Keena Wilson
2 March 2011
Pakistan Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti shot dead
Blog #7
A Pakistani government minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, was gunned down in broad daylight in the capital, Islamabad on Wednesday morning. Bhatti was the only Christian member of the Cabinet in Pakistan, where 95 percent of people are Muslim. He said that he had been receiving death threats because of his opposition to a controversial blasphemy law. The minister was usually accompanied by security guards because of the death threats, but had instructed his security officers not to travel with him on Wednesday, and it is not clear why. According to witnesses several gunmen surrounded his vehicle and riddled it with bullets. Although the minister’s driver was spared, Bhatti was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Tehrik-i- Taliban told BBC Urdu they carried out the attack. The group’s deputy spokesman, Ahsanullah Ahsan said “This man was a known blasphemer of the Prophet (Muhammad).” He also stated, "We will continue to target all those who speak against the law which punishes those who insult the prophet. Their fate will be the same." Bhatti had been critical of the law, saying at one point, "I am ready to sacrifice my life for the principled stand I have taken because the people of Pakistan are being victimized under the pretense of blasphemy law." Bhatti said that even though he was facing threats against his life, he was not afraid.
Bhatti was killed for what he believed in and basically for not conforming. Unfortunately Bhatti wasn’t the only one who was killed for speaking out against the law. Other officials have also been targeted for opposing the blasphemy law. In January, the governor of Punjab province, Salman Taseer, was assassinated by his security guard because he spoke out against the law. After Taseer's death, Bhatti pledged to continue pushing for amendments in the law. "I will campaign for this ... these fanatics cannot stop me from moving any further steps against the misuse of (the) blasphemy law," he said at the time. Although Bhatti was just standing up for what he believed he lived in a country where the government operates independently of the people and where free speech or exchange of ideas is discouraged, there may not be enough ideas to solve issues, and governments may persist in trying to solve them in wrongheaded or ineffective ways, like killing people. This to me is a social problem because this affects the society greatly, especially the citizens there that believe in the Christian faith. One man even said "We have been orphaned today!" Rehman Masih, a Christian resident of Islamabad, told AP news agency. "Now who will fight for our rights?" This has affected people in the U.S. as well The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom also condemned the killing."The assassination today of Shahbaz Bhatti in Pakistan -- a true hero for human rights and religious freedom for all -- illustrates how barbaric that country's system of blasphemy laws really is. Blasphemy laws don't keep the peace, but embolden extremists," said Leonard Leo, the commission's chair. This for itself proves that this is a global problem as well as a social problem.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12617562
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