Blasphemy laws: the root of Pakistani extremism

---The Baltimore Sun, USA

Home  >  News  >  Maryland Voices

Blasphemy laws: the root of Pakistani extremism
By Faheem Younus
May 10, 2010

The failed Times Square bombing raises important questions.

As a U.S. Muslim of Pakistani descent, I have wondered why so many plots against America continue to be hatched in Pakistan. At least nine people with some connection to Pakistan have been charged with terror plots against the United States in the past two years. What is it that accounts for this disturbing trend?

One can’t simply blame Islam. Were that true, Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country, would be the epicenter of terrorist plots against America. But it’s not. One can’t simply blame fiery rhetoric. Were that true, Iran, the most vocally anti-American of Islamic nations, would be breeding terrorists. But it’s not. One can’t simply blame illiteracy. Were that true, Ethiopia, ranked 170th in literacy, would be at the forefront of terrorist activities. But it’s not. One can’t simply blame poverty, either. Were that true, Bangladesh, the poorest of Islamic nations, would be leading the charge against America. But it’s not.

So, what makes Pakistan so uniquely conducive to extremism?

The answer, I believe, is rather simple. Pakistan proudly prosecutes its own people for a crime that exists in few countries: blasphemy. Section 295-C of Pakistan’s penal code, the so-called blasphemy law, states, “Whoever by words, either spoken or written or by visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.”

This law was passed in 1984, and six years later the stakes were raised when a federal Sharia Court ruled that “the penalty for contempt of the Holy prophet is death and nothing else.” A component was later added to target, by name, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, a minority Muslim group that believes Mirza Ghulam Ahmad to be the messiah of the latter days.

Blasphemy laws are to Pakistan’s extremists what Miracle Gro is to one’s home garden.

The alleged Time Square suspect, Faisal Shahzad, was a 5-year-old Pakistani citizen when these draconian laws were enacted. His generation knows only one way to deal with a difference of opinion in matters of religion: Shoot the opponent.

Here is Pakistan’s record: 650 Christians have been accused under the blasphemy law and more than 20 killed between 1988 and 2005, according to the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s National Commission for Justice and Peace. Since the promulgation of anti-Ahmadi laws in 1984, 101 Ahmadis have been killed on religious grounds. In June 2008, the entire population of Rabwah (the headquarters town of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Pakistan) — 60,000 people — was charged with committing blasphemy.

And while few Pakistanis actually terrorize minorities and non-Muslims, many others have cheered or remained silent.

Some in Faisal Shahzad’s generation seek a new challenge in United States. If drone attacks and back-door diplomacy are not working, what should be our strategy to deal with this threat?

Immediate attention is needed to repeal the blasphemy and anti-Ahmadi laws in Pakistan. Wasting more time in “bilateral talks” will be a godsend for countries such as Indonesia, where a court only last month upheld the constitutionality of that nation’s blasphemy code, which, while less punitive and restrictive than Pakistan’s law, still discriminates against minority religions. The U.S. State Department should make all future aid packages conditioned on Pakistan repealing these harmful laws. While it may be difficult for President Asif Ali Zardari to find Osama bin Laden, it sure isn’t difficult for him to locate a copy of his country’s Second Amendment, which strips the right of millions of Ahmadis to call themselves Muslims.

Once this root cause is removed, a long-term solution of strengthening religious freedom through legislation and establishing a robust educational infrastructure will have a chance to work. After Nigeria, Pakistan has the world’s largest number of out-of-school children and youth. School-age children need to be taught, from an early age, how to express a difference of religious opinion — and more importantly, how to respect one. This can be achieved through curriculum reform in both public and religious (madrassa) education systems.

For more than 200,000 peace-loving U.S. Muslims of Pakistani descent, staying quiet or cheering secretly is not an option anymore. We have to make a choice. Let’s not bite the hand that feeds us. If we are too weak to maintain our loyalty to the United States, then take the Holy Quran’s advice, “… Was not Allah’s earth vast enough for you to emigrate therein?“ (4:98).

Or, to quote a bumper sticker I once saw: America. Love it or leave it.

