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IN THIS ISSUE
LAHORE
HIGH COURT ADMITS APPEAL AGAINST DR. SHAIKH'S DEATH
SENTENCE
INTERNATIONAL
PROTEST AGAINST BLASHEMY LAWS IN PAKISTAN
BLASPHEMY
LAWS IN PAKISTAN
THIRD
INTERNATIONAL RATIONALIST CONFERENCE
New
Delhi, India: 8-12, February 2002
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LAHORE
HIGH COURT ADMITS APPEAL AGAINST
DR. SHAIKH'S
DEATH SENTENCE
The Lahore High
Court has admitted the appeal of Dr. Shaikh, Pakistani
rationalist and founder president of "The Enlightenment",
against the death sentence awarded to him for blasphemy by the
Islamabad additional district and sessions court on 18 August (Saturday).
Dr. Shaikh was given only one week's time to appeal in the High
Court.
The sister of Dr Shaikh made the appeal on 21
August (Tuesday) on behalf of him. A court official has confirmed
that the appeal had been admitted.
Dr. Muhammed Younus Shaikh, British educated
physician and physiology professor in a local medical college was
arrested on 4 October 2000 by the Islamabad police and booked
under Section 295 C of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Dr. Shaikh was accused to have defied Prophet
Muhammed with his statement that Muhammed did not become a Muslim
before the age of forty and that his parents were non-Muslims. Dr.
Shaikh was found guilty and convicted under the law that
prescribes death sentence if charges of blasphemy are proved.
This law was added to the Pakistan Penal Code in 1986 which said
whoever made derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammed "by
words either spoken, or written, or by visible representation or
by any imputation, innuendo or insinuation, directly or
indirectly, defiles the sacred name of Holy Prophet Muhammed (PBUH),
shall be punished with death or imprisonment for life, and shall
also be liable to fine."
What to do now?
1) We request all readers of the Rationalist
International Bulletin to write letters appealing to the
President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf in the following
format or in similar lines at the following address with copy to
the DR.SHAIKH DEFENSE COMMITTEE.
To: CE@pak.gov.pk
Copy to: Dr.ShaikhDefense@rationalistinternational.net
General Pervez Musharraf
President
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Your Excellency,
I am shocked to hear that Dr. Muhammed Younus
Shaikh, currently in jail in Islamabad being accused of blasphemy,
has been convicted to death on August 18th by the
Islamabad additional district and sessions court. His appeal
against the death sentence is under the consideration of the
Lahore High Court now.
It is the right of everyone to express freely
one's opinion in any civilized society and I hope that you will
guide Pakistan to an open and pluralist society.
I strongly support the international campaign
in favor of the release of Dr. Shaikh. I request you to use all
the powers available at your disposal to mediate and intervene
for the release of Dr. Muhammed Younus Shaikh.
(Signature)
(Name and address)
2) If you have a web page or site, please
post this message with a link to www.rationalistinternational.net. The web site of Rationalist International has several
pages about Dr. Shaikh and the case, with the text of the Police
First Information Report (FIR), the Pakistan Blasphemy Laws and
reports of the several stages of the case. The site is being
updated with all new details. If you have an email group, please
post this message and promote maximum people to write to the
President of Pakistan to mediate and intervene for the release of
Dr. Shaikh.
3) If you have a journal or if you have access
to the media, please try to bring out stories about Dr. Shaikh
and the inhuman and uncivilized blasphemy laws in Pakistan.
Always remember to mention www.rationalistinternational.net for all the latest information on the Dr.Shaikh case.
You are also welcome to use the information and material from the
web site of Rationalist International or from the Rationalist
International Bulletins. Remember: strong public opinion is
necessary for the success of any mediation or diplomatic
initiatives.
4) Rationalist International has set up a
committee to build international public opinion to save the life
of Dr. Shaikh. Sanal Edamaruku, President of Rationalist
International, is the convenor of the DR.SHAIKH DEFENSE COMMITTEE.
