Islamic
party appeals to supreme court to ban the Bible
The Islamic party of Pakistan, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, has
filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of Pakistan and
launched a campaign asking to ban the circulation of the
Bible, described as a "pornographic " and "blasphemous
book". This is a new attack against the Christian
community in Pakistan, frightened by the attacks and
threats suffered after the death of Bin Laden, already
under attack due to the damaging effects of the blasphemy
law, with the consequence of death penalty to those who
insult the Koran or the Prophet Muhammad. The
radical group Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, with its headquarters
in Karachi, launched the campaign at a public conference.
Whose prophet?
The allegations above demonstrate why Islamic laws
against blasphemy are a ticking time bomb for non-Muslims.
Any expression of a belief at variance with Islam can become
fair game to be branded as "blasphemy" or "defamation."
According to the group's leader, Abdul Rauf Farooqi, some
passages of the Bible describe characters that Muslims
regard as prophets as being "vicious and immoral".
One does get into some trouble for describing "characters
that Muslims regard as prophets as being 'vicious and
immoral'."
"It is a move that could fuel religious hatred
against Christians. It is a threat to peaceful coexistence,
an attack on the heart of our faith", says a
bewildered Fr. Saleh Diego, who presides over the "Justice
and Peace Commission" in the Archdiocese of Karachi. "As
Christians we are already very weak and subject to
pressures for the unjust blasphemy law. These radical
groups want to delete us entirely. Sure, they are only
minority groups, and we hope for the rise of voices of
moderate Muslim leaders to stop this campaign of hatred
" he remarks.
JUI has also not taken into
consideration one element of human psychology: the act of
banning a book has a way of making even a hitherto obscure
publication an object of fascination, as people ask what
could be in it that so terrifies grown men in positions of
power.
"Our response as Christians in Pakistan, already seen
as targets, can be only to confirm the urgency of dialogue
and respect for all religious symbols and sacred books of
all religions. But we expect that, at an international
level, a stronger and more determined answer might emerge,
in order to sustain us", concludes Father Diego,
calling for a mobilization of Christians and international
institutions to stop the campaign against the Bible.
Source:Fides and JW
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