Dr. Faheem Younus is medical director for healthcare epidemiology and infection prevention at Upper Chesapeake Health in Bel Air and a clinical assistant professor at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine. His e-mail is dryounus@comcast.net

Copyright © 2010, The Baltimore Sun
URL: www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bs-ed-bomb...6374355.story

Terrorists grow where freedom does not

---OregonLive.com, USA
Hot Topic, International affairs, Terrorism, oped »
Terrorists grow where freedom does not
May 08, 2010, 4:23PM

By HARRIS ZAFAR

The alleged culprit in last weekend’s attempted terrorist attack in Times Square is a 30-year-old U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent who recently traveled back to Pakistan for bomb training. This is not the first time we have heard of a Muslim American of Pakistani descent attempting to kill fellow Americans.

Why does this keep happening? Is there something wrong with Pakistani people? I find myself asking this question so much because on paper, the description of Faisal Shahzad – the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing – sounds a lot like me. Early 30s … American citizen … Pakistani ethnicity … American education … working a normal 9-to-5 job … from an educated family. How can two people with these similarities turn out so different? Why did he lean toward terrorist tendencies while I maintained my Islamic identity as a person who stands for peace, loyalty and freedom?

To understand this, one must understand the environment that Shahzad grew up in and how it formed a subtle but lasting impression on his mind. Whereas I was born and raised in the United States, Shahzad grew up in Pakistan and only came here 11 years ago. And it is there in Pakistan where Shahzad learned that it is OK to get rid of anyone who you disagree with. The mentality subconsciously instilled in young minds growing up in that society is that people with different views are bad and must be taken out.

Pakistan is one of the only countries in the world that prosecutes and persecutes its own citizens for what it calls “blasphemy.” Under the Pakistani Penal Code, any person found guilty of blasphemy is subject to either the death penalty or life imprisonment. The actual law states, “Whoever by words, either spoken or written or by visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Mohammed shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.”

So how did this manifest itself in a way that would have a direct impact on a Pakistani citizen’s psyche? Well, this law has been used to prosecute more than 650 Christians in Pakistan for blasphemy. Even moderate Muslims in Pakistan – namely, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community – have been charged under this law for blaspheming. Pakistan took it a step further in 1984 when it passed “Ordinance XX,” which prevented members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community from even calling themselves Muslims. If they do call themselves Muslims, they are subject to imprisonment and death.

Why such a bold law? Because Pakistani clerics disagreed with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s belief that the promised messiah and reformer – the one Muslims have been waiting for – had come in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian. Pakistan passed laws to censor their thoughts and expressions and has exerted authority over minority religious groups to keep them quiet.

How ironic it is, then, that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA was the first and foremost Muslim community in this country to speak out and condemn Shahzad’s actions. Its vice president and missionary-in-charge, Naseem Mahdi, made a bold statement Tuesday not only condemning the attempted terrorist plot but saying that any Muslim living in America who is not loyal to this country should go live in the land where they feel their loyalties belong. This is based on the Prophet Muhammad’s saying, “Love of one’s homeland (one’s place of residence) is a part of the Muslim’s faith.”

How such a community can be declared non-Muslim and punished by threats of imprisonment and death in Pakistan is beyond my comprehension. In order to avoid more Shahzads in the future, we need to set a precedent that differences in opinion or interpretation do not justify legal action. The average Pakistani citizen may not try to murder Americans himself or herself, but these people are vastly silent toward those who do. Their anti-blasphemy laws have desensitized them to the point where they have not the courage to speak out against morally repugnant actions and laws.

To save future generations from falling into the same pitfalls of subtle acceptance of extremism, or even full participation in terrorism like Shahzad, Pakistan must repeal these anti-blasphemy laws immediately. Pakistanis need to get to the root of the problem. Instead of hoping that our law enforcement officials can continue to heroically prevent future attacks from being successful, let’s put our efforts in preventing the idea of such attacks.

Harris Zafar is the national director of community service and local coordinator of faith outreach for a Muslim youth organization, and a freelance writer based in Portland.

Reach him at hrzafar@gmail.com.

© 2010 Oregon Live LLC. All Rights Reserved
URL : www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/05/terro...om.html