Reflection Number 13

Name: Aliyan Aleem

Roll Number: 27110245

Group Number: 03

Session: Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan

Reflection

In the contemporary world theology and philosophy of religions are rarely criticized. This is
because in post-modernism all religions are seen through the lens of subjectivity. However,
nowadays it’s mostly the action of the followers of a particular religion that is noticed. Violence
and extremism are the basis of criticism in the contemporary world. Muslims due to their
extreme stance on blasphemy have committed violent attacks in Paris and other European
states which have caused great concerns. Most folks will argue that it’s only the followers that
are wrong but I think the problem is the precedent set by the prophet and the states that use it
for political purposes.
The prophet of Islam himself killed poets who used to write insulting poetries against him. After
the victory of Makah, the Prophet did not provide amnesty to people who committed
blasphemy. Even Abu Sufyan was pardoned, I think this eventually gives support to the
argument of the people who commit violent crimes in the name of blasphemy. There are
several Hadiths that are used to justify these killings, one of them is from Tabarani. This hadith
however is considered questionable by many critics.
In Pakistan, however, blasphemy is used for politics. I think religion is a need of the Pakistani
state if it wants to stay alive. Pakistan consists of many nations and to suppress nationalist
tendencies religions are used. Religious parties are hence backed by the state and are mostly
funded by them to suppress nationalist parties. I believe that these parties then emotionally
appeal to the people and hence they use blasphemy.
I think Article 275 was a political move by Zia to divert the attention of the masses from his
illegal occupation of the office. As Marx said 200 years ago religion is the opium of the masses
and always a tool to control the masses. But what is it that is allowing them? I think the answer
is the precedent set by the prophet after the victory of Makkah. The claim regarding the
prophet is that he was perfect being and I think perfect beings should set perfect precedents
for its followers to follow.
The state has intentionally polarized society to such an extent that people don’t even wait for
the trials of the accused. Lynching as we see is becoming very common. TLP the major party
that openly declares that they will kill accusers is backed by the current political establishment.
They are used as tools to divert people’s attention from issues and to pressure the government.
I think the 2018 Faizabad Darhna is a perfect example of when TLP used the issue of finality of
prophet hood to pressure the then government. In recent eras, Pakistan has become the
largest exporter of these religious extremists who attack people in Europe. For example, the
attacks in Paris on the employees of a magazine were committed by Pakistanis. I think it shows
that state policies have made Pakistanis more extremist than then rest of the Muslims around
the globe.
In conclusion, I believe that to prevent such crimes in the name of blasphemy we should change
the policies of states who use Islam for politics. I am a pessimist and hence I think that in the
case of Pakistan, it will be very difficult. Because the ideology of Pakistan-term coined much
later-of Pakistan is based on Islam it’s the necessity of the state to use to keep nations together.
Therefore, the least the state of Pakistan can do is to enforce it on laws. Firstly the state should
try to protect the accused and should ensure that he gets the right to a fair trial because most
individuals are lynched and most of the accusations are false. Secondly, it should promote a
moderate interpretation of Islam that does not allow the death penalty for blasphemy. This way
the state will prevent such crimes and save lives of innocent people.