THE SPONSORS OF SUCH EVIL LAWS SHOULD BE BOYCOTTED BY CIVILIZED NATIONS.
Toronto, Canada Jeffrey S. Ram, Editor October 25, 2024
The charred Salvation Army Church burned on August 16, 2023, in Jaranwala, Pakistan. Courtesy: Morning Star News
Religious hatred-motivated Blasphemy and Anti-Conversion Laws are intentionally designed to incite violence, arson, and terrorism. The civilized nations believe in the principle of “Presumption of Innocence Unless Proven Guilty.” But the evil Blasphemy and Anti-Conversion Laws operate on the principle of “Presumption of Guilt Unless the Accused Prove Themselves Not Guilty.” The civilized nations' criticism has failed to stop the atrocities. The civilized nations should boycott the nations of savage Blasphemy and Anti-conversion Laws and also take punitive actions against them.
THE POLITICS OF BLASPHEMY AND ANTI-CONVERSION LAWS
Blasphemy laws of Islamic countries and anti-conversion laws of India divert the focus of the religious majority poor from their pressing social and economic pains caused by bad governance.
PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE AND THE BURDEN OF PROOF ARE THE CARDINAL PRINCIPLES OF JUSTICE SYSTEM IN THE MODERN WORLD
Modern legal systems recognize the right of every person accused of a crime to be presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt according to law in a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial judge or jury. The burden of proof is on the prosecutor to establish the guilt, and if the prosecution cannot prove the charges true, the defendant must be acquitted. The prosecution must prove that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If reasonable doubt exists, the accused must be acquitted.
Blasphemy and Anti-Conversion Laws, however, are practiced on the presumption that an accused is guilty without being proven so in a court of law. Also, there is no punishment for false accusations under these laws.
EXAMPLES OF RULE OF LAWLESSNESS IN PAKISTAN AND INDIA
PAKISTAN:
In the 1980s, military ruler Zia-ul-Haq introduced the controversial blasphemy laws as a weapon to persecute poor and weak minority communities, especially Christians.
Personal enmity, hatred, land disputes, and other selfish economic and political reasons motivate some Muslims to fabricate allegations of blasphemy to settle personal scores.
False blasphemy accusations have led to many large-scale anti-Christian mob violence. On February 6, 1997, a wild Muslim mob destroyed 13 churches and nearly 800 Christian houses and burnt about 2000 Bibles in Shanti Nagar in Punjab province.
Similar large-scale violence was repeated on August 16, 2023, in the Christian neighborhood of Jaranwala in the Punjab province. The out-of-control Muslim mob attacked and vandalized 21 churches and 400 houses. They burnt 19 churches, destroyed 89 homes, and looted hundreds of Christian homes.
Punjab’s politician Salman Taseer, federal minister Shahbaz Bhatti, and High Court Justice Arif Iqbal Bhatti paid the price with their lives for supporting the repeal of blasphemy laws.
Christians are only 1.37% of Pakistan’s estimated total population of 251 million. Pakistan’s successive governments have not made sincere efforts to stop the blasphemy allegations-fueled violence and protect Christians and other minorities.
INDIA:
The Christian community had a harmonious relationship with Hindus until March 1998, when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led Bhartiya Janata Party government came to power nationally. Government support inspired the activists of BJP’s ideological parent, Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh, and its affiliates, like Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad, to launch anti-Christian violence.
The state-sponsored persecution of Muslims and Christians escalated in 2014 when Narendra Modi became the prime minister. Imitating the Blasphemy Laws, 12 out of 28 Indian states enacted Anti-Conversion Laws to victimize Christians on false charges without any evidence of conversion. These laws have also shifted the burden of proof on the accused, who are presumed guilty when an allegation is made.
Section 4 of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, states that a complaint can be lodged only by “any aggrieved person, his or her parents, brother, sister or any other person related to him or her by blood, marriage or adoption.” Nevertheless, FIRs (First Information Reports) are filed illegally by the police on complaints by third parties, namely leaders of BJP, RSS, and its outfits, who are neither aggrieved nor related to any aggrieved person.
In the first six months of 2024, 361 attacks against Christians were reported, 237 Christians were arrested, and 79 cases were registered against pastors. Until today, however, no conversion charge has ever been proven in court because no conversion has occurred.
In the 1971 census, Christians comprised 2.6 percent of India's population. Currently, Christians make up 2.3 percent of the 1.4 billion population. This proves that conversion allegations against Christians are shameless lies.
BLASPHEMY AND ANTI-CONVERSION LAWS THREATEN WORLD PEACE
Civilized nations should reject these wicked laws, expel the narrow-minded nations from the United Nations and other international organizations, and impose trade sanctions on them. Deterrent penalties for such perpetrators of crimes against humanity will discourage other rulers from following the religious majoritarian persecution path. World leaders should boldly defend human rights and religious freedoms to promote justice, equality, and peace.
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