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| India-Pakistan |
| Girl accused of blasphemy for a spelling error |
| 2011-09-25 |
| ABBOTTABAD: It may have been a mere misplaced dot that led to accusations of blasphemy against a Christian eighth-grader, whose miniscule error led to her expulsion from school and uproar amongst local religious leaders. Faryal Bhatti, a student at the Sir Syed Girls High School in Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) colony Havelian, erroneously misspelt a word in an Urdu exam while answering a question on a poem written in praise of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The word in question was ‘laanat’ instead of ‘naat’ – an easy error for a child to make, as the written versions of the words are similar. According to the school administration and religious leaders who took great exception to the hapless student’s mistake, the error is ‘serious’ enough to fall within the realm of blasphemy, Saturday. Spelling out her punishment On Thursday, Faryal’s Urdu teacher was collecting the answer sheets from her students when she noticed the apparently offensive word on her pupil’s sheet. The teacher, Fareeda Bibi, reportedly summoned the Christian girl, scolded her and beat her. Her punishment, however, did not end here. When Faryal’s class fellows learnt of the alleged blasphemy, the teacher brought the principal’s notice to the matter, who further informed the school management. In the meanwhile, the news spread throughout the colony. The next day, male students of the POF colony school as well as certain religious elements took out a rally, demanding the registration of a criminal case against the eighth-grader and her expulsion from the area. Prayer leaders within the community also condemned the incident in their Friday sermons, asking the colony’s administration to not only take action against Faryal but her entire family. In the wake of the increasing tensions, Managing Director POF Colony Havelian Asif Siddiki called a meeting of colony-based ulemas and school teachers to discuss the situation. The girl and her mother were asked to appear before the meeting, where they explained that it was a mere error, caused by a resemblance between the two words. The two immediately apologised, adding that Faryal had no malicious intentions. In a move that was apparently meant to pacify the religious elements clamouring for action against the teenage ‘blasphemer’, the POF administration expelled her from the school on Saturday. Faryal was not the only one who got in trouble for her spelling error, however, as her mother, Sarafeen Bhatti, who was a staff nurse at the POF Hospital Havelian for several years, was immediately transferred to POF Wah Cantonment Hospital. Decision applauded While talking to The Express Tribune, Maulana Alla Dita Khateeb of Gol Masjid praised the decision of the POF colony administration, claiming that he had personally seen the answer sheet in question. He further went on to say that he had met the girl himself, who had apologised for the word used in error. Asked whether the incident still fell within the realm of blasphemy and whether Faryal deserved expulsion when she had misspelt the word unintentionally, Khateeb said that although he was unclear about the intentions of the girl, the word she had used was sacrilegious. The managing director of POF Colony was not available for comment |
| Posted by:john frum |
| #8 Paks save their imagination for coming up with excuses. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2011-09-25 18:20 |
| #7 in Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) colony Seriously? That's the name of the place? Prison Colony Planet #8352? They couldn't call it The Woodlands, Island Park, Rolling Meadows, Buena Vista, Great Falls, or something nice like that? |
| Posted by: RandomJD 2011-09-25 18:04 |
| #6 Daniel Pipes compiled a list of similar incidents in the West: 'Finding Allah in Unlikely Places' |
| Posted by: Gomez Angomock6415 2011-09-25 16:19 |
| #5 The Dhimmi population had better Damned well quit being Dhimmi and fight back, or it will be too late. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2011-09-25 14:39 |
| #4 The Dhimmi population must be kept in constant insecurity and terror. Every Dhimmi must at any moment worry whether anything he does or doesn't say, write or do will result in his and his family's doom. That level of terror can only be maintained if on occasion exemplary punishment is meted out. This works best if the There's an evil method behind this madness. |
| Posted by: Gomez Angomock6415 2011-09-25 12:43 |
| #3 pig-ignorance. Ironic, no? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2011-09-25 11:20 |
| #2 May be that the reason the words look so much alike is that their meaning is so much alike.... |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2011-09-25 08:54 |
| #1 |
| Posted by: john frum 2011-09-25 08:07 |