Religion 2010 -- Rose petals in Pakistan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In terms of giant headlines and spilled ink, there is no question that the lightning strike by U.S. special forces that killed Osama bin Laden was the\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/01\/religion-2010-rose-petals-in-pakistan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Religion 2010 -- Rose petals in Pakistan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In terms of giant headlines and spilled ink, there is no question that the lightning strike by U.S. special forces that killed Osama bin Laden was the\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/01\/religion-2010-rose-petals-in-pakistan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Terry Mattingly\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-01-03T12:00:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"tmatt\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"tmatt\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/01\/religion-2010-rose-petals-in-pakistan\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/01\/religion-2010-rose-petals-in-pakistan\/\",\"name\":\"Religion 2010 -- Rose petals in Pakistan\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-01-03T12:00:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-01-03T12:00:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#\/schema\/person\/76ce2260a572ff41a28fb285de9350f1\"},\"description\":\"In terms of giant headlines and spilled ink, there is no question that the lightning strike by U.S. special forces that killed Osama bin Laden was the\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/01\/religion-2010-rose-petals-in-pakistan\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/01\/religion-2010-rose-petals-in-pakistan\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/01\/religion-2010-rose-petals-in-pakistan\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Religion 2010 — Rose petals in Pakistan\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/\",\"name\":\"Terry Mattingly\",\"description\":\"On Religion\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#\/schema\/person\/76ce2260a572ff41a28fb285de9350f1\",\"name\":\"tmatt\",\"description\":\"Terry Mattingly directs the Washington Journalism Center at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. 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{"id":2443,"date":"2012-01-03T07:00:33","date_gmt":"2012-01-03T12:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tmatt.net\/?p=2443"},"modified":"2012-01-03T07:00:33","modified_gmt":"2012-01-03T12:00:33","slug":"religion-2010-rose-petals-in-pakistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2012\/01\/religion-2010-rose-petals-in-pakistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Religion 2010 — Rose petals in Pakistan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Thus, it isn\u2019t surprising that members of the Religion Newswriters Association selected the death of the world\u2019s most infamous radical Muslim as No. 1 in their poll to name the year\u2019s top 10 stories on the religion beat<\/a>. In addition to the symbolism of bin Laden\u2019s death in a post 9\/11 world, the poll\u2019s organizers said the killing spurred \u201cdiscussions among people of faith on issues of forgiveness, peace, justice and retribution.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, when I think about religion news events in 2011, another image from Pakistan flashes through my mind \u2014 a shower of rose petals.<\/p>\n

I am referring to the jubilant throngs of lawyers and demonstrators that greeted 26-year-old Malik Mumtaz Qadri with cheers, rose petals and flowers as he arrived at an Islamabad courtroom to be charged with terrorism and murder. Witnesses said Qadri fired 20 rounds into Salman Taseer\u2019s back, while members of the security team that was supposed to guard the Punjab governor stood watching.<\/p>\n

Moderate Muslim leaders, fearing for their lives, refused to condemn the shooting and many of the troubled nation\u2019s secular political leaders \u2014 including President Asif Ali Zardari, a friend and ally of Taseer \u2014 declined to attend the funeral. Many Muslim clerics, including many usually identified as \u201cmoderates,\u201d even praised the act of the assassin.<\/p>\n

Calling himself a \u201cslave of the Prophet,\u201d Qadri cheerfully surrendered. He noted that he had killed the moderate Muslim official because of Taseer\u2019s role in a campaign to overturn Pakistan\u2019s blasphemy laws that order death for those who insult Islam, especially those who convert from Islam to another religion.<\/p>\n

A few weeks later, Pakistan\u2019s minister of minority affairs \u2014 the only Christian in the national cabinet \u2014 died in another hail of bullets in Islamabad. Looking ahead, Shahbaz Bhatti had recorded a video testimony to be played on Al-Jazeera in the likely event that he, too, was assassinated.<\/p>\n

\u201dWhen I\u2019m leading this campaign against the Sharia laws, for the abolishment of blasphemy law, and speaking for the oppressed and marginalized \u2014 persecuted Christian and other minorities \u2014 these Taliban threaten me,\u201d said Bhatti, who was immediately hailed as a martyr by Catholic bishops in Pakistan. \u201cI\u2019m living for my community and suffering people and I will die to defend their rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the gunmen tossed pamphlets near Bhatti\u2019s bullet-riddled car that threatened him by name and stated, in part: \u201cFrom the Mujahideen of Islam, this fitting lesson for the world of infidelity, the crusaders, the Jews and their aides \u2026 especially the leader of the infidel government of Pakistan, Zardari. \u2026 In the Islamic Sharia, the ruling for one who insults the Prophet is nothing but death.\u201d<\/p>\n

The assassinations of Taseer and Bhatti placed 16th in this 2011 poll. As for me, I fear that these events say as much, or more, about the future of Pakistan and trends worldwide than the long-expected death of bin Laden.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the rest of the Religion Newswriters Association\u2019s top 10 list:<\/p>\n

No. 2 \u2014<\/strong> Congress holds intense hearings on trends among American Muslims, with the House focusing on evidence of radicalism in some mosques and the Senate focusing on crimes reported against Muslims.<\/p>\n

No. 3 \u2014<\/strong> Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn is charged with failure to report the suspected abuse of a child \u2014 the first active American Catholic bishop to face criminal prosecution in such a case.<\/p>\n

No. 4 \u2014<\/strong> Catholic leaders introduce a new English version of the Roman Missal, the first major change to this translation since 1973.<\/p>\n

No. 5 \u2014<\/strong> Leaders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) vote to allow \u201clocal option\u201d on the ordination of partnered, noncelibate gay clergy.<\/p>\n

No. 6 \u2014<\/strong> Pope John Paul II is beatified \u2014 the last step before sainthood \u2014 in a Vatican rite attended by a million-plus people.<\/p>\n

No. 7 \u2014<\/strong> Radio preacher Harold Camping predicts the end of the world, twice.<\/p>\n

No. 8 \u2014<\/strong> Evangelical progressive Rob Bell publishes \u201cLove Wins,\u201d a controversial book challenging centuries of Christian doctrine about hell and damnation.<\/p>\n

No. 9 \u2014<\/strong> The Personhood Initiative, designed to outlaw abortion, fails at the polls in Mississippi. The number of laws restricting abortion, however, rises nationwide.<\/p>\n

No. 10 \u2014<\/strong> Historians and readers celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible, while traditionalists, including Southern Baptist leaders, criticize the latest gender language tweaks in the New International Version.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"