In Pakistan, we have seen two very frightening instances of the misuse of the blasphemy laws – and these are closely linked. One is their use against minorities – be they religious or intellectual. The second is their weaponization for purposes of censoring any opponent, by the most unscrupulous and irresponsible elements.
And yet, we see far fewer initiatives to curb such misuse of the laws – if any effort at all. Instead, it seems that politicians from across the tense political divide in Pakistan find common ground in appealing to the sensibilities of the most excitable and violent elements in Pakistani society. As to how this helps to improve the image of Pakistan specifically and Muslims generally remains unclear.
The Senate committee members have maintained that anti-Islam propaganda was against the United Nations Charter on interfaith harmony and that it might create a “law and order” situation in the country.
This is a strange – and unnecessary – admission of weakness on the part of elected leaders and authorities in Pakistan. Rather than assuring the world that Pakistan and Pakistanis can govern themselves and are not hostage to religious passions, it appears the Senate committee is suggesting the exact opposite. Aside from the poor light in which it shows the country internationally, it also serves as a tacit encouragement to those who misuse blasphemy-related anxieties to stir up violence for reasons of pure self-interest.
Nor have the Senate committee members addressed the very real phenomenon where legitimate and religiously-acceptable self-expression is maliciously depicted as being “insulting” to Muslim religious sensibilities by a few vested interests – often though not always religious-political groups. Such misuse is nothing but thuggery and censorship, and it has spared neither elected governments nor judicial and security institutions in Pakistan.
Even if little can be done to roll back the fanaticism that has infected segments of Pakistani society for now, at the very least one can hope that responsible authorities – such as the Senate Standing Committee on Interior – might avoid unnecessarily stoking such anxieties for any reason.