What Constitutes Blasphemy?

aoa

Jurist of Islam have very clearly defined what blaspahemy is.

From what I could gather a letter was published containing material against the Prophet Mohammad (SAW).

The writing and publication of material which is directed against Prophet Mohammad (SAW) is punishable by death.

However at the same time it is important to realize that Islam does not beleive in vigilante justice.

It is the duty of the State to enforce justice.

Even if government seems lacking the will to carry out Allah`s commands mobs do not have a right to do so.

Their right of protest is very much there though.

Soon i`ll give a reading list for those who seriously want to examine the laws and punishments for blasphemy in Islam.

wassalaam

Adnan

re. #27

``Please do not misdirect the conversation. The fundamental question is not about the fragility of a religion, the question is why hurl insults while trying to make a point. Or simply why hurl insults?``

Let us for the sake of argument agree that it is indeed immoral to blantanly and unjustiably disparage somebody/something that others hold sacred or in deference.

Now, the question is ``what constitutes an insult?`` Does writing one`s thoughts in a diary blasphemous? I don`t think anyone would agree. How about having it up on a personal website insulting? hmmm... tricky. IMHO, so long as no one is holding a gun to your head, forcing you to read it and thus feel `hurt`, NO!

How about calling someone - ANYONE! - a bit-ch on National TV? Hmmmmm.. Unless that person could substantiate his claim, s/he is definitely liable to slander charges-- to say nothing of the fact that Televsion is an aural/visual medium, the output of which the recepient cannot choose not to block out/ skim over. (For the wiseguys about to ask me if I`ve heard of remote controls, please note, we`re talking about a live programme here)

How about `insult` `hurled` in the printed medium? Interesting. Now, unless you have a four- column, 72-point headline screaming out an obscenity, I don`t see how anyone could be `insulted` or offended. It is difficult to understand who is forcing the reader to turn to page x and read column y -- and read it through, till suitably offended. Is the existence of a letter on some inside page of some obscure newspaper really that much diferent from the existence of my thoughts in my diary , or on the chowk here-- IN TERMS OF ITS INTRUSIVENESS and propensity to offend, that is?

(Of course, if the `offensive` material were in, say, a children`s textbook, that would raise outher legitimate issues)

So what, then, *is * the fundamental issue?

Its just sad, this whole thing.

Every now and then, there`s a person that develops the guffaw to sacrilege Islam.

And the reaction to it, especially in Pakistan, seems to be like a match that has lit a gas filled cauldron.

Having read the letter, I am personally offended by its contents. So offended and hurt, that I am hardly in a state to go out and destroy other people`s property. I honestly am at a total loss. Allah help us!

I do know one thing. I wish the General had the courage to uphold the law both ways. By punishing the author, and by prosecuting the mobs that attacked the FP office.

Unfortunately neither he, nor any of Pakistan`s elected or self-appointed leaders have had any sort of courage, ever.

Perhaps courage is rooted in faith and character, and in the sincerity of purpose. Gen. Musharraf is the closest that we`ve had to sincerity, but apprantly prefers being the Time Centerfold and IMF posterchild, rather than a man who makes hard decisions and lives by the consequences. Tch Tch.

Pakistan`s mobs?? Poor people.

Their only outlet for such frustration seems to come against politically impotent and generally irrelevant foes like the author of the letter.

Is there a genius in the house that can somehow paint the oft-ruling establishment in Pakistan as being blasphemous?

Thats a party I want to go to.

As for the `blasphemer`... a pathetic fool, and a coward.

May Allah punish him with due wrath and vengeance.

MZaidi

The following is the link to the

deja.com website that has posted the letter:

http://x54.deja.com/threadmsg_md.xp?thitnum=11&mhitnum=23&CONTEXT=980965001.1471283228

Read the letter and read the responses and you`ll get a taste of what true hatred is all about. The letter shows you what a deranged individual this person is (who wrote the letter). One can only feel sorry for this guy. What`s really scary is that on a broader level it`s reflective of the Jewish psyche and their psychotic ability to justify anything they want to.

Obviously, this is not just a Jewish trait.

Let all mankind celebrate this wonderful dystopia because it belongs to all of us and our future generations. Oh, and the fire does spread so one can sit pretty and laugh at the misfortune of our neighbours but in time it comes around.

Normally, the blasphemy law has been used in Pakistan to justify injustice against minorities especially Christians in Punjab.

This isn`t about the blasphemy law. Such a letter would never have been printed first by any other newspaper in the World (especially if the religion wasn`t Islam).

And as far as the treatment in the Western press..it`s predictable. It`s in the interest of the ex-colonizers and the present day colonizers to divide and rule. Facilitate the environment for hatred. Manipulate the manipulable. Balance the power. Misinform and fan hatred in the empty heads of the masses.

