Episode 31 - Saqib Tanveer: "The Blasphemy Law Should be upheld in Pakistan"

This episode I’m joined by Pakistani Journalist Saqib Tanveer (@saqibtanveer), who recently wrote a controversial piece, about the lynching of a Pakistani student over allegations of blasphemy. His piece was removed by the publication that published it initially (The News).

(Pls note this episode was recorded a couple of weeks ago, so the arrests made in Mashal Khan’s murder were not discussed.

And pls excuse the buzzing sound on Saqib’s end…If I remember Pakistan, that’s gotta be a rusty fan or something.)

Here’s a screenshot of the text we refer to throughout https://twitter.com/SaqibTanveer/status/855686726559309824 - I recommend you read this first. Its just a short paragraph.

Soon after the Mashal Khan lynching (a horrific incident where a humanist student was accused of blasphemy and murdered by a furious religious mob) many Pakistani journalists, public figures & politicians were intent on 'clearing' Mashal’s name. Proving him to be a pious person who respected the religion. I wrote a blog post http://nicemangos.blogspot.ca/2017/04/the-beast-of-blasphemy-takes-another.html?zx=a05fba0110d35249 , lamenting the fact that this was even necessary or relevant…but I understood the desire to calm the toxic Islamic extremist sentiment that was still thick in the air after Mashal’s unjust murder.

As a non-believer myself, obviously I think blasphemy should not at all be a crime, this is a law that doesn’t belong in this century. I have often stated that the government of Pakistan contributes to this dangerous climate where vigilante murders for ‘blasphemy’ occur on the regular by legitimizing it as a crime in the first place. Even politicians who have dared to question the existence of this blasphemy law have been murdered. Right wing preachers have been accused…it’s an Orwellian tool to police people’s thoughts.

In the previous episode I interviewed prominent, liberal-secular Pakistani journalist Raza Rumi who survived an Islamist attack. We had a lovely, civil discussion…where he gave me such hope for the future of Pakistan.

However, today’s conversation is in stark contrast to the intellectually stimulating discussion I had last episode.

Today’s Pakistani journalist is pro blasphemy law, pro blasphemy punishment, as he considers it to be ’the law of the land…which must be upheld'…. This is a frustrating, yet entertaining roller coaster of a conversation that takes many twists and turns in attempts to deny the obvious flaws with punishing people for ‘blasphemy’.

——

Here are some links for further reading, on topics discussed in the episode:

About the influence of Wahhabism in Pakistan:

http://www.newstatesman.com/world-affairs/2014/11/wahhabism-isis-how-saudi-arabia-exported-main-source-global-terrorism

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/haroon-khalid/the-influence-of-wahhabism-in-pakistan_b_11329322.html

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/15/islam-pakistan-barelvi-saudi-wahhabi

Mashal Khan story: http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-39603126/pakistan-blasphemy-the-student-lynched-for-being-a-humanist

Governor Salman Taseer shot by his guard Mumtaz Qadri for questioning blasphemy law : http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35684452

Mumtaz Qadri murder celebrated and funeral attended by over 100, 000 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/01/funeral-pakistani-mumtaz-qadri-executed-salmaan-taseer

Pakistan literacy rate http://ilm.com.pk/pakistan/pakistan-information/pakistan-literacy-rate/

----

If you enjoy this show, pls help it grow by supporting via Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/nicemangos