Melech 9,900 Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan  A mob accused of burning alive a Christian couple in an industrial kiln in Pakistan allegedly wrapped a pregnant mother in cotton so she would catch fire more easily, according to family members who witnessed the attack. Sajjad Maseeh, 27, and his wife Shama Bibi, 24, were set upon by at least 1,200 people after rumors circulated that they had burned verses from the Quran, family spokesman Javed Maseeh told NBC News via telephone late Thursday. Their legs were also broken so they couldn't run away. "They picked them up by their arms and legs and held them over the brick furnace until their clothes caught fire," he said. "And then they threw them inside the furnace." Bibi, a mother of four who was four months pregnant, was wearing an outfit that initially didn't burn, according to Javed Maseeh. The mob removed her from over the kiln and wrapped her up in cotton to make sure the garments would be set alight. Although burning the Quran is technically punishable by death in Pakistan, Tuesday's killing in Punjab province has triggered protests by the country's Christians and prompted Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to say he would show "no mercy" to those responsible. As rumors gathered pace that they had burned pages from the Muslim holy book, the couple tried to flee but were forbidden to leave by the brick factory's owner. Just like their parents, the slain pair worked under an arrangement of bonded labor and the owner said they owed him money. Accompanied by a dozen people, factory owner Yousaf Gujjar allegedly went to the couple's home last weekend and locked them in an office so they couldn't leave. By Tuesday, loudspeaker announcements from local mosques were branding Sajjad and Shama as "blasphemous" and saying they should be "wajib-ul-qatal," which translates as "necessarily murdered," according to the family's account. Unable to break down the office door, the swelling crowd ripped open the building’s thatched roof. "They first threw bricks at them," said Javed Maseeh, who is Sajjad's cousin. "Then they dragged them out" and burned them. Sajjad Maseeh, who was also known by his nickname "Shahbaz," was just seven years old when he started working at the factory. His family was tied to it through an arrangement of bonded labor whereby cross-generational debts were paid back through toil. Sajjad Maseeh was born in the building where he was brutally murdered, according to his cousin. "The bones are still being found," Javed Maseeh said. "Friends keep on collecting them and bringing them to us in batches of two or three. We will bury these bones when we have enough for the bodies. But we will not find all of them, I'm sure." Whether or not the couple burned a Quran is still unclear. Sajjad Maseeh's brothers denied it. However, Mushtaq Gill, a lawyer and Christian rights activist in Pakistan, said verses from the religious text were among a pile of unwanted possessions owned by Sajjad Maseeh's recently deceased father. The belongings were cleared away and burned by Bibi, whom Gill said was "uneducated and probably didn't realize she was burning the Quran and not just any documents." Before the mob attacked Bibi, a sister who recently converted to Islam played the role of mediator and offered her the option to adopt the religion to calm tensions, according to Javed Maseeh's account. "Shama rejected this proposal," he said. The slain husband had a Muslin convert brother, Fayaz, who stayed in the village and is safe. But his three Christian brothers, Saleem, Imtiaz and Nawaz, witnessed the incident and spoke to NBC News through Javed Maseeh. They have escaped and are claiming their lives are now in danger. Four suspects remain in custody and another 50 were booked and are being investigated, according to local police. Pakistan’s Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, brother of Prime Minister Sharif, is promising the family five million rupees (around $50,000) and 10 acres of land in compensation. According to the National Minority Alliance, Christians form under three percent of Pakistan’