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| India-Pakistan |
| MMA against blasphemy law reform bill |
| 2007-05-09 |
| The National Assembly on Tuesday rejected a bill moved by minority member MP Bhandara seeking amendments to the blasphemy laws. It was Private Members’ Day and for the first time during the current session the House completed its legislative agenda of the day. The House, especially Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) members, protested when Bhandara sought the speaker’s permission to introduce the bill. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi called the bill un-Islamic, saying the speaker should have killed it in his chamber. He said Bhandara had moved such a bill earlier also, which created a lot of controversy. Fareed Paracha and Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali of the MMA said the new rules of procedure and conduct of business had clearly stated that any bill contrary to Islamic teachings could not be brought to the House. Bhandara said the overreaction of his fellow members had ‘disappointed’ him. Bhandara proposed amending Section 295-B and 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (Act XLV of 1860) and inserting a new section 203-D in Act V of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898. Bhandara proposed life imprisonment for someone who willfully defiled, damaged or desecrated the Quran or any other holy book held sacred by any class of persons, or an extract therefrom or used it in any derogatory manner or for any unlawful purpose. In the present form of the section the punishment is restricted to the desecration of the Quran only. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Sounds like unislamic is the muslim equivalent of the western screech "politically correct". |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-05-09 04:04 |