What happened recently to Robert Fanish Masih is not an isolated incident of violent injustice against Christian citizens in Pakistan.

The horrific memories of Gojra had barely subsided when this new incident took place. Many of us know that rarely if ever is there an actual case of "blasphemy" behind these incidents and yet what we continue to hear is that pages of the Holy Quran have been defiled. And even if, for the sake of the argument, there has been blasphemy it does not under any circumstances justify such vigilante violence to take place in response. 

As the fact-finding mission carried out by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) found in the case of the Gojra massacre, these ‘alleged’ cases of blasphemy have their roots in disputes over money or land. In the Gojra incident, the HRCP report found that a number of panchayat members “had been blackmailing Talib for money, threatening him with the registration of a case for alleged defiling of the Holy Quran if he did not pay up.” 

It also seems that the authorities were negligent and did not take sufficient measures to protect the community. A day earlier, announcements had been made from at least 5 mosque loudspeakers in the community that Christians had committed blasphemy and the Muslim community should ‘protest’ (while one mosque incited them to violence).The report mentions that while policemen were present the next day, they lacked the necessary equipment or numbers to disperse a mob of that size. 

It is obvious that blasphemy laws are used to carry out the worst crimes in the name of God. Who are these laws trying to protect anyway? God? The 98% Muslim majority? Or are they just used as pretexts for settling scores against minorities in Pakistan? Let us not forget that these same laws have also been used againt the Ahmedis on numerous occasions with the same allegations of defiling the Quran. It seems ludicrous to me that despite their small numbers and vulnerable situation in the country, all minorities are collectively hell-bent on defiling the Quran! Is that logically even possible? I’m sorry if I sound facetious but you would think that perhaps now they would come up with more creative ways of ‘blaspheming’ since they tried and tested method of Quran defiling has just led to their own detriment. WHY they would want to incite a 98% majority is of course a totally other subject.

In the Gojra massacre, scores of houses were torched and 7 people, including women and children, were burnt to death in their home. Hundreds of people had to flee their homes. It will take them years to recover from the scars of this violence. And now we have yet another inhumane atrocity against yet another Christian. Enough is enough! Too long have the minorities in our country been treated as second class citizens. 

We must all shout out against this atrocity and send a clear message that we do not support such violence or such crimes against humanity in the name of God.