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Pakistan Urged to Alter Blasphemy Laws
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To: editor@rbhatnagar.ececs.uc.edu
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Subject: Pakistan Urged to Alter Blasphemy Laws
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From: editor.csm.uc.edu (digest editor)
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Date: Fri, 12 Aug 94 14:56:21 EDT
Source: Chicago Tribune, July 28, 1994
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* Pakistan Urged to Alter Blasphemy Laws
Islamabad, Pakistan -- Amnesty International on Wednesday urged Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto to seek changes in Pakistan's blasphemy laws,
saying they are being used to terrorize religious minorities. "Pakistan's
blasphemy laws are so vaguely formulatyed that they encourage, and in fact
invite, the persecution of religious minorities or non-conforming members
of Muslim majority," said an Amnesty statement, citing recent mob killing
of Christian and moderate Islamics. Under the law, anyone convicted of
insulting Islam or its prophet, Mohammed, can be sentenced to death.
Earlier this month militant religious leaders put a $40,000 price on the
head of Law Minister Iqbal Haider, who urged reform of the blasphemy law
because several alleged blasphemers had been falsely accused to settle old
scores or intimidate rivals.
