Among countries with a Muslim-majority, Pakistan has the strictest anti-blasphemy laws. The first purpose of those laws is to protect Islamic authority. By the Constitution (Article 2), Islam is the state religion. By the Constitution’s Article 31, it is the country’s duty to foster the Islamic way of life. By Article 33, it is the country’s duty to discourage parochial, racial, tribal, sectarian, and provincial prejudices among the citizens.
The shooting to death of Pakistani Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti has once again raised questions about the country’s controversial blasphemy laws. Mr Bhatti – a Christian – was one of the country’s diminishing number of influential liberals prepared to speak out against the laws. They carry the death sentence for anyone who insults Islam, and critics say they have been used to persecute minority faiths. The laws have been contentious since the formation of Pakistan in 1947, but have been especially in the spotlight since a Christian mother-of-five, Asia Bibi, was sentenced to death in November 2010 for insulting the Prophet Muhammad. The following January Punjab Governor Salman Taseer – a prominent critic of the law – was assassinated by his bodyguard. The assassination divided Pakistan, with some hailing his killer as a hero. In March 2011 Religious Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti was shot dead in Islamabad.
But Hinduism is being a favourite topic open blasphemy in pakistan’s text books.
Despiction of Hinduism in pakistan School Textbooks:(read and think the treatment of pakistans minority)
Extracts (translated from Urdu to English) from the government-sponsored textbooks approved by the National Curriculum Wing of the Federal Ministry of Education demonstrate the derogatory and inflammatory portrayal of Hinduism to the”MUZLIM” youth of Pakistan:[lxxxix]
Grade IV: “The religion of Hindus did not teach them good things, [and the] Hindus did not respect women.”
Grade V: “The Hindu has always been an enemy of Islam.”
Grade VI: “The Hindu setup was based on injustice and cruelty.”
Grade VII: “Hindus always desired to crush the Muslims as a nation [and] several attempts were made by the Hindus to erase Muslim culture and civilization.”
Grade VIII: “Before Islam people lived in untold misery all over the world.”Grade X: “Islam gives a message of peace and brotherhood…There is no such concept in Hinduism.”
