Some terrible people in Pakistan accused the Bollywood star Veena Malik of “blasphemy” and hurting feelings and inflaming sentiments and the rest of the menu of bullshit. The other day a judge totes agreed and sentenced her to 26 years in prison.
What was the blasphemy? She acted in a scene loosely based on the marriage of Mo’s daughter.
The offending scene involved Malik re-enacting her own wedding to businessman Asad Bashir Khan while a religious song played in the background.
There was outrage following its original broadcast in a daytime programme on Geo TV in May, with blasphemy cases filed against the channel’s owner and the show’s anchorwoman, as well as Malik and her husband.
On 26 May, the senior vice president of the Gilgit-Baltistan chapter of Muslim religious organisation Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat lodged an official complaint alleging the show had defiled Ahl al-Bayt – the family of the prophet Muhammad – in playing “a contemptuous Qawwali”.
Nobody “defiled” anything. Go build a school or teach math in a school or make lunch in a school; do something useful instead of persecuting artists who don’t share your loathsome narrow view of the world.
Announcing the verdict on Tuesday, judge Raja Shahbaz ordered the police make arrests under Section 19 (10) of the Anti-Terrorism Act in case of disobedience, as well as sell the properties of the offendants.
“After evaluation of the entire evidence of the prosecution, I am of the considered opinion that the prosecution has proved its case against proclaimed offenders and absconders,” Shahbaz said.
The order reads: “The malicious acts of the proclaimed offenders ignited the sentiments of all the Muslims of the country and hurt the feelings, which cannot be taken lightly and there is need to strictly curb such tendency.”
No there isn’t. That is not the tendency that needs to be curbed in Pakistan. You’re looking in the wrong place altogether.
Certain Muslims don’t want pictures drawn of Mohammed because that might cause idolatry. But the efforts Muslims make to stifle any hint of criticism of Mohammed certainly seem idolatrous to this outsider.
I was going to say that these people have the minds of children, but on reflection I realized that I know some very sensible children.
Worth noting the conviction/order was issued in absentia. That said, from the linked article:
I would not recommend this course of action. If she goes, I hope she makes it back out.
Following up from another source:
Uh. Yeah, not doing anything wrong… not a good reason to subject yourself to a hostile judiciary.
She’ll be lucky to survive long enough to get in front of the judiciary.
“She’ll be lucky to survive long enough to get in front of the judiciary.”
Hate to say it but she’ll be lucky if they don’t just shoot down the plane she’s on.