Please send your donations to the
following account by Swift Bank Transfer and inform us by e-mail
(Dr.ShaikhDefense@rationalistinternational.net)
Account Number: 5314 938 226
Bank: Citibank N.A, Delhi, India
Swift Code: CITI INBX AIBD
Account Name: Sanal Edamaruku
INTERNATIONAL
PROTEST AGAINST BLASPHEMY LAWS IN PAKISTAN
Sanal
Edamaruku, President of Rationalist International and convenor of
the DR. SHAIKH DEFENSE COMMITTEE, has called upon General
Musharraf, President of Pakistan, to guarantee for Dr. Shaikh's
life and safety. Expressing shock and grave concern at the
harassment of Dr. Shaikh by fundamentalist forces and judicial
authorities, he demanded immediate and unconditional release of
Dr. Shaikh from jail and safe passage out of Pakistan. Mr
Edamaruku offered to mediate with a suitable country to grant him
refuge. Reminding President Musharraf at his recent announcement
to take tough measures against religious extremism and lead
Pakistan to democracy, Sanal Edamaruku recommended the Blasphemy
Law to his special attention, which he called barbaric, shameful,
unworthy of a civilized state and overdue to be abolished.
Meantime the death sentence against Dr. Shaikh
has raised strong international protest.
Amnesty International, in a statement on 21
August 2001 has recognized Dr. Shaikh as prisoner of conscience
and termed the trial against him unfair and demanded his
immediate release. "The charges (against Dr. Shaikh) were
maliciously brought, the allegations did not establish blasphemy
and the trial which led to the conviction on such grounds could
not have been fair", said the statement. For the full
statement of Amnesty International, please visit:
http://www.web.amnesty.org/web/news.nsf/WebAll/40ACDE436A28575180256AAF0038FDBB?OpenDocument
The Council for Secular Humanism (CSH) headed
by Prof. Paul Kurtz, the International Humanist and Ethical Union
(IHEU) in which Dr. Shaikh's organization "The Enlightenment"
is an associate member, and several other rationalist-humanist
organizations across the world have launched an international
campaign in Dr. Shaikh's support. IHEU President Levi Fragell
overhanded in Oslo a letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan,
requesting him to take urgent action to save Dr. Shaikh.
For more reports about the award of death
sentence to Dr. Shaikh in the international press, please visit
the following sites:
Dawn (Pakistan), 18 August 2001: http://www.dawn.com/2001/08/19/top14.htm
BBC (UK), 19 August 2001: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1498000/1498121.stm
New York Times (USA), 19 August 2001: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/20/international/asia/20DOCT.html
The Times (UK), 19 August 2001: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-2001286144,00.html
The Guardian (UK), 19 August 2001: http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,539348,00.html
CNN (USA), 20 August 2001: http://www.cnn.com/2001/world/asiapcf/south/08/19/pakistan.blasphemy/index.html
The Daily Telegraph (UK), 23 August 2001: http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/08/22/wblas22.xml
Dainik Jagaran (India), 23 August 2001: http://news.jagran.com/today/CT106.htm
BLASPHEMY
LAWS IN PAKISTAN
(Source: www.rationalistinternational.net)
Offenses relating to religion:
Pakistan Penal code
|
| 295-B |
Defiling, etc,
of copy of Holy Quran. Whoever will fully defiles,
damages or desecrates a copy of the Holy Quran or of an
extract therefrom or uses it in any derogatory manner or
for any unlawful purpose shall be punishable for
imprisonment for life. |
| 295-C |
Use of
derogatory remarks, etc; in respect of the Holy Prophet.
Whoever by words, either spoken or written or by visible
representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or
insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred
name of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) shall be
punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall
also be liable to fine. |
| 298-A |
Use of
derogatory remarks, etc..., in respect of holy personages.
Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible
representation, or by any imputation, innuendo or
insinuation, directly or indirectly defiles a sacred name
of any wife (Ummul Mumineen), or members of the family (Ahle-bait),
of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), or any of the righteous
caliphs (Khulafa-e-Rashideen) or companions (Sahaaba) of
the Holy Prophet description for a term which may extend
to three years, or with fine, or with both. |
| 298-B |
Misuse of
epithet, descriptions and titles, etc. Reserved for
certain holy personages or places.
