Christian Unexpectedly Acquitted of Blasphemy

Istanbul, Pakistan – A Pakistani judge this morning unexpectedly cleared a Christian teenager of charges that he had ripped up pages containing verses from the Quran, the Christian’s lawyer said.

Judge Muhammad Abdul Sattar acquitted Shahid Masih, 18, at a lower court hearing in Faisalabad after prosecution witnesses changed their original testimonies. Often pressured by extremist religious groups, lower courts in Pakistan rarely acquit “blasphemy” suspects.

Under oath, Mohammad Younis and Khalid Mehmood today dropped claims that Masih’s co-defendant told them he had seen Masih tear pages from a tafseer, a book explaining Quranic verses.

Muslim teenager Muhammad Ghaffar had allegedly witnessed the act while he and Masih supposedly stole books from a medical clinic in Madina Town district of Faisalabad on September 10, 2006.

“There were about 100 fanatics inside and outside the courtroom who were astonished when their own witnesses claimed that the accused were innocent,” defense lawyer Khalil Tahir said. “They were very, very angry.”

Tahir said he declined to cross-examine the witnesses, immediately filing a written petition to drop the case based on the new testimonies. After hearing the lawyer’s arguments, Judge Sattar deliberated for two minutes before clearing Ghaffar and Masih of both theft and desecration of the Quran.

Masih could have faced a life-imprisonment if found guilty of “blasphemy.”

Tahir said that both Judge Sattar and the witnesses practically fled the court after the verdict was announced.

At least 23 people involved in “blasphemy” cases have been murdered in Pakistan since the notorious laws were instituted in 1986.

“It’s not less than a miracle that a lower court acquitted somebody of blasphemy,” said Tahir.

Muslim fanatics often pressure lower court judges to rule against “blasphemy” suspects despite insufficient evidence. Once sentenced, prisoners may spend years in jail before higher courts eventually overturn the original ruling.

Lawyer Tahir said that he does not plan to open a case against the prosecution witnesses for falsely accusing Masih and Ghaffar.

“We could open a case against them, but I think it would create more harm, both for me and [Masih’s] family,” Tahir commented. The false accusations have already taken their toll on Masih’s family.

A mob of Muslim fanatics attacked Masih’s home in September 2006 after rumors of his alleged desecration of the Quran spread throughout the neighborhood.

Police quickly arrived on the scene and arrested Masih, sparing his life, Tahir said. Upon visiting Masih in jail, however, Tahir found that the Christian teenager had been beaten by sub-inspector Muhammad Saffdar.

Following the incident, Masih’s mother’s health quickly deteriorated.

“She wasn’t able to walk or sleep because she was in very great shock,” Tahir told Compass.

In her late 50s and suffering from arthritis, the Christian woman died in March, Tahir said.

Masih was able to post bail in January, but he was forced to live separately from his parents and 12 siblings for fear of attacks by extremists. The teenager plans to stay in hiding for several months before once again looking for work.

Tahir’s own wife and three sons have periodically been forced into hiding due to threats from Muslim extremists. The Christian is one of only a few lawyers in Pakistan’s third largest city willing to represent people accused of “blasphemy.”

Tahir is also representing two elderly Christians whose health has deteriorated since November, when they were sentenced to 10 years for allegedly burning pages of the Quran.

The lawyer said that James and Buta Masih, in their late 60s or early 70s, had been suffering from high fevers when he visited them in Faisalabad Central Jail last week. He said that fellow prisoners mistreated the Christian men because of their alleged crime.

Their appeal hearing before the regional high court has yet to be set.

Threats and Bombs

In recent months, Christians in various parts of Pakistan have received threatening letters telling them to convert to Islam or they will be bombed.

On Saturday (September 15), a bomb went off at a Christian elementary school in the North West Frontier Province, according to report today from the National Commission for Justice and Peace. No one was injured, but the building in the district of Bannu was badly damaged and the chapel destroyed, the report said.

Last week a Catholic-run high school in Sangota also closed down after it received a letter threatening a suicide attack if its students did not withdraw and enroll in Islamic schools.

Christians make up approximately 1.5 percent of Pakistan’s population, according to the U.S. State Department’s most recent report on International Religious Freedom.