“Living among the believers”<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

On November 28 Dr. Shaikh sent a letter to Babu Gogineni, signing on the envelope ‘Living among the believers’. His dramatic fate, the experience of living in the shadow of death for over a year, and going through a kangaroo court trial has not altered his positive view of life or his conviction in Humanism. He will perhaps qualify as the bravest man in today’s Pakistan!

 

Edited extracts:

 

September 11

I hope this letter finds you in the best of your health. I am well and trying to keep fit. Well, the 11th September US tragedy brought a lot of grief for the loss of valuable American lives. Indeed, it was a great loss for humanity and civilization. Religious barbarism struck a blow and awakened the world to the horrors of religious dogmatic beliefs and practices; as well as it stressed the need for humanism, liberalism and secularism. I wrote a letter to the US Embassy here, as well as, sent a message expressing my grief to Prof. Paul Kurtz and American humanists.

 

As you might remember, my paper ’Deeni Madarsas and Rise of Taliban’ presented at IHEUÕs Mumbai Congress fringe was on this topic. Indeed, globalization of the world village exposed even the most developed societies to the religious barbarism of most backward societies. And here intensely arises the question of developing and morally supporting the third world liberal persons, associations and governments. Mere slogans of democracy are not enough. Globalization of Humanism, Liberalism and Secularism is necessary not only for the good of the third world countries but also for the ÔspiritualÕ and physical defence of the developed and civilised world.

 

My Case

Now about myself: on 18.08.01 Capital Punishment was pronounced against me, though the case did not merit this.

 

1. On 1 October 2000 I attended a meeting of South Asian Union addressed by an ISI (Inter Services Intelligence) Brig. Shaukat Qadir (retd.) also running a religious-political association of Jamait – I – Islami. I asked a couple of questions about South Asian peace and Kashmir which offended him and he returned a threat. There were foreign office policy makers and newsmen sitting there.

 

2. Within 48 hours, a foreign office employee who was also my student at the medical college where I used to lecture at the morning time, prepared an application against me, alleging blasphemous remarks in their class and gave it to a cleric, who improving upon the complaint, accused me of a specific instance of 2-10-2000 in the class of IInd year male students and registered the case with the Police.

 

l The Court set aside the cleric’s evidence as hearsay.

 

l The student who wrote the application was found to be absent from the college on the day of the alleged incident, so his evidence was set aside.

 

l Two other students gave evidence that they heard the alleged blasphemous remarks on 2-10-2000 at 12.15 noon in a lecture that lasted between 12.00 to 12.45 noon.

 

l In my statement, I informed the Court that on 2-10-2000, I did not take any lecture from 12.00 o 12.45 noon, and therefore there was no incident of uttering blasphemous remarks at 12.15 noon. In support of this I presented the college timetable before the court, which confirmed that my timings at college were limited from 9.30 am to 12.00 noon only.

 

l Therefore neither the incident took place, nor the prosecution proved that the alleged sentences were blasphemous.

 

l During the trial, the religious students of the claimant clerics of Deeni Madrassa used to demonstrate against me wearing the Taliban style headdress & uniforms, my solicitors were threatened so much so that the court had to be moved to central Jail, Rawalpindi.

 

l The Court held in camera at Central Jail, Rawalpindi, sentenced me to Capital Punishment, despite the flimsy and uncorroborated evidence against me, and despite documentary evidence in my favour, against which our appeal has been launched.

 

l People here designed the blasphemy law 295/c Pakistan Penal Code as Religious Terrorism with Law Code.

 

Thanks to friends like you, I am in good spirits and waiting for decision on my appeal. I am also thankful to IHEU, Amnesty International and other individuals and groups for their support. As per news here, the American and Allied Forces have taken most of Afghanistan from the shackles of Taliban religious Terrorism; it had lots of influence on Islamabad administration, so hopes are rising for some liberal atmosphere.

 

My convictions for the truth of our life stance Humanism are indeed unshakeable and unbeatable. And I am most thankful for the sympathy and support from the Humanist Family of the World.

 

My regards to all Humanists, individually and collectively.

 

Yours in Humanism

 

Dr. M. Younas Shaikh

Death Cell

 

Babu Gogineni participated in a 15 minute BBC World Service discussion on Blasphemy (on 16 January 2002) where he highlighted Dr. Shaikh’s case. The IHEU is relaunching the campaign for Dr. Shaikh. A communication has been published in The Times, UK, and further efforts are on the way. For latest details visit www.iheu.org