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Dozens of homes were set alight in eastern Pakistan after a non-Muslim was accused of making offensive comments about Mohammed

The incident began after a Muslim accused a Christian man of blasphemy - an offence that in Pakistan is punished by life in prison or death. A mob of angry Muslims rampaged through the Christian neighbourhood, burning about 170 houses.

Such accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan can prompt huge crowds to take the law into their own hands. Once an accusation is made it is difficult to reverse, partly because law enforcement officials and politicians do not want to be seen as being soft on blasphemers.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mordekhai ben-Yosef on March 17, 2013 at 9:43

To quote an old-time American expression: Give it back to the Indians! ;-)

Permalink Reply by amer chohan on March 17, 2013 at 12:20

The price for this is to let unhappy/marginalized men and women depart thence to some place where they may breathe easier. And if we find the regimes are attempting to perpetrate more cowardly attacks against foreigners -in their own lands, FFS- they will be bombed as carelessly as they blow up trains, planes, and automobiles.

Mordekhai: Wonderful idea, I just became a fan of wisdom behind that. That is the only solution to whole of the problem. Just move some 200 millions to some other land where air is fresh enough for easy breathing. And then bomb rest of 20 millions ceaselessly. Such mass level movemet equalent to entire US population would be difficult, Why not to bomb all 220 millions. It would be a world record for centuries to come.

Permalink Reply by Mordekhai ben-Yosef on March 17, 2013 at 12:22

Oh well.

Permalink Reply by amer chohan on March 17, 2013 at 12:33

We are more furestrated than you my friend, living among the beasts. But aggression is not a solution to all of the problems.

Permalink Reply by Mordekhai ben-Yosef on March 17, 2013 at 12:40

I know, I know, dammit. And what irks me is the contamination from the ill will of others. It makes me seem like them if I look in the mirror; most uncomfortable.

Truly, I don't want to bomb anybody but I am not a xtian. I have no tradition of even paying lip service to this "turn the other cheek" idea. So, I apologize for offending you. But, damn, it is so frustrating.

Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on March 17, 2013 at 9:56

The religious use so-called outsiders as scapegoats. I think scapegoating is a universal human response. The politicians and religious leaders transfer blame of bad leadership, poverty, failures or planning, circumstance, to someone who can be demonized as "other". "Those people are not us. Our problems are their fault!". Punishing the blamed minority is a way to take blame from self, and from random chance, and from leaders.

If the leaders can't deflect blame onto helpless minorities, who gets blamed? the leaders.

If the majority can't deflect blame onto people who are "not like us", who gets blamed? Themselves.

If we can't sacrifice animals, and cant sacrifice conquered "others", then it's religious minority, or ethnic minority, or foreigner, no people who think differently.

A true leader, a true hero, would uplift the people to create change within themselves. Despots manipulate the masses in whatever opportunistic way they can. Religion is a tool of despots to deflect blame for bad leadership, from the leaders to those who they can characterize as poisoning or contaminating their purity.

In reality, their purity is purity of cynical manipulation on the leaders' part, and purity of incredulity on the part of the followers.

Permalink Reply by amer chohan on March 17, 2013 at 11:50

There is no scapegoat in this case but a strong bull out of control of whome, who use to control it in the past.

In Pakistan there are two types of religious persons. Number one common people as they are in other countries like USA etc. Second type of religious are current and ex-students of religious schools. These religious schools are not ordinary schools, they were created for building an army for Afghan war. So they have access to heavy weapons and have training facilities. The number of these schools is in excess of 20,000 and students number in millions. They enjoy power and resources to challange governments.

One of these named "lashker-e-Jhangwi" was involved in the incident. I don't know who to blame. There are many who should be, as they are real cause of unrest.