Sharia Laws

Editorial at The Daily Times:

The Sharia bench of the Supreme Court [in Pakistan] also ruled in 1999 that banking and insurance and other riba-carrying instruments were unlawful, but the state was unable to enforce the law and the verdict came right back to the Supreme Court in appeal.

Riba simply means interest. You might not be aware but in Islam interest on a principal is a big no-no or haraam. It's nice to see the Sharia bench enforce this sensible rule.

Known as the ‘insult’ law, and embodied in the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) Article 295-C, through an Act of Parliament in 1986, it seeks to punish with death individuals who insult the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Called Blasphemy or Gustakhi-e-Rasul Law, it has targeted the minority communities, particularly the Christians.

So if I say that Muhammad is a bad role model because of his campaigns of slaughter and his relations with a 9-year-old, then I'd be sentenced to death.

The most dangerous part of the Article 295-C is where it says that the offender shall be punished if he insults the sacred name of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) ‘by words either spoken or written, or by visible representation, or by imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly’.

I'm so relieved.

After being convicted, the accused goes to the death cell. After that, the case drags on for an average of seven years before the Supreme Court finally lets the accused go.

Though, I wonder, how many of the accused are killed by mobs? If you're in Pakistan and the charge of blasphemy is brought against you, then I'd bet that the friendly neighborhood Muslims will "take care" of you before the state does.