Pakistan's War on Atheism
Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy crackdown is tightening the noose around nonbelievers.
By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
March 10, 2017
On Tuesday a High Court Judge in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad reiterated in a hearing that “blasphemers are terrorists,” as a petitioner sought a ban on social media pages allegedly uploading derogatory posts against Islam and Prophet Muhammad.
Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, who has broken down in tears in every single one of the three hearings on the case this week, on Wednesday asked the government to put “blasphemers” on the Exit Control List (ECL).
On Thursday, Siddiqui, who has represented Islamic State-sympathizing Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Aziz in the past, said he would summon the prime minister if no action is taken against social media pages that post “blasphemous” content.
The Islamabad police have since registered a case against the owners of these pages. The Senate has approved a resolution demanding strict action against “blasphemous content” online. Meanwhile, the Federal Investigation Agency has published ads in national dailies asking citizens to “help identify blasphemers on Facebook.”
http://thediplomat.com/2017/03/pakistans-war-on-atheism/
http://nation.com.pk/national/07-Mar-2017/blasphemers-are-terrorists-ihc-judge-demands-online-shutdown-of-sacrilegious-pages