The Tablet, UK's Leading Roman Catholic Newspaper
25 August 2001

 International outcry at death sentence in Pakistan

 A death sentence passed on a peace activist in Pakistan has provoked
strong reaction. The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), together
with Amnesty International, is protesting against a conviction for blasphemy
and the death penalty on Dr Yunis Shaikh.

 Dr Shaikh, founder of the progressive humanist group Enlightenment has also been fined £1,000 by a judge in Islamabad, Pakistan. According to a press release from IHEU, throughout the open trial an intimidating group of Muslim fundamentalists made their presence felt, and the last two sessions of the court were held in camera.

 The charge of blasphemy against Dr Shaikh rested on his expressed opinion that neither the Prophet Muhammad nor his parents could logically have been Muslims before Islam was revealed to the Prophet. Other charges of blasphemy brought against Dr Shaikh, supposedly made in a classroom lecture in a medical college where he was a teacher of physiology, are described by IHEU as equally ridiculous and malicious. None of those who complained to the police were eyewitnesses to the alleged offence. Human rights activists monitoring the trial pointed out that one of the witnesses was discredited because he had not been present when the alleged remarks were made.

 "The lower courts are always very scared of letting off accused blasphemers", one human rights observer commented, pointing out that many judges who made decisions in favour of such persons had become targets.

Dr Shaikh has been given one week in which to appeal to the high court, as opposed to the usual 30 days. No one in Pakistan has yet been hanged for a blasphemy conviction, but hundreds languish in jail' after being  accused or convicted of the offence.

 Babu Gogineni, executive director of IHEU, has expressed concern at  the evolution of Pakistan since independence in 1948, when it had a secular, modern constitution that safeguarded the rights of all citizens. Now, he said, fundamentalist agitation and shariah law conspire to deny basic human rights and the freedom of thought and speech. "Pakistan is sliding down the slope and is on the way to becoming an international pariah. The blasphemy law is an affront to civilisation", he declared.

 An international campaign for Dr Shaikh's release is being  co-ordinated by
IHEU in close contact with Amnesty International and the Sea of Faith network. IHEU is calling on Western democratic governments to put pressure on the Pakistani Government to get the death sentence commuted and to provide a safe haven and refuge for Dr Shaikh. Supporters are asked to email IHEU if they can help in any way.