Wednesday, May 23, 2012

1/7/11, Letter to Editor, The Los Angeles Times



A Question Of Blasphemy
By: Amjad Mahmood Khan

Salman Taseer's assassination should give the entire Islamic world pause. His death represents the ugly consequences of permitting an Islamic state to criminalize blasphemy.

Since Pakistan elected to use its penal code as a weapon against "offenses" against Islam in 1984, all of its citizens have suffered. The deadly grip of Pakistan's anti-blasphemy laws has spared no one, including courageous leaders such as Taseer who have voiced their opposition to them. Worse, Pakistan's anti-blasphemy laws have emboldened the most dangerous forces in the Islamic world, who continue to draw power and influence by acting as the self-proclaimed "protectors" of the Islamic state. There is nothing Islamic about criminalizing differences of opinion in society. In fact, the prophet Muhammad viewed such differences of opinion as blessings.

Muslims everywhere should condemn Pakistan's anti-blasphemy laws and the extremists they legitimize.

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