Pakistani Shiite Muslim Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy on Social Media
A minority Shiite Muslim was sentenced to death in Pakistan over a blasphemous Facebook post about Islam. This is the first conviction on the grounds of blasphemy which carries the capital punishment in the country where Sunni Islam is the state religion.
Sentenced on Saturday was 30-year-old Taimoor Raza in Bahawalpur, eastern Punjab province. He was described as a "poor and literate" Shia Muslim. The rivalry between Shiites and Sunnis dates back to the seventh century when they fought on who should be the heir of the Prophet Mohammed.
Raza was charged last year with insulting the prophet during an argument on social media with someone who turned out to be a counter-terrorism official. He was also accused of sharing offensive content by showing onlookers "objectionable material" on his mobile phone at a bus station.
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Saroop Ijaz, a lawyer with Human Rights Watch expressed concern that the verdict was handed down by an anti-terrorism court. "Such sentences will embolden those who want to wrongly frame people," he said. "The confusion between national security and religion is very alarming," Ijaz added.
Blasphemy is a sensitive charge in conservative Muslim Pakistan, where even unproven allegations can trigger mob lynching and violence. A 10-year-old boy was killed and five others were wounded last month when a mob attacked a police station to lynch a Hindu man charged with blasphemy.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has led a major crackdown on blasphemy on social media. The government has petitioned Facebook and Twitter to identify Pakistanis worldwide who are posting materials that are considered offensive to Islam so that authorities can pursue their extradition and prosecute them.
Pakistan arrested 15 people for blasphemy last year, including Raza and five non-Muslims. Several people are on death row, including a Christian woman who is now in solitary confinement following her 2010 conviction after arguing with two Muslim women in her village in Punjab.