- Any person of the
Qadiani group or the Lahori group (who call
themselves Ahmadis or by any other name) who by
words, either spoken or written or by visible
representation:
- refers to or
addresses, any person, other than a
Caliph or companion of the Holy Prophet
Mohammad (PBUH), as "Ameerul Momneen",
"Khalifat-ul-Momneen", "Khalifat-ul-Muslimeen",
"Sahaabi" or "Razi Allah
Anho";
- refers
to or addresses, any person, other than a
wife of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH),
as Ummul-Mumineen;
- refers
to, or addresses, any person, other than
a member of the family (Ahle-Bait) of the
Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), as Ahle-Bait;
or
- refers
to, or addresses, any person, other than
a member of the family (Ahle-Bait) of the
Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), as Ahle-Bait;
or
- refers
to, or names, or calls, his place of
worship as Masjid; shall be punished with
imprisonment or either description for a
term which may extend to three years, and
shall also be liable to fine.
- Any person of the
Qadiani group or Lahore group, (who call
themselves Ahmadis or by any other names), who by
words, either spoken or written, or by visible
representations, refers to the mode or from of
call to prayers followed by his faith as "Azan"
or redites Azan as used by the Muslims, shall be
punished with imprisonment of either description
for a term which may extend to three years and
shall also be liable to fine.
|
| 298-C |
Persons of
Qadiani group, etc, calling himself a Muslim or preaching
or propagating his faith. Any person of the Qadiani group
or the Lahori group (who call themselves Ahmadis or any
other name), who directly or indirectly, posses himself
as a Muslim, or calls, or refers to, his faith as Islam,
or preaches or propagates his faith, or invites others to
accept his faith, by words, either spoken or written, or
by visible representation or in any manner whatsoever
outrages the religious feelings of Muslims, shall be
punished with imprisonment of either description for a
term which may extend to three years ans shall also be
liable to fine. |
Creative
Rationalism
THIRD
INTERNATIONAL RATIONALIST CONFERENCE
New Delhi,
India: 8-12, February 2002
Registration
Open Now
Registration for The Third International
Rationalist Conference is open now.
Join Rationalists -- Atheists, Freethinkers,
Humanists, Secular Humanists and Skeptics -- from around the
world. Meet rationalist thinkers and fighters who influence
social change. Exchange ideas, views, experiences and visions.
Identify the creative dimension of Rationalism. Discuss the
potential of transforming societies. Set the course for the
future of enlightenment and humanism. Witness history.
Creative Rationalism
THIRD INTERNATIONAL RATIONALIST
CONFERENCE
At New Delhi from 8 to 12
February 2002
We need to keep setting high
goals and achieving them.
An interesting, thought-provoking
conference.
More details about the International
Rationalist Conference, tentative schedule of events, flight
information and all you want to know about the conference are
available at our web site www.rationalistinternational.net. A downloadable registration form is also available at
the web site.
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How to contact
Rationalist International?
Postal address: Rationalist
International, P O Box 9110, New Delhi 110091, India.
Phone: +91-11-2753255, Fax: +91-11-845
77 048 (Please see change in the telephone and fax
numbers)
Web Site: www.rationalistinternational.net Email: info@rationalistinternational.net
Honorary Associates: Dr.
Pieter Admiraal (The Netherlands), Prof. Mike Archer (Australia),
Katsuaki Asai (Japan), Sir Hermann Bondi (UK), Prof.
Colin Blakemore (UK), Prof. Vern Bullough (USA), Dr Bill
Cooke (New Zealand), Dr. Helena Cronin (UK), Prof.
Richard Dawkins (UK), Joseph Edamaruku (India), Prof.
Antony Flew (UK), Christopher Hitchens (USA), Prof. Paul
Kurtz (USA), Lavanam (India), Dr. Richard Leakey (Kenya),
Dr. Henry Morgentaler (Canada), Dr. Taslima Nasreen (Bangladesh),
Steinar Nilsen (Norway), Prof. Jean-Claude Pecker (France),
James Randi (USA), Dr G N Jyoti Shankar (deceased, USA),
Barbara Smoker (UK), Prof. Harry Stopes-Roe (UK), Prof.
Rob Tielman (The Netherlands), David Tribe (Australia),
Barry Williams (Australia) and Prof. Lewis Wolpert (UK).
Sanal Edamaruku, President of Rationalist
International, can be contacted at Edamaruku@rationalistinternational.net
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