More Bad News out of Pakistan

As is normal, the news concerning Pakistan this week is depressing. The below three hyperlinks represent a confluence of three sad stories that have characterized this country in recent years, the murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl, a government minister calling for the be heading of those who blaspheme Islam, and the discrimination and persecution of the minority Ahmadiya sect.

Last month, a Pakistani court threw out convictions against  four men convicted in the beheading of Jewish American journalist Daniel Pearl. The parents of Daniel have joined in a challenge to this decision as outlined in the below Algemeiner report. Fortunately, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man who has proudly admitted he actually carried out the beheading of Pearl, is in US custody.

Now comes Pakistani Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Mohammad Khan with his statement this week that blasphemers (of Islam and the Prophet Mohammad) should be beheaded.

Which probably shouldn't raise too many waves in Pakistan since the penalty for blasphemy against Islam in Pakistan is, indeed, the death penalty (which is normally by hanging).

Also mentioned in the Instant article is the Ahmadiya issue, also very sensitive in Pakistan. The Ahmadiya Muslims are a branch if Islam that mainstream Muslims do not recognize and consider as heretics. They believe in a 19th century prophet (Ahmad) who preached in what was then British-ruled India. Today, Ahmadiya in Pakistan are badly persecuted and not allowed to practice Islam openly. Hence the controversy over having one of their members in the Pakistani government.

The Ahmadiya have a pretty good track record in not being involved in terrorism, and they preach a message of mutual respect among religions. However, they do consider themselves Muslims and will use all the nice talking points about Mohammad, shariah, and Islam that you hear from mainstream Muslims in the US interfaith activities.

I happened to attend one of their events at UC Irvine in 2013 when their representatives from the Chino, California mosque came to lecture. Prior to the start of the event, I spoke at length with the main imam about the persecution they faced in Pakistan, and he was quite open about it. Yet during the event's q and a, I had to work overtime to get him to tell the audience that they were, in fact, persecuted by mainstream Muslims.

It's not a pretty picture coming out of Pakistan, a country that is supposed to be considered one of our strategic allies, sort of like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. And let us not forget that this is the country where Usama bin Laden was hiding in a compound just down the road from the national military academy.

My prayers go with the Pearl family, and I can only hope justice will prevail in Pakistan. I am not optimistic.