Muslim vs. Jew.

Indian vs. Pakistani.

Chimp vs. Chimp.

Slave vs. Slave

Fight, fight..to your grave

Frontier Post has a very poor editorial board, at least on their web-site. Quite a while back, angry at some nonsense they had posted, I wrote a letter that wasn`t exactly polite. Amazingly, it was published. As a result of that publication, I became the subject of one of the opinion pieces !!!

So, in principle, it was possible to carry out the flame war we do on chowk, via the Frontier Post.

The correct response to a commercial institution that offends local values and sensibilities is to put it out of business by having a boycott campaign. In this case, a campaign that no one should buy or advertise in the Frontier Post should have been run.

-Arun Gupta

It was the depth of stupidity and insensitivity on part of the FP management to print such a letter. Stupidity and insensitivity, however, are not crimes in the civilized world. Arson and assault are. True to form, Pakistan`s rulers have arrested the victims of assault and arson and congratulated the leaders of the mob. May be even a tamgha-e-this or that might be forthcoming to the bosses of the lynchmob. Look at this as the press equivalent of the Zina laws-the victim gets arrested and prosecuted.

aoa

tahmed:

``The Quran tells us that we are not responsible for any individual`s views on religion, that being a matter between the individual and Allah``.

Well i have been reading commentaries on the quran for quite some time, but I think this tahmad has discovered something new in the holy book.

Since i am an ignoramus please shed some light on which verses from the quran r u referring to

wassalaam

adnan

re f_k #9:

``REMOVE HARPREET`s ``INNOCENT`` LETTER NOW!``

Is this guy for real? I don`t know whether to laugh or cry. This guy darts with his tail between his legs from forum to forum.

Are you setting a hacking unit to come after the Chowk staff or the likes of me and Fuzair? I wouldn`t be surprised.

later

-sac

#34 Farangi_Khush

You make some valid points. I`d almost have fallen for your piety had I not read your other stuff trying desperately to offend the hindus and ``babablacksheep``. Can`t you take it as well as you give it?

Sadly since the demise of the islamic khilafah in 1924. destroyed by the hands of the corrupt and despotic british stouge Mustafa Kamal.

The muslim ummah has been bombarded by secular leadership in our political affairs, where all our lands are ruled by despotic secular regimes, more akin to their personal gains, obtainable through usurping power, then the needs of the masses.

In this spectrum the western ideologically capitalist nations, have flourised in their export of secular values and principles, which arose through their abolision of a corrupt clergy system, justifing the actions of the ``divine right monarks who presidented over western nations.

Hence is it any surprise that members of the press, many of those educated nad staunch adheres to western thoughts and principles, would allow such a blatant attack on the prophet of islam. which is in clear violation of islamic law, adhered to by all muslim schools of thought.

Although this secular philosophy has lead to economic and intectual evelation in the western nations. It will fail to impact in such ways in te muslim lands. this is because the muslim experience of islam is NOT akin to western perceptions of religion. Islam is not a religion but an ideological alternative which provides detailed solutions for all aspects of lifes affairs.

When islam as a political system ruled many corners of the globe, western nations were in the dark ages. islamic society under the Khilafah flourished in science, technology, economics, architecture and intelectual thought.

The muslims today have forgotten this intellectual basis to islam, due to years of colonial occupation where the concepts of the islamic ideology where eroded.

Subsequently the perception of islam has been reduced and incorrectly classified to the parameters of the tyrannical clergy rules of europe during the dark ages.

Western secular values cannnot be adhered to by the muslims, because the western capitist ideology is not combating the secular religios premise of cristianity. through which it can achieve a compromise solution, but is challenging an inherantly islamic ideological belief, which as its own unique political economical, judical, social, framework.

One cannot accept rationally the aderance of bot capitalism and communism in a simbiotic relationship. likewise the islamic ideology can never be compromised and emblemised with the secular basis of capitalistic thought and system.

Ultimatelly only one ideoligical framework can exists as a basis for which an ideological nation can exists.

As muslims and specifically muslims of Pakistan. we have the choice to choose which ideological framework we wish to be the basis of our civilisation. Either werstern capitialism, which is dyametrically apposed to te islamic ideology or the islamic system. which is definatively revealed by our creator Allah subhan wa tala.

My support is on Islam, and alhamdullilah inteclteual islamic parties like hizb ut tahrir of whom i am qa member of. are working tirelessly, and successively to intelectually revive this noble ummah. so that islam once more may be the beacon of justuce and light for all mankind.

Wasalaamu Alaikum

Funny how the NY Times printed similar, hateful ads against Pakistan (sponsored by Indians), and none of the Mullah Pakistanis from NY raised their voices.

Umairr #21,

Doesn`t the media strive on provoking people?

Even this website has printed the most lame and provoking articles (remember Solitude`s article on some idiot named Ghazali).

What about his hateful posts, or the posts of others? Why didn`t the Chowk editors edit or refuse to put up some of YLH`s hateful posts, or even mine that said something bad about Indian women?

It`s all about attracting attention. The Frontier Post tried the same tactic, but failed, bad luck for them.

Ref: Post 4 (Scout):

The desired freedom of speech is a borrowed terminology propagated by the west and its hulligans. This freedom was nowhere to be seen when the west was struggling under the influence of christian church until they descided to let go of all religious inclinations. What they came up with is the so called modern thought.

This thought when applied to a society still under the clutches of clergy may result in confusion and chaos. Untill republic of Pakistan alludes to religious foundations we will have to live within limits imposed by it.

It is not a question of wheather the belief is so fragile that it cannot resist a blow like the article published but that the norms of a theological society cannot be challenged beyond certain limits of repectibility.

If you are a proponent of modern standards of freedom (as practiced and preached by west) then clearly denounce the continuation of Pakistan as a theological republic and vindicate its becoming a secular one.

Regards

Muzammil

Spinoza #26,

Good points. Almost every religious leader of every religion in the world is guilty of desecration of other religions, in some way or another.

I don`t understand why we have to make religion (especially it`s history) such a big issue. Why can`t people just go to their churches, mosques, synagogues, pray peacefully and get on with their lives.

adnan #41 ``Well i have been reading commentaries on the quran for quite some time, but I think this tahmad has discovered something new in the holy book. Since i am an ignoramus please shed some light on which verses from the quran r u referring to``

Here are a few.

Surah 2:256 ``Let there be no compulsion in religion...``

Surah 3:144 ``Muhammad is no more Than a Messenger``

It is logical to understand this to mean that the Prophet was charged with conveying a message, not with ensuring it`s implementation.

Surah 6:159

``As for those who divide

Their religion and break up

Into sects, thou hast

No part in them in the least:

Their affair is with Allah:

He will in the end

Tell them the truth

Of all that they did``

I understand this to mean that it is not for me to go around telling shias or ahmedis that they are wrong and you are right: ``Their affair is with Allah``. Since the Quran also repeatedly says that there are no partners with Allah, the logical conclusion is that anyone who takes upon himself affairs that belong to Allah is taking on the role of a partner of Allah. I find it fascinating that this most fundamental message of Islam is violated with impunity every day in Pakistan. The Quran in a number of places makes it clear that the Prophet is there to convey a message, not to watch over it`s implementation. He is there only to warn, and leave it to the individual to carry it out. Can any true muslim claim to have a broader mandate from Allah than that given to the Prophet? What does this make of those who routinely hurl insults at other religions and condemn to death people who dare to express their views?

Also see Surah 10:41

``If they charge thee

With falsehood, say:

``My work to me

And yours to you!

Ye are free from responsibility

For what I do and I

For what ye do!````

Surah 11:12

``...But thou (the Prophet) art there only to warn!

It is Allah that arrangeth

All affairs!``

Surah 110 deals specifically with this issue:

``Say: O ye

That reject Faith!

I worship not that

Which ye worship,

...

To you be your Way,

And to me mine.``

I hope this is enough to whet your appetite to study the Quran more carefully, and the courage to reach your own honest conclusions regarding where the blasphemy laws stand in relation to the Quran. That is your duty as a muslim.

Re: Ahmadb #32

Quite right, Professor. Thank you for pointing that out. We should all realize our own weaknesses before pointing out those of others.

* * * * * * * *

Re: F_K #34

I thought I followed the first part of your post but you lost me in the end. I am not defending what was written, just the writer`s right to do so. As I said, I would have tossed the letter out had I been on the editorial staff of the FP but I will reiterate that words, no matter how offensive, are JUST words. It is not that I am so blase that no words will ever hurt me. I haven`t reached that stage of `enlightenment` yet. Its simply that since I don`t wish to be censored, I will not censor others other than for the most compelling of reasons. I am afraid that hurt feelings or offended sensibilities or moral outrage, no matter how justified, does not fall in that category for me.

Regards.

THE POWER OF RELIGION

According to the Nation (February 1, 2001): ``The Federal Cabinet on Wednesday decided to appoint a judicial commission to probe into the publication of a sacrilegious letter in a Peshawar-based English daily and identify those responsible for it.``

Just see what a silly letter can do in Pakistan. How many commissions were appointed to pay attention to what thousands of us write every day in the greater interest of Pakistan?

Sincerely, Bilal Ahmad