[Muhammad Sajjad/AP Photo]
Security officials in Lahore, Pakistan have charged two Christians with blasphemy after Muslims objected to their Bible study in a park.
Mrs Aneeqa Maria, the attorney for one of the accused, Haroon Ayub Masih, 26, told media reporters that his client and his friend Salamat Mansha Masih were studying the Bible in Lahore’s Model Town Park on Saturday Feb. 13 when a group of Muslims approached and told them they should not read the Bible in public.
Persecution watchdog Morning Star News wrote that when Haroon Masih told them that reading the Bible in public was not a crime in Pakistan and that they had no right to stop them, the Muslims reportedly began questioning them about their Christian faith and asked if they had any reading material to help them understand the Bible.
“On their insistence, Haroon gave them a Christian book entitled, ‘Zindagi Ka Paani’’ or ‘Water of Life,’” said Maria, who represents Haroon Masih. “The youths took the book and left Haroon and Mansha for the time being.”
Haroon Masih returned home a few minutes later, while Mansha Masih remained in the park, she said.
“A few minutes later, the Muslim youths returned to the spot where Mansha was present and attacked him, claiming that he and Haroon had blasphemed against their prophet,” Maria told Morning Star News. “They also summoned the park’s security and lied to them that the two Christians were evangelizing to Muslims in the park and had used derogatory words for the Koran and the prophet [Muhammad].”
Police registered a case against the two Christians as below:
- Derogatory remarks against Muhammad (Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code), punishable by death
- Defiling the Koran (Section 295-B), punishable by imprisonment for life and fine.
- Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings (Section 295-A), punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine.
“Mansha was taken into custody from the spot, while we have managed to obtain pre-arrest bail for Haroon Masih till Feb. 24,” the attorney said. “Haroon and Mansha were not preaching to the Muslims as alleged in First Information Report [FIR] No. 61/21. In fact, they were reading the Bible and discussing it amongst themselves when a group of Muslim boys, including Ahmed, overheard them and objected to their Bible study.”
Various sources say false accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan are common and often motivated by personal vendettas or religious hatred. Pakistan ranked fifth on Christian support organization Open Doors 2021 World Watch list of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
