Religious superiors of Pakistan and a Catholic human rights group have petitioned Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif to stop a proposed law that would make the death penalty mandatory for people who blaspheme Prophet Mohammad and Islam.
The bill on "Gustakh-e-Rasool" (insult of Prophet Mohammad) was passed by Pakistan´s lower house of parliament and is now before the upper house.
Letters mailed Feb. 2 from the Association of Major Religious Superiors of Pakistan and the Justice and Peace Group of Multan ask the prime minister to stop the bill because it does not provide safeguards for the rights of minorities in Pakistan, which are guaranteed in the constitution.
The groups sent the letters in response to the Dec. 13 arrest of two brothers, Gul Preveez and Bashir Masih, for allegedly disrespecting Prophet Mohammad, and the Jan. 6 slaying of a Christian teacher, Naimat Ahmar.
Ahmar, a poet, short-story writer and educator, was stabbed to death on Jan. 6 by Farooq Ahmad, a young Muslim who alleged that Ahmar showed disrespect to Prophet Mohammad and Islam.
"We feel that this law was a cause and reason that Ahmar ... was butchered," the Justice and Peace Group´s letter read. "We fear that in the given atmosphere of Pakistan this law shall put a sword in everybody´s hand and no one shall remain safe."
The group asked Prime Minister Sharif to "bring violence and hatred down instead of providing it a legal sanction, which we feel that this law does."
A decision by the Federal Shariat (Islamic law) Court on Oct. 30, 1990, directed the government to make the death penalty mandatory for the offense of showing disrespect to Prophet Mohammad, other prophets and Islam.
Such a bill was passed in the National Assembly (lower house of parliament) and is now pending in the Senate (the upper house of parliament).
The religious superiors and the peace and justice group expressed fears that this law would violate the rights of minorities. Amnesty International, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and other human rights organizations expressed their concern and doubts, too.
"This murder (Ahmar´s) may not be the last one if necessary measures are not taken by the government to redraft this law in order to affirm that the citizens of Pakistan may not irresponsibly take lives of their fellow citizens according to their own discretion," the commission letter said.
"We reject this bill as a minority community. We request you to stop this bill immediately from becoming a law because we are convinced that it violates the rights of the people of Pakistan, especially the minorities, the group told the prime minister.
"There is also a clear possibility that this law may be misunderstood or used against minorities in Pakistan. And people of vested interest may use this law to further intimidate minorities," they added.
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