A new wave of persecution of free thinkers and critics of Islam in Pakistan
In Pakistan, Islam is always the source of national identity. From the national anthem to the constitution, everything is colored in Islam. Islam has deep rooted Pakistani society and politics, that politicians use to manipulate the opinion of the people and make political gains. Religious minorities end up as the victim of this visible use of religion for political gains. Religious Minorities are now facing discrimination, intolerance, and bigotry because of their beliefs. Multiculturalism and religious harmony are nowhere to be found.
Since Islam is the state religion, it is impossible to do write any type of criticism of Islam. There are not a whole lot of channels or forums for free thinkers to express their views on religion. The internet is their only refuge, they face persecution there as well.
Two men, Riffat Aziz and Hameed Kamran, have recently been arrested by the Rawalakot Police in Poonch district of Azad Kashmir, and accused of spreading religious antipathy and disrupting social order by questioning Islam on social media.
Kamran has been accused of commenting controversial stuff on social media on religion [source]. Riffat Aziz has been accused of distributing pamphlets to mosques filled with questions towards Muslims [source]. Muslims should ask themselves, should it be illegal to ask questions that can put you out of your comfort zone?
A rally has been conducted by the students of the University of Poonch, in Azad Kashmir. Asking government to silence anyone who questions or critic religion.
A local leader of the right-wing Islamist political party, Jamat-e-Islami, has condemned the activities of the freethinkers. He asked govt. to take a stern measure or else it would be responsible for any act of violence or riot.
Here is the snap of the pamphlet that has been posted on social media accused towards Riffat Aziz.
I have tried my best to translate them into English.
Few Questions to Muslims
1. What is the evidence on the truthfulness of Quran?
2. What is the evidence of Muhammad being a true prophet of God?
3. Quran has mentioned skies, what is a sky? According to science, it isn’t a reality but a phenomenon occurred when sun rays fall on earth atmospheric gases making it appear blue. Which goes away at night.
4. If god is really capable of loving more than 70 mothers, then why does he not have mercy on the dying kids of Africa of hunger? God is providing food to the insects living in stones, why is he killing humans mercilessly with poverty?
5. If every creation needs a creator, who created god? If god can come into being without a creator, why can’t humans and this universe can come into being without a God?
6. According to the last sermon of the Prophet, there is no distinction between Arabic or non-Arabic (Ajami) and no racism in Islam then why this Hadith Exits? “Only a Qureshi can be the Caliph”.
7. If someone brings an Arabic text akin to Quran, then how would you refute that its language is not comparable to Quran?
8. If Quran is such a beneficial book, why for a long period Muslims are being humiliated around the world?
9. If the reason given for the humiliation of Muslims is the distance from the Quran, then how come infidels had achieved prosperity and growth after denying Quran, Prophet Hood of Muhammad and even God and religion?
10. If you say that infidels have achieved prosperity by acting on the teaching of Quran, or the scientific inventions are the result of Quranic revelations, then tell us which particular inventions are the taken from the Quran? For example, electricity is a necessity of modern age, which Quranic verse was used to invent electricity?
11. In Islam, apostasy is punishable by death. Is it not aggression? If someone wants to leave Islam, it is their right. Then why would they be punished by death after leaving Islam? In fact, millions of Muslims don’t question Islam and remain silent because of this aggressive punishment and to save their lives they don’t leave Islam. Thus, if the freedom to leave Islam were to be given, suddenly millions of people will leave.
12. If the creator of this world is one God, then why does he divide humans into so many religions just to die in the religious riots? Why doesn't he show himself and just announce the truthfulness of one religion to sustain peace on earth?
13. Humans are dependent on their environment; his ideologies are dependent on his environment, he gets born into and so does his religion. This has been said in the hadiths that parents turn their children infidel. If god loves humanity, he should send every individual to a Muslim family so everyone would get in heaven. He sent them to the infidel environment and then he himself sent them to hell.
Ask yourself, if it is fine for Muslims to ask uneasy and critical questions on other faiths. It should be perfectly fine for freethinkers to do the same with Islam. If you are so firm in your beliefs, you should be able to reply to the argument in a civilized manner rather than silencing the critic, this will only make your stance weaker.
Update (5:50 PM 26th Nov 2016) : Hameed Kamran has been released on lack of proof and Riffat Aziz has been sent in to police remand of 14 days for further investigation. [source]
