Pakistan blasphemy laws

As in so many cases in the past, the blasphemy accusations at the heart of the violence apparently stemmed from a personal grudge.

The recent mob violence against Christian minorities in Punjab province is just the latest reminder of how deep and wide the roots of religious intolerance have grown.

A death sentence for blasphemy has never been carried out. But often, an accusation alone can trigger riots and incite mobs to violence.

The accusation emerged from a workplace spat where the Chinese national objected to local workers taking too much time to pray.

Pakistan is strengthening  its controversial anti-blasphemy laws – with potentially deadly results for religious minority groups.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority says it blocked Wikipedia because a 48-hour deadline to remove content  it said was blasphemous was ignored.

Pakistan is indubitably more phobic of the Ahmadiyya sect, and their interpretation of Islam, than most of the states that Khan vocally deems “Islamophobic.”

Why would foreign investors want to visit Pakistan if they could get lynched on accusations of blasphemy?

Radical Barelvi groups are now resorting to violence to underline their sect – once famous for its pluralism – as the truest version of Islam.

The mockery of Hindu deities underscores Pakistan’s Islamist double standard on blasphemy.

Recent anti-Shia demonstrations in Karachi raise uncomfortable questions about the possible involvement of the Pakistani establishment.