This time, murder of Pakistan minister spurs condemnation from Islamic clerics
| New Delhi; and Islamabad, Pakistan
Officials from Muslim political parties and religious groups in are reacting more negatively to yesterday鈥檚 assassination of 海角大神 cabinet minister Shahbaz Bhatti than to the killing two months earlier of Gov. Salman Taseer. The change highlights the specific combination of religious offense and political expediency that drove many to condone Governor Taseer's killing.
Both men were killed after calling for changes to the country鈥檚 blasphemy law, which includes the death penalty for disrespect of Islam. Following Mr. Taseer鈥檚 death, hundreds of Islamic clerics signed a statement supporting the killing, lawyers showered the assassin with rose petals, and Muslim political parties offered qualified condemnations, if any at all.
But so far, few beyond the Pakistani Taliban 鈥� who claimed responsibility 鈥� are openly supporting Mr. Bhatti鈥檚 slaying. The difference: Bhatti had phrased his criticism of the law more discreetly, and by the time of his assassination, the government had already completely backed down.
鈥淲e wholly condemn the killing of Shahbaz Bhatti,鈥� says Nawaz Kharal, spokesman for the Sunni Ittehad Council, which represents the Barelvi current of Sunni Islam. The secretary general of the council, along with other top Barelvi leaders, signed the statement of support for Taseer鈥檚 killing and pressured followers not to attend his funeral.
鈥淎t the time Salman Taseer was killed there was a whole movement to dismantle the blasphemy laws. When Bhatti was killed, that movement had finished,鈥� says Mr. Kharal.
Additionally, Taseer couched criticism of the blasphemy law in harsher terms than Bhatti, calling the law a 鈥渂lack law.鈥�
鈥淭here are two ways of making comments on the blasphemy law. If you say there are some weaknesses and they have to be resolved so that innocent are not caught, that is alright,鈥� says Kharal, summarizing his view of Bhatti鈥檚 criticism. 鈥淏ut if you say it is a 鈥榖lack law,鈥� that is wrong.鈥�
Pakistan鈥檚 major Muslim religious parties echoed this reasoning.
鈥淚t is not blasphemy to criticize the law. Taseer declared this was a 鈥榖lack law.鈥� That was a wrong stand,鈥� says Liaqat Baloch, the secretary general of Jamaat-i Islami (JI).
JI condemned both killings, he says, but Taseer鈥檚 鈥渨rong stand鈥� created popular pressure for the government to remove him from his post. He blamed the government for not responding and said it鈥檚 now up to the courts to decide what to do with the assassin.
In Bhatti鈥檚 case, he blamed 鈥渋nternational and national, internal and external conspiracies.鈥� On the JI website, party chief Syed Munawar Hasan said the killing looked like an attempt to divert public attention from Raymond Davis, the CIA worker held in Pakistan, and that there may be a 鈥淐IA hand鈥� behind Bhatti鈥檚 murder.
Kharal also suggested America could be behind the killing 鈥渟o that followers of different religions fight among themselves.鈥�
Many Pakistanis routinely blame 鈥渇oreign hands鈥� when things go wrong.
President Obama expressed sorrow yesterday, saying: 鈥淚 am deeply saddened by the assassination of Pakistan鈥檚 Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti today in Islamabad, and condemn in the strongest possible terms this horrific act of violence.鈥�
Like Taseer, Bhatti had called for changes to the blasphemy law because it has been used to persecute religious minorities or as a pretense in personal disputes. The government considered forming a committee to suggest changes, but backed down in the face of religious party opposition. After Taseer鈥檚 killing, even independent reform efforts collapsed.
The different tone of the two men鈥檚 criticisms appeared not to matter to Bhatti鈥檚 killers who seem to view any speech against the law as a blasphemous insult. They dropped pamphlets at the scene accusing him of having 鈥渋nsulted the prophet鈥� and warning 鈥渙thers who try to reform the blasphemy laws will meet the same fate.鈥�
While the killers have received little praise, eyebrows in Parliament went up when three members of another religious party, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam led by Maulana Fazal-ur Rehman, did not stand up during a moment of silence for Bhatti yesterday.
A party spokesman says that eight MPs from the JUI-F were present. All eight remained silent, but only five rose. 鈥淭hese three [who] were not standing, they have some problems in the legs because they are aged, maybe. This is not party policy,鈥� he said.
The spokesman added that Maulana Rehman condemned the killings of both men. But the cases differ, because Taseer鈥檚 killing at a time of public protest when the government position was not clear. But Bhatti was killed when 鈥渢here is no movement and the government position was clear, so there is no space for these activities, so there is no reason for this incident.鈥�
Responding to Bhatti鈥檚 murder, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced that he would consult with political and military leaders to 鈥渇ormulate a strategy to deal with extremists who are spreading hatred and defaming Pakistan in the world.鈥�
He added: 鈥淭his is a question of the country鈥檚 security, over which there can be no compromise.鈥�
