Pakistani Mob Nearly Lynches Woman Over Her Dress

The mob mentality once again struck in Pakistan and it nearly claimed the life of a young Pakistani woman.  A series of videos revealed that in the city of Lahore a Pakistani mob of over 300 people gathered around a Pakistani woman who was wearing a dress with Arabic text.  The mob, mistaking the Arabic lettering for Qur'anic verses, accused the woman of blasphemy.  The mob screamed obscenities at her and attempted to attack, with some calling for her to be shot or beheaded (Link to Video).  Fortunately, enough police officers were nearby to keep the mob back managed to escort the young woman away to safety.  The officers then issued an official report in which they stated that Islamic scholars examined the dress and confirmed that it was simply Arabic writing and not Qur'anic text, therefore assuring that the young woman is innocent of the blasphemy accusation (Link to Video).  

The accused woman then issued a formal apology to all that were inadvertently offended by the dress and further stated that she was a devout Muslim and would never knowingly blaspheme.  However, it still remains to be seen whether or not this woman will fall victim to Pakistani mob violence even though her innocence was confirmed by Islamic scholars.  All too often many people are forced to flee their local communities and settle in other areas of the country because the stigma of the accusations continue to follow them even if the authorities confirm their innocence.  

Sadly, incidents like this are not uncommon in Pakistan.  On April 13, 2017, a mob lynched 25-year-old college student Mashal Khan after he was accused of posting blasphemous content online.  On August 16, 2023 rumors circulated through the Pakistani city of Jaranwala that two Christian men desecrated a Qur'an.  This led to two days of rioting that witnessed the destruction of 26 churches, 78 Christian homes, and the desecration of many Bibles.  In this particular case, the woman was very lucky.  All to often the mob mentality is too strong to stop and police will not intervene, often standing by while the accused victim is killed by the mob (Link to Video).  Sadly, this trend of "mob violence" in reaction to accusations of "blasphemy" show no signs of ending.  


Sources:

Davies, Caroline.  "Months After Attacks Pakistan's Christian's Still Feel Unsafe."  BBC.  Dec. 23, 2023.  Accessed from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-67781469.  

Davies, Caroline.  "Pakistan Woman in Arabic Script Dress Saved from Mob Claiming Blasphemy."  BBC.  Feb. 26, 2024.  Accessed from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68399822.

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

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