Another Christian in Pakistan has been attacked by Muslims after she was accused of desecrating a Quran, an accusation she denies but has been charged with under the country’s Islamic blasphemy laws.
On August 7, a Muslim mob in Kathore village, in Pakistan’s Punjab Province, assaulted and attempted to kill Saima Masih, a 32-year-old mother of two children, following accusations by Muhammad Haider that she desecrated the Quran, attorney Akmal Bhatti told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
“The mob would have lynched Saima if the police had not reached there on time and rescued her,” Bhatti, chairman of the Minorities Alliance Pakistan (MAP), told the outlet. “The mob also reportedly attacked some other Christian residents of the village, forcing them to flee their homes and hide in the fields to save their lives.”
Haider and his family had notified local residents about reportedly torn Quran pages, causing a mob of about 250-300 Muslims to blockade the main highway in protest, Bhatti explained.
“We contacted our sources in the village, and they informed us that the Muslims had beaten up some Christians, raising fears of violence against the community,” Bhatti elaborated.
“Our sources in the village have told us that Saima denied desecrating the Quran,” Bhatti testified.
“She reportedly said that her neighbor, Haider, had asked her for an empty sack, which she gave him. However, after some time Haider returned with some other Muslims and accused her of placing defiled pages of the Quran in the sack, which she repeatedly denied.”
Bhatti speculated that the accusation against Saima could stem from personal grievances from her Muslim neighbors.
Saima was charged under Section 295-B of the blasphemy law and arrested by Sadar Police, according to reports by Pak Christian News. Bhatti added that the Gojra Saddar police registered a First Information Report (FIR No. 924/24) against Saima, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Based on the police report, Haider alleged that he saw Sonia disposing of a bag of waste paper into a plot next to his home. When Haider opened the bag, he claimed he found pages of the Quran, including a sapara no. 3 (chapter) with the name Emma Gill and a phone number written on it. After confronting Saima at her house, Haider claimed that he was received by a rude response.
“The police saved Saima’s life but registered a blasphemy case against her under the pressure of the mob, which is very unfair,” Bhatti said. “The poor woman will now have to suffer in prison for years while her two children will be deprived of her love and care.”
Bhatti stated that the lack of action by the Pakistani government against abuses of the country’s blasphemy laws was encouraging Muslim extremists to easily accuse religious minorities in Pakistan for blasphemies.
In response to the allegations against Saima, Naveed Walter, the president of Human Rights Forum Pakistan (HRFP), said in a statement dated August 7, that “Christians don’t feel safe and secure in their own country just because they are a minority,” and that “being a minority should not deprive anyone of their rights.”
Walter voiced worries over the false accusations against the Masih sisters and all other Christians in Pakistan.
“New incidents are up because previous cases have been occurring for too long without any resolution,” Walter insisted.
Various cases of attacks on minorities have happened in Pakistan with perpetrators escaping scot-free despite their actions, Walter continued.
“The government needs to prioritize the protection of minorities,” an issue that has been neglected for years, Walter stated.
The authorities were “letting the perpetrators go unpunished while unfairly punishing innocent individuals,” he added.
Pakistan currently outlaws insults to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad with life and death sentences. Various Muslims and non-Muslims have been charged and arrested for reportedly transgressing, but as of yet, none have been sentenced to death.
Critics of the country’s laws warn that they are often abused to settle personal vendettas and harass innocent people, and have urged for the repeal of the law, according to UCA News.