DR. SHAIKH’S LIFE IN DANGER
Dr. Younus Shaikh, rationalist and
founder-President of the Pakistan based organization Enlightenment, has been
sentenced to death for blasphemy under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal
Code. Dr. Shaikh was arrested on 4 October
2000 and has been in Adyala Jail, Rawalpindi since then. In the court room,
an aggressive group of about 20 clerics of the Islamic fundamentalist
organization Majlis-I-Khatam-I-Nabuwat were present and tried to exert
pressure. Blasphemy in Pakistan is punishable with a mandatory death
sentence. Cases of acquittal are extremely rare, because the law demands only
very vague evidence as a basis for a verdict. It is sufficient that two adult
male Muslims witness that the accused is guilty of offending Islam or the
Prophet. The courts normally give in to the pressure of the fundamentalists,
especially since a High Court judge was assassinated for acquitting a
Christian of the charge. Many accused are killed earlier in police custody or
in the court room itself by fanatics.
Dr. Shaikh is a 45 years old medical
doctor and teacher in a medical college in Islamabad. Through his
organization Enlightenment he tries to promote Human Rights. The blasphemy
accusation against him is based on his statement that the Prophet Mohammed
did not become a Muslim till the age of 40 (i.e. until he received the first
message from God) and the Prophet’s parents were non-Muslims because they
died before Islam existed. However, Adam is said to have been a Muslim as are
the prophets Moses, Abraham, Jesus, … What can
we do to rescue Dr. Shaikh? Please write letters to General Pervez
Musharraf, Chief Executive of Pakistan asking for his intervention to release
Dr Shaikh. While writing, please remember not to provoke the military ruler,
but to use persuasive language, keeping in mind his position. The e-mail address of General Pervez
Musharraf, Chief Executive of Pakistan is: |
