‘No law carries death penalty for desecration of Holy Quran,’ says CII chief

The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has said that no law prescribes death penalty for desecration of the Holy Quran calling it both un-Islamic and against state law.

“No law carries the death penalty for desecration of Holy Quran, but religious elements resort to mob justice to kill suspects,” CII Chairman Dr. Raghib Hussain Naeemi was quoted as saying by an English daily on Thursday.

Punishment for blasphemy laws

Dr Naim clarified that blasphemy laws envisage four different punishments for the guilty. The desecration of the Holy Quran carries life imprisonment while the punishment for insulting members of the Holy Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) household and his companions (Sahaba) is seven years behind bars.

The punishment for violation of the Prohibition of Qadianiyat Ordinance is three years. The law envisages death penalty only for a person proven guilty of committing blasphemy against the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).

“But religious groups believe that the punishment for all the four crimes is the same — death — and take the law into their own hands. No one has the authority to issue a Fatwa for killing an individual suspected of committing blasphemy,” the CII chief said.

In March, a man was burned alive by a mob over blasphemy allegations in Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The incident took place several weeks after an elderly Christian man was jumped by a mob over blasphemy allegations. Nazir Masih, 72, was fatally wounded during the May 25 attack. He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Rawalpindi.