Ninth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

The treatment of minorities in Pakistan is a real life problematic issue. To a certain extent it was highlighted by the incarceration of a poor Christian woman in Pakistan, which was based on ‘Islamic’ blasphemy law. This paper will analyse the blasphemy laws in Pakistan and how this relates to the classical Islamic positions in legal jurisprudence. We will analyse the case of Aasia Bibi, the injustices that are linked to the case, and how the voice of religious fanatics seek to muddy any hope of the re-evaluation the law. The paper will introduce, analyse and compare the various positions within classical Islam in relation to the laws of blasphemy, as well as the treatment of minorities in Muslim majority countries. More recently, we had certain individuals who took the issue of blasphemy a step further my taking the law into their own hands and killing minorities who they claimed had committed blasphemy. These vigilante killings were applauded by some Muslim scholars. The recent appointment of Imran Khan as the prime minister of Pakistan and his vocal support of these archaic blasphemy laws has further compounded the problem. This paper will attempt to show that the treatment of Minorities in Pakistan is anti-Islamic and against the position of Islam.