ICC Note:
A Christian woman in Pakistan narrowly avoided a deadly blasphemy accusation after the timely intervention by police officials. According to reports, this Christian woman from Gujrat was accused of blasphemy after a Muslim saw she was using a banner with the name Haji Muhammad on it. Accusations of blasphemy are sometimes made when banners or papers carrying Arabic text are discarded by religious minorities. Because many Pakistani Muslims cannot read Arabic, they assume the Arabic words are from the Quran. Fortunately in this case, local police were able to intervene, investigate the matter, and conclude that no blasphemy had taken place. Â Â
5/20/2016 Pakistan (The Global Dispatch) – A Pakistani Christian seamstress narrowly avoided a blasphemy accusation after the timely intervention of a senior police officer.
Sonia, a resident of Gujrat, Punjab, barely escaped the horror of such an accusation after one of her clients started to make claims against her.
On May 16 Muslim lady who belonging to a Kumhar (who makes pots from clay) family levelled blasphemy accusations on Sonia claiming that she was sitting on a panaflex containing Islamic script, Â which was spread on the floor.
According Sonia’s client, Haji Muhammad was printed on the panaflex and by means of spreading the panaflex on the floor and then sitting on it Sonia has conducted an act of blasphemy.
In no time, the accuser spread the news, which and a large mob of Muslims, including the local imam, started gathering, and later the mob marched towards the Sonia’s house. The situation became tense when the religiously charged and angry mob showed signs of reprisal and indignation.
After learning of the circumstances, a local senior police inspector, Ghulam Abbas, also arrived at the scene before the situation got worse and intervened.
He had a detailed conversation and then called both parties in the police station and advised them to remain peaceful and await the conclusion of the police investigation. During the investigations, the police found the allegations against Sonia were baseless.
…
