28th August, 2015
Pakistani police have charged 15 Christians with blasphemy in the religiously conservative city of Gujrat for publishing a flyer that described a Christian pastor, who died 20 years ago, as one “who was given the title of an apostle”.
World Watch Monitor explains that the word “apostle” is translated in the Urdu Bible as “rasool’ and that while the title “prophet” is usually translated into Urdu by the Arabic-root “nabi”, “rasool” can also carry the same meaning.
The claim of “apostleship” or “prophet-hood” is perceived as an open insult and challenge to the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad. Muslims believe he is Allah”s last and final apostle and prophet, after whom prophecy ceased. Any countering claim is considered blasphemous and, according to Pakistan”s blasphemy law, may be punishable with death.
The Catholic news agency, Fides, reported that during the recent Ramadan, in early July, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved a summary prohibiting the English translation of Islamic terms. Sacred Arabic names and words like “Allah”, “masjid”, “sala”at” and “rasool”, it reported, “are now forbidden to be translated into English as “God”, “mosque”, “prayer” and “prophet’…The Prime Minister”s announcement came a day before the anniversary of the coup of General Zia ul Haq in 1977, when a number of laws were issued to Islamise the country”.
In Gujrat, which is in the Punjab region, the flyer, an invitation to Christians to participate in a memorial ceremony on 16th August to commemorate the late Pastor Fazal Masih, carried pictures of 15 office-bearers of the “Biblical Church of God”, a small, little-known Protestant group working in Gujrat city.
A Pakistani commentator explained to World Watch Monitor: “The flyer’s language looks like it”s been copied from the internet. It”s language that may be more acceptable in countries where Christianity has more freedom. It suggests that the late pastor practised the gifts of the Holy Spirit and had a prophetic gift. However this is a concept that does not translate easily in an Islamic context.”
The flyers were placed across the city in the areas where Christians are in a higher number, such as Mughal Colony, where the dead man”s son, Younatan Fazal Gill, lived. He was one of the organisers of the program.
Mukhtar Mughal Khan, a Christian political leader who and former local councillor, told World Watch Monitor, that after flyers were noticed, the situation escalated with police called in. They subsequently removed all the flyers. "And when the organisers of the program were preparing to gather the next day, the police arrested some of them," he said.
A Christian health visitor, Roseanna Masih, told World Watch Monitor that two women living across the street from her started name-calling: “They said Christians had blasphemed the Holy Prophet and that they should be punished for it. I told them that anyone who had done wrong should be punished, but why should all of us be treated with contempt?”
This is not the first time a Christian has been accused of blasphemy because of Biblical interpretation or translation, according to the World Watch Monitor. Almost exactly a year ago, on 23rd August in Bahawalpur, about 450 kilometres from Lahore, 60-year-old Naja Masih was sitting outside his home with his neighbour, Shahid Mehmood, discussing similarities between the Bible and the Qur”an, after which Masih was charged and immediately handed to the police.
According to report submitted to police, Mehmood stated that Masih told him “God himself took human form – God forbid ” and appeared to Lot, and told him to leave his village”. Mehmood further alleged that Masih had injured his religious feelings, by saying that when Lot had fled Sodom along with his daughters, his daughters “intoxicated” him and slept with him to continue their father”s lineage.
In another case, a Christian man named Anwar Kenneth was arrested and charged under the blasphemy law. He claimed he was one of the two promised witnesses to Jesus (interpreted as Elijah and Moses) in the last book of the Bible (Revelation Chapter 11) but was believed to be mentally ill. However, he was sentenced to death in 2002 and since then his appeal has not been heard by the Supreme Court.
– DAVID ADAMS (with World Watch Monitor)
