Pakistan: Christian jailed for insulting Islam despite mental ill-health

A Christian man was arrested on the day of his son’s funeral in Pakistan and charged with insulting Islam – blasphemy – despite being recognised as mentally ill. He is now in prison.

Iqbal Masih, 65, a retired father of nine, is from the Fazlia Colony of Lahore, a Christian neighbourhood with around 1,000 residents, and has long experienced mental health issues, for which he is on medication. A close family member of the Masihs, who wished to remain anonymous, said that his son, Bobby, had died following a short illness and that his father had stopped taking his medication. As a result he began to shout abuse at passers-by.

Muhammad Waqas, the complainant, told World Watch Monitor that whenever Masih failed to take his medicine, he would go out into the street and shout abuse.

A Christian man was arrested on the day of his son’s funeral in Pakistan and charged with insulting Islam – blasphemy – despite being recognised as mentally ill. He is now in prison.

Iqbal Masih, 65, a retired father of nine, is from the Fazlia Colony of Lahore, a Christian neighbourhood with around 1,000 residents, and has long experienced mental health issues, for which he is on medication. A close family member of the Masihs, who wished to remain anonymous, said that his son, Bobby, had died following a short illness and that his father had stopped taking his medication. As a result he began to shout abuse at passers-by.

Muhammad Waqas, the complainant, told World Watch Monitor that whenever Masih failed to take his medicine, he would go out into the street and shout abuse.

“Bobby’s body was at home and people from the neighbourhood were visiting to pay their condolences when Iqbal started shouting abuse, after which the women left his home,” Waqas said.

“Iqbal then recited the kalima [the Islamic proclamation of faith] and shouted abuse. Realising that he was not behaving normally, the police were called to take him away so that tension between Christians and Muslims of the area might not arise.”

But Dilraj John, another local resident, said several Muslim clerics and others had also gathered, angered by Masih’s comments.

“Some of them wanted to set him on fire, but other sensible people suggested that Masih be handed over to the police as he was experiencing a mental health crisis,” he said. “Since then the situation is under control and the situation between Muslims and Christians is no longer tense.”

EU delegation supports Asia Bibi

Pakistan is number 5 on the Open Doors World Watch List. The stringent blasphemy laws are routinely abused against religious minorities: Christians have to act with caution in case an allegation of blasphemy is raised to settle a personal score. Society in general is becoming increasingly Islamic in Pakistan, and Christians make up just 2 per cent of the population. There are reports of Christians being treated aggressively simply for wearing a cross, and cars with Christian stickers are more likely to be stopped by the police.

Recently, three European Parliament Members visited the family of Asia Bibi, perhaps the most notorious of Pakistans unjustly imprisoned Christians. Christian mother-of-five, Asia Bibi is on death row after being unjustly accused of blasphemy in 2009.

The delegation spoke to Asia Bibi’s lawyer, parliamentarians, and activists. They were then driven 400km in armoured vehicles to the home of Asia Bibi’s family in Lahore to hear from her husband and children.

Dutch MEP Peter van Dalen told the Christian news website BosLifeNews that he and colleagues from Poland and Slovakia discussed with Pakistan’s Minister for Law and Justice, Zahid Hamid, ‘our proposals to change the blasphemy laws’.

“As a first step, we want to see an end to the massive misuse of the legislation. One way to do that is to prosecute those who make false accusations in the same way as the [falsely] accused [person],” he added.

Asia Bibi, 48, has been in prison since 2009 when she was accused of blasphemy after an argument with some Muslim co-workers. She was charged with blasphemy and a lower court sentenced her to death by hanging in 2010. She appealed but her appearance before Pakistan’s Supreme Court was adjourned amid protests.

Faster progress needed

However the Dutch MEP said that despite her long ordeal her lawyer reported to him that she “is both mentally and physically in good condition – it’s a miracle”.

He said that lawyers from the Human Rights Commission in Lahore told the delegation that Pakistan’s Supreme Court “has often rejected verdicts by [lower] regional courts”. He continued: “If that’s the outcome in Asia Bibi’s case it would mean that pressure from the United States and the European Union has worked.”

He urged the government of Pakistan to “improve education, oppose intolerance and strengthen the economy” and added that the Catholic Archbishop of Lahore, Sebastian Shaw, told him: “In part because of the attention from the EU, things start to change here small step by small step. But it can and should go better and faster.”

PRAY

• For Pakistans religious minorities who often find themselves targets and pressurised.  
• For the family of Iqbal Masih, that justice would prevail and he would receive proper treatment. 
• For Asia Bibi and her family, that she would be safely released.