in danger."

Bhatti also noted that recently Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, a leader of Muttahida Majilis-e-Amal – an alliance of six Islamic parties in power in NWFP – has requested that Masih be punished for his crimes.

Even Masih's family is in serious danger, Asia News reported. According to Bhatti, individuals have been investigating the whereabouts of Masih's family and some relatives have already been fired from their jobs. "It's clear that not only the man, but also his family, are living under pressure and in terror," Bhatti told Asia News.

"The accusations against Yousaf are unfounded," Asia News reported Bhatti said. "The police opened a case of blasphemy without proof or without conducting more in-depth investigations. This is the umpteenth example of growing abuse of this law in Pakistan."

The so-called blasphemy law, Asia News reported, corresponds with article 295b and c of the Pakistani penal code.

The first is about offences against the Koran, punishable by life sentence, while the second orders death or life in prison for defamation of the prophet Mohammed. On Oct. 26 2004, Asia News reported, the government approved amendments to the law. To avoid abuse, the parliament decreed that police had to ascertain the facts before ordering the arrest of the accused. The previous law had called for immediate arrest.

Asia News reported the APMA warned local authorities that Masih's life is in danger. "If something happens to him while he is in custody, the government will be solely responsible."

Bhatti called for the immediate release of Yousaf Masih and for protection for him and his relatives. Asia News reported he also appealed to the government to "do away with the blasphemy law completely, and take a commitment to protect minorities in Pakistan."

According to the World Evangelical Alliance (www.worldevangelical.org/persecute/persec_pakistan_ii_28oct03.html), "APMA is a coalition representing Pakistan's non-Muslim religious minorities (Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Balmeek, Bheel, Maingwal, Zoarastrian, Bahai and Kelash communities). Using advocacy and lobbying, APMA "raise(s) minorities' issues and concerns with the government authorities, parliamentarians, human rights organizations and media."

APMA, the World Evangelical Alliance statement continued, is assisting many victims of "discriminatory laws and blasphemy laws and also supporting and protecting victims of terrorist attacks of Islamic militants especially since 11 Sept. 2001 ... APMA is struggling to protect and ensure religious freedom in Pakistan."

According to International Christian Concern (www.persecution.org/Countries/pakistan.html), 97.6% of Pakistan's people are Muslims. Hindus comprise 1.5% and Christians 1.7%. 70% of the Christian population is in the poorest segment of society. The growth of the Christian church is calculated at 3.9%.

International Christian Concern commented, "There are numerous extremist Muslim groups currently operating within (Pakistan). The government's inability to provide basic services in recent years has left room for many of these groups to step in and assume various responsibilities. These responsibilities include running clinics and hospitals, setting up job training, providing dowries, and operating institutes of higher education. In addition to the universities, these groups also operate madrassas, which are Islamic schools whose curriculum often includes military/weapons training.

"Most of these groups maintain their own cadre of fighters and even give them battle experience fighting for Muslim causes in areas like Afghanistan. The graduates of these madrassas are joining the junior officer ranks of the military, a traditionally secular institution. Three of the main extremist groups are Jamaat-e-Islami, Tanzeem Ilhwane-e-Pakistan, Sipah-I-Sahabah and Lashkar-e-Taiba. All of these groups maintain popular public support due to the services and hope they provide."