: Blasphemous Rumours Lead to a Death Sentence

Dr. Younis Sheikh, a medical lecturer, has been waiting in a Pakistani prison for two years for a death sentence against him to be carried out. His crime? Stating his opinion in front of his class that the parents of the Prophet (saw) could not have been Muslim since they died before Islam was revealed – a remark labeled by the courts as “blasphemous” and deserving of the death penalty. Even though human rights activists and Islamic scholars around the world have rallied behind Dr. Younis, and religious minorities in Pakistan charge that the law has been used to oppress them, it appears that President Musharraf doesn’t want to invite the wrath of the powerful right-wing of Pakistani politics. Meanwhile, a man waits to die for the crime of having a religious opinion.

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.