Syed Zeeshan S/O Syed Zakaullah , resident of district Mardan, province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan is sentenced to death for Blasphemy on WhatsApp by the Special Anti-Terrorist Court on 25 March 2023.
Syed Zeeshan, convicted to death sentence for blasphemy and complainant Muhammad Saeed both were member of a discussion group in WhatsApp messenger and both got involved in a discussion about the role of some companion of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), Syed Zeeshan posted an excerpt at i said group in WhatsApp from a primary sources of the history of early Islam to explain his faith according to Shiite Islam, , the said complainant reported it to Cyber Crime Wing of FIA, Islamabad while calling it a Blasphemy. A case was registered under Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act -PECA, 295-C of Anti-Blasphemy Act and Anti-Terrorists Act by Cyber Crime Wing FIA, Islamabad. Accused of Blasphemy in a WhatsApp message, Syed Zeeshan was arrested and confiscated his mobile phone by FIA Cyber Crimes wing Islamabad.
“Accused Zeeshan Mobile Phone was put to forensic examination before confirming that he was guilty by FIA”, said the lawyer of the complainant
According to media reports, the court order ‘Accused Syed Muhammad Zeeshan, son of Syed Zakaullah in custody has been convicted and sentenced after being found guilty. Zeeshan, who is a resident of Mardan, was fined 1.2 million alongside’
Gul-i-Zehra Rizvi, a Shia human rights defender from Islamabad talked to Shia Muslim Genocide -SMG website and she said, “Syed Zeeshan is not first Pakistan based Shia Muslim convicted to death by the Court for expressing his/her Shiite faith, this is second case, before this a young Shia guy Taimur Raza from Lahore has been convicted to death for Facebook Post reflecting his Shiite faith that was called blasphemy. Registration of cases against Shia Muslims under Blasphemy ACT, Prevention of Electronic Crimes even Anti-Terrorist Act are ample evidence that under pressure of Anti-Shia sectarian fascist & militant groups like Sipah-i-Sahabah Pakistan -SSP aka ASWJ, Tehreek Labaik Pakistan -TLP state institutions like FIA, Police are persecuting the Shia-Muslims and implicating them under the articles 295-A, 298-A even now 295-C of blasphemy Act and Courts are running trials under the Blasphemy Act against Shia Muslims just because of their Shia faith.”
Media obfuscates the Shia Identity of Victims of Blasphemy
Media in Pakistan specifically mentions their religious/sectarian identity while reporting blasphemy cases involving Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis but doesn’t mention religious identity when it reports blasphemy cases involving Shia Muslims. Same discourse of obfuscation of the religious or of sect identity was adopted by mainstream media in reporting the blasphemy cases against Taimur Raza and Syed Zeeshan who both are Shia Muslims. Even renowned human rights defenders and organizations acting in the country abstain themselves from mentioning the practicing the Shia faith as primary cause of registration of blasphemy cases against the Shia Muslims in Pakistan. Due to Obfuscation discourse adopted by mainstream media and human rights organizations in Pakistan, media and human rights organizations at international level too do not mention the real and primary cause involved in blasphemy cases against Shia Muslims in Pakistan.
According to HRCP’s annual report on Human Rights in Pakistan for 2021, there were 426 cases of blasphemy were registered in Punjab, Pakistan, most of the cases were filed against Shia Muslims, but HRCP also obfuscated the Shia Identity and just identified them as Muslims victims of Blasphemy Act. Same obfuscation we have seen in the Report on Victims of Blasphemy Laws in 2021 compiled by Justice & Peace Commission Pakistan.
“Recently we were instructed by the newspaper administration even not mention the religious identity of Shia Muslim victims of target killing. Therefore, I don’t mention it while reporting religious or sect based killing of Shia persons in Dera Ismail Khan, that is the hotbed of Shia Muslim target killing”, revealed a correspondent of a national daily at D.I. Khan to SMG website while asking not to show his identity.
“We appeal to international media and international human rights forums to take serious notice of religious persecution of Shia Muslims in Pakistan. International community should know that Shia Muslims in Pakistan are being implicated in blasphemy cases on a larger scale. In 2022, more than 20000 thousands cases under 295-A, 298-A, PECA Act were being registered against Shia Muslims just because of practicing of their Shia faith. Two Shia Muslims in Pakistan are now convicted to death under article 295-C of Blasphemy Act just over expressing their religious views but unfortunately the international community is not taking the Shia Muslim community as victim community of Blasphemy laws. Victimization based on Shia_Phobia is an undeniable reality in Pakistan but it is also a more neglected phenomenon by the international community”, said U.K based Syed Aqeel Hussain Consultant Psychiatrist and Human Rights defender.
References:
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40233413/court-sentences-man-to-death-for-blasphemy
https://hrcp-web.org/hrcpweb/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/2022-State-of-human-rights-in-2021.pdf
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-40246754
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/6/12/pakistan-death-penalty-for-blasphemy-on-facebook
