CHITRAL: A tourist belonging to Sialkot was doused in fuel and set on fire by a crowd in the scenic Madyan valley of Swat district, last Thursday. The allegation leveled against him was that he had committed blasphemy by burning a copy of the Holy Quran.
The incident by itself is not an isolated case, rather such incidences have been happening sporadically at different times and different places in Pakistan. Whenever the dust has settled on such incidents and inquiries have been made, it has been revealed that there was some personal grudge or motive behind the ignition and prodding of such diabolic incidences.
Islam is clear about the sanctity of human life and the Holy Quran in Surah Al-Ma’idah states vividly “Whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely” (Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:32). What can be more explicit than this in the teaching of Islam, the name itself meaning ‘peace, purity, submission, and obedience’.
If Islam be such a humanity benign religion in essence, then who are these people who are bringing a bad name to it? They are those people who have been misguided by semi literate clerics who present a distorted narration of the noble religion and those powers encouraging such like clerics are the clever and cunning enemies of Islam who employ these tools to use different methods including use of money, false motivation etc to exploit the sense-illiterate and emotionally unstable people.
The State of Pakistan is also equally to be blamed here for not taking punitive measures to stop such disgustful happenings. If culprits involved in burning and lynching in the name of religion are hanged publicly, no further incidents of such nature would recur. .. CN report, 23 June 2024
2 thoughts on “Killing in the name of religion, grotesque crime against humanity”
The state’s primary responsibility is to ensure the peaceful living among all citizens. There should be no discrimination on religious grounds since it is a private matter. Now, real Muslims should know better what Allah says about Holy Kuran ” ان نحن نزلنا الذكر و انا له لحافظون”
That is : we have descended (revealed) the zikr (Quran) and we are preserving it. Burning of Quran is a stupid act by stupid people, but it does not affect the Quran. But killing is a major sin and Allah’s rule is Qissas, a life taken for no just cause (taking another life, or (fasad) corruption on earth), is punished with death.
The imams are expected to be knowledgeable about Quran law, and I hold that it is different from what is called shari’a law, mainly originating from Saudi Arabia’s traditions attributed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and source of many interpretations.
If we are to apply death penalty for Fassad, corruption, this country would easily lose half its populaion…
Well commented by Hedaya. Lack of education is the primary cause of being easily misguided by half-baked pseudo clerics and religion mongers. The best antidote to this poison is education, education and more education. That is it.