10 y/o killed as mob attacks Pakistan police station in attempted lynching of ‘blasphemous’ man
Pakistani protesters gather outside a police station during a demonstration against a Hindu man charged with blasphemy in the town of Hub in southwest restive Balochistan province on May 4, 2017 © Niaz Shahzed / AFP
A 10-year-old boy was fatally shot in Pakistan when an angry mob attacked a police station in an attempt to lynch a man charged with blasphemy. Five others were injured in the violence.
Prakash Kumar, a 34-year-old Hindu man, was arrested in the town of Hub, southwest Balochistan province, on Tuesday. He stands accused of sharing blasphemous content on the popular messaging service WhatsApp.
Once news of his arrest had spread across town through local newspapers, a mob of at least 500 people stormed the police station, demanding the authorities hand Kumar over so they could publicly lynch him.
When authorities refused to release Kumar, the mob – led by religious clerics and the head of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League political party – opened fire and began beating up officers, AFP reported, citing local police official Abdul Sattar.
Police official Jam Mohammad also confirmed the incident, saying "the siege went on for about three hours." A 10-year-old boy was shot in the clashes. He died at a nearby hospital, according to India Today. Five others were injured in the violence, Sattar said. Three of those were police officials, Huffington Post India reported.
The crowd was eventually dispersed by paramilitary troops. Police also used tear gas and aerial firing, according to Huffpost India.
Around 25 protesters were reportedly taken into custody following the incident.
Kumar has been sent to jail pending further investigation, with senior superintendent of police Lasbela Zia Mandokhel saying that the cell phone used to send the alleged content had been seized.
The incident marks the third major vigilante attack against people accused of blasphemy in Pakistan in less than 30 days.
Last month, a journalism student was beaten to death by a mob on his campus, after he was accused of having blasphemous views. He was beaten so brutally that his skull eventually caved in, according to video footage obtained by Reuters.
Less than one week later, a mob attacked a mentally ill man who claimed to be a prophet at his local mosque in northwest Chitral. He was rescued by police and survived the assault.
And don't forget 2015's hardly believable story of Farkhunda.
Blasphemy is an extremely serious accusation in Pakistan, which has a majority Muslim population. At least 65 people have been murdered over such allegations since 1990, according to figures cited in a Center for Research and Security Studies report.
In March, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif issued an order for the removal of blasphemous content, saying that anyone who posts such material should face "strict punishment under the law."
Meanwhile, those who stand up against blasphemy are often regarded as heroes.
Of course, in Islam, Allah is, apparently, incapable of standing up for himself. People have to protect Him. Or, people have to protect other people from hearing anything that might question his existence or his goodness. That is called propaganda, at best, and brain-washing, at worst.
Let me share a little story. I once wrote an article for a small local newspaper and took it to the editor. He said there was one statement that troubled him and he would like me to verify that statement with a doctor. I did, it took a couple days. In the meantime the editor printed my article in full.
I was furious - he set me up for criticism. And sure enough, the next paper contained a scathing critique of my article which happened to be written by a friend of the editor.
I wanted to lash back at the editor but I felt God wanted me to hold back - "vengeance is Mine" said the Lord. So, because my article checked out with the doctor, I used the opportunity to write another article in which I refrained from criticizing the editor.
Less the 3 weeks later, someone bought up a whole chain of local newspapers including the one in question, and immediately fired the editor.
God, the real God, is very capable of defending Himself. It is good that we Christians are ready to fight for Jesus Christ, but the bulk of that fighting should be done on our knees.
Allah, however, is in need of human protection. What does that tell you?
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