Pakistan's Blasphemy Law Fuels Extremism Over Economic Growth

Pakistan’s Government's Embrace of Blasphemy Law Endangers Relationship with the US and Europe

Pakistan has been consistently choosing extremist Islam over economic stability, and its anti-blasphemy laws have led to widespread discrimination against Muslim minorities, according to experts. Since Partition in 1947, Pakistan has co-opted the Pakistan Penal Code from the Indian Penal Code, with sections dedicated to desecrating worship places and outraging religious sensibilities. However, in the 1980s, Pakistan added Islam-specific clauses that define violent penalties over blasphemy against Islam alone, including the criminalization of any sacrilege against the Quran and the prophet.

Pakistan's blasphemy laws have led to at least 93 people being killed extrajudicially since 1947, and over 1,500 have been imprisoned since 1987 when the death penalty was introduced for heresy against Islam in Section 295 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Recently, the National Assembly passed amendments to the PPC that expanded its blasphemy laws. One of those amendments, the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023, increases the penalty for "disrespecting" the companions, family, or wives of the Prophet Muhammad from three years to life imprisonment.

The expansion of Pakistan's blasphemy laws has encouraged mob violence, with many victims being Muslims who espouse beliefs deemed divergent from those sanctioned by majoritarian orthodoxy. The takfiri ideology, which is based on outlawing divergent beliefs, fuels murderous sharia codes and jihadi groups alike. Outfits such as the Islamic State and its Pakistani Taliban affiliates have bombed Sufi shrines over the years, deeming the mystic practices heretical. Moreover, the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023, is a codification of the entire Shiite sect's excommunication, bordering on systematic violence.

The government's endorsement of Pakistan's blasphemy laws threatens its relationship with Europe and the United States as curbing free speech and doubling down on blasphemy laws has become routine. Pakistan has recently banned Wikipedia nationwide, claiming the online encyclopedia had refused to remove "sacrilegious content" from its website. There has also been a surge in Pakistan's anti-blasphemy policymaking targeting Muslim minorities, which in turn is further emboldening Islamist vigilantes.

Pakistan's blasphemy laws' violent extremism and discriminatory policies have impacted the country's economic growth, with experts warning that the country must address these issues before economic stability can be achieved. The promotion of extremist Islam over economic stability may lead to Pakistan's isolation from the international community. Experts call for an end to Pakistan's extremist policies and blasphemy laws and the promotion of a more moderate and inclusive approach to Islam.