Saturday, July 7, 2012

Pakistanis Kill Man Accused of Insulting Quran

07/04/2012 Pakistan (AP) — Thousands of people dragged a Pakistani man accused of desecrating Islam's holy book from a police stationin central Pakistan, beat himto death and then set his body on fire, a police official said Wednesday. The incident highlighted the highly charged nature of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, under which anyone found guilty ofinsulting Islam's Prophet or the Quran can be sentencedto death.

Sometimes, however, people take the matter into their own hands. A senior police officer, Mohammed Azhar Gujar, saidin theincident Tuesdayin Bahawalpur, a city in a deeply conservative part of central Pakistan, attackers stormed a police station where the man was beinginterrogated. Gujar said the victim seemed to be mentally unstable. He was arrested after residents said he threw pages of the Quraninto the street.

Within hours, thousands gathered outside and demanded the man be handed overto them. Gujar said police triedto protect him, but the mob turned violent.

It was unclear whether the man was Muslim, a member of Pakistan's Christian minority or belongedto another religion. His name was not released. Pakistani Christians live in fear of being arrested under the blasphemy laws, which critics say are often misused to settle personal scores or family feuds(Source).

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