In another case of persecution of religious minorities in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a Christian woman named Tabitha Nazir Gill was slapped and stripped after she was accused of blasphemy, reported UCA News.
As per reports, the victim was assaulted at the Sobhraj Maternity Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan where she had worked as a nurse for 9 years. She was accused of insulting Prophet Muhammad, Prophet Abraham and Prophet Adam by her colleagues.
One nurse, who works with the victim, named Nasreen alleged, “She (Tabitha) urged others to say ‘Jesus’ to solve their problems. Don’t speak the name. She commits blasphemy. We shall bury her. We will sacrifice our generations for the dignity of the prophets”
In a video that has now gone viral on social media, Nasreen was seen thrashing the victim. The incident took place on Thursday (January 28) during which Tabitha was dragged from the 3rd to the 1st floor and repeatedly assaulted by her colleagues and onlookers.
She was locked in a room, thrashed with brooms, tied with ropes and forced to tender an apology. “Close the gate. Don’t let her escape. Beat her. Why did you speak of our religion? Rub your nose on the ground. Repent from Allah,” others yelled in the background.
#Video A #Muslim cleric and a colleague of a #Christian nurse attacked by a mob following #blasphemy allegations have called on their social media followers to protect minorities. @BBugti pic.twitter.com/SujmzeMCet
— Saqeena Quasim (@saqeena_quasim) February 1, 2021
Meanwhile, the cops were called in and the victim was taken to the police station. The police initially ruled it a ‘case of misunderstanding’ and allowed Tabitha to go home. However, on the same evening, a case was registered against the victim under Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) Section 295-C (blasphemy). According to the First Information Report (FIR), one Muslim woman named Saba claimed that the victim had insulted Prophet Ismael.
She alleged, “She (Tabitha) stated that Ishmael stomped the Zamzam holy water we drink. Adam committed adultery with Eve. She twisted the name of Muhammad, adding that Muhammad is nothing. Nobody came after Jesus.” Dismissing the allegations of blasphemy, the victim narrated, “I didn’t do anything like this. I am a Christian. We don’t swear but still, I swear by Jesus and the Bible. This is their plan. Let me call my husband.”
Christian groups condemn the incident
While condemning the incident, one Father Abid Habib said that the assault on Tabitha reflected jealousy and ignorance on the part of the perpetrators. He said, “I have said this a thousand times. If Allah Almighty has said that blasphemers must be killed, then I can say that Almighty Allah is not Rahman-e-Rahim (benevolent and merciful). If his Prophet has commanded to kill blasphemers, then he can never be called Rahmat-e-Alamin (mercy to the world).”
Another Pastor Irfan James called for action against ‘jihadi women’ who assaulted and tortured the victim. Similarly, Director of CLASS-UK, Nasir Saeed, questioned the role of the police in determining whether the blasphemy allegations were a way to settle personal scores. “It is the need of the times to look into this matter and stop the growing misuse of the blasphemy law against innocent people. The wording of the blasphemy law is so broad and vague that it has allowed a wide range of acts and its continuous misuse,” he added.
Christian mother and her son brutally lynched to death
In November last year, a Christian woman named Yasmin and her son Usman Masih was brutally killed by a Muslim mob led by Muhammad Hassan and others in Kathor Kalan village in Gujranwala, Pakistan. The gruesome lynching of the Christian mother-son duo reportedly took place in the name of blasphemy.
According to activist Rahat Austin, Yasmin was shot dead by Mohammad Hassan. His son, severely injured, died minutes later as he desperately clung to his wife’s hands while his two daughters saw their father dying. The activist further mentions that the crowd gathered at the spot watched the specter of violence unleashed against the Christian family, with none of them coming forward to help them.
