Blasphemy

Just a glass of water!

Many die for lack of it. Another will probably die because of it.

Many people in the world are without clean water but in Pakistan some Muslim women said that a glass of water was unclean because it had been touched by a Christian. This small episode has already cost the life of the Governor of Punjab,Salmaan Taseer, who was assassinated by a member of his security team and was widely praised for the murder. The Christian mother, Asia Bibi, is in prison for her alleged 'crime'. If she escapes the noose she will almost certainly be killed by a self appointed executioner who fails to see the blasphemy of assuming that the Almighty needs an earthly hand to judge another of God's children.

Accusations of blasphemy areincreasing in Pakistan. Although Muslims are not exempt, the law is easily used against minority religions such as Christianity in Islamic countries . Pope Benedict has beencondemned throughout the Muslim world simply for highlighting the problem. An alliance of Pakistani Islamist organisations have said they would hold rallies to protest Pope Benedict XVI's remarks that called on the country to scrap an anti-blasphemy law which allows for the death penalty for insulting Islam.

To comment is not to insult Islam. Such charges are designed to make Islamists untouchable regardless of excess. Charges of racism and Islamophobia are frequently raised in Great Britain when searching questions are asked, ignoring the overriding problem. Killing people simply for having different religious beliefs in the twenty-first century is totally unacceptable by any measure. Silence implies acceptance of religious intolerance which results in the 'religious cleansing' of which President Sarkosy haswarned.