Young Christian in Pakistan sentenced to death for alleged TikTok post of damaged Quran

A 27-year-old Christian in Pakistan, who allegedly shared on TikTok a photo of a damaged Quran following an attack on the Christian community in Jaranwala last August, has been sentenced to death under the country’s blasphemy law.

A young Christian man in Pakistan has been sentenced to death for allegedly posting on TikTok a photograph of a damaged Quran following the devastating attack on Christians in Jaranwala last year. The ruling, made under the country’s notorious blasphemy laws, has drawn strong condemnation from Christian leaders.

“This is an abuse of law”

Ehsan Masih (27), a brick-kiln worker from Punjab, reportedly shared the image after the Christian community in Jaranwala was attacked by groups of Muslims following rumours about two Christian men who had allegedly desecrated the Quran. Nearly 100 houses and more than 25 churches were damaged and burnt in the violence. Open Doors ran an appeal for victims of this awful attack, which many of you generously gave to.

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The image reportedly shared by Ehsan was deemed blasphemous by the court, even if he did not produce it. His sentence also includes a fine of RS1million (around £2,800) and a 22-year imprisonment.

Several Catholic bishops have spoken out against Ehsan’s verdict. “We condemn this in strongest terms,” said Bishop Joseph Arshad of Islamabad-Rawalpindi. “This is the abuse of law, a travesty of justice,” added Bishop Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad. Following the verdict, dozens of people took to the street to protest in the city of Karachi. Ehsan’s lawyer will appeal against the outcome.

Most of those arrested for last year’s attacks in Jaranwala have since been released, while 12 people are facing trials. The two Christians initially arrested for desecrating the Quran were acquitted earlier this year. This was after a police investigation revealed that it was a plot to implicate them in a blasphemy case – as often happens against Christians in Pakistan.

Christian widow dies

Meanwhile, the widow of the Christian man who died from injuries sustained during an attack by an angry mob in May, has died. Nazir Masih, an elderly man from Sarghoda, Punjab, was targeted after he was falsely accused of blasphemy. His shop and family home were damaged and looted in the attack.

Under Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy laws, insulting ‘the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad’ is punishable by death. Although no one has been executed under this law, blasphemy laws are often used to settle scores or to target those belonging to one of the country’s religious minorities. Christians are disproportionately affected by the laws. Despite comprising less than two per cent of the population, they face around a quarter of all such accusations.

Those accused of blasphemy can spend years in prison or face death, even if they did not intend to harm or to blaspheme, and they can be vulnerable to attack from their local community.