VIOLENCE IN THE NAME OF RELIGION: PAKISTAN'S BLASPHEMY LAW "GAVE WAY TO INTOLERANCE"

"A well designed law can never be abused as frequently as the Blasphemy Law," Hina Jilani

Sherry Rehman

Ahmadiyya Times | Staff News | Pakistan
Source & Credit: The News | December 10, 2009
By Myra Imran | Islamabad

Terming "Blasphemy Law" a weak legislation, participants of a seminar Wednesday said that it had always been used against minorities and had given way to intolerance in the society.

Organised by National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), the seminar titled "Violence in the name of religion and its implication on women," was attended by known scholars, human rights activists and civil society representatives.

The panelists included MNA Sherry Rehman, NCSW Chairperson Anis Haroon, Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairperson Dr Khalid Masood and human rights activist Hina Jilani. Dr. Fauzia Saeed moderated the event.

In her brief remarks, Sherry Rehman disclosed that she had prepared the proposed amendments in the Blasphemy Law with the help of Asma Jahangir. These would soon be tabled in the Parliament for discussion. She urged civil society to take media and general public into confidence against all discriminatory laws that can be used for violence against any community.

The event was organised as part of NCSW's activities for "16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence", which is being observed throughout the world including Pakistan. Starting in 1991, it has become an annual event all over the world. The NCSW is observing these days as a strategy to sensitise and make the policy makers, opinion makers and the masses aware about the issue being faced by women in the country.

Hina Jilani

Talking about the background of the law, Hina Jilani said that it was made with a political intention to oblige extremist segment of the society. Being a weak legislation, she said that the law had been largely abused in the past. "A well designed law can never be abused as frequently as the Blasphemy Law," she said.

She said that the right policy to control the situation could be to marginalise the religious extremists instead of repressing them. I A Rehman said that violence against women in the name of religion has a long history in the country. He said that section of fundamental rights in the constitution do not even deal with women issues separately. "The present wave of extremism is the consequences of the wrong policies of the past government," he pointed out.

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