The Lynching of Mashal Khan

During my travels in Pakistan in Dec. 2017, I discussed with some of my hosts about Pakistan's blasphemy laws with most hosts and they informed me how out of control they are.  They informed me that in April of 2017, a young Muslim college student by the name of Mashal Khan, who studying at to receive a degree in Mass Communications at Abdul Wali Khan University. A humanist & believer in free speech, he paid for his beliefs with his life.  All he had done was put a few posts on Facebook.  Radical clerics in the region claimed that these posts blasphemed the Islamic faith.  Soon, a mob of people stormed through the campus and beat Mashal, Khan to death.  A later investigation by the Pakistani police concluded that none of Mashal's posts blasphemed Islam.  Dozens of people were arrested & imprisoned for murdering this innocent man.  

It is absurd that a young man would be beaten to death by a mob simply for "allegedly" posting something that was considered offensive to a faith.  Why would such a travesty happen?  What could possibly drive people, some of whom knew Mashal for years, to suddenly become a mob and savagely murder him over nothing?  Well to understand that, we must look at Pakistani Law and Islam's sources.  Under Pakistani Law, anything considered to be "blasphemous" against the Islamic faith can lead to a prison sentence, or execution.  Young Christian woman Asia Bibi has been sitting on Death Row in Pakistan for nearly 8 years due to an accusation that she "blasphemed Islam."  Hundreds of Muslims and non-Muslims are also in prison or on death row for "blasphemy."  These notorious "Blasphemy Laws," are now extending to social media as Pakistani Lawmakers are now demanding that those who post content considered "blasphemous" should be arrested and prosecute.  However, there are times when mobs simply take this law into their own hands and carry out the sentence themselves.  Such was the case for Mashal Khan.

Sadly, this is a practice that has gone back to the very origins of Islam.  Ibn Ishaq, who wrote Sīrat Rasūl Allāh (one of the early biographies of Muhammad), stated that Muhammad ordered the execution of his critics when he conquered the city of Mecca in 630 A.D.  It was also documented in Ibn Ishaq's book that Muhammad not only ordered the execution of his critics, but he also ordered people executed who simply made fun of him.  In fact, there was a case when a Muslim man killed the mother of his own children for criticizing Muhammad.  Instead of rebuking this action, Muhammad praised the Muslim man for his actions.  To this day, people around the world are still murdered for criticizing and making fun of Islam.  The Charlie Hebdo shooting in France is clear proof of this.  

As insult to all of this, Facebook is actually facilitating these despicable actions.  Instead of taking a stand against this "mob mentality" that claimed Mashal's life, condemning Pakistan's Blasphemy Laws, and standing for free speech, they are actually dishonoring Mashal's memory by promising to "crack down" on content that is considered "offensive to Islam."  Instead of honoring Mashal's memory by supporting Free Speech, Facebook is increasingly seeking to suppress it, to appease the mobs instead of condemning them.  Facebook is rapidly becoming a platform of hypocrisy and double standards, and I think it's time that Zuckerberg and his cohorts start being called out on this.  If Facebook, CNN, & MSNBC does not start doing the right thing and start standing for Free Speech, then the Blood of Mashal Khan is on their hands.  

Sources

Acts17Apologetics.  "Muslim Mob Beats Student to Death for Blasphemy."  Filmed [April 2017].  YouTube Video 6:54.  Posted [April 2017].  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSQMPlxDFlI

Ishaq, Ibn.  Sirat Rasul Allah.  

"Mashal Khan Case: Death Sentence for Pakistan 'Blasphemy' Murder."  BBC.  Feb. 07, 2018.  Accessed from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42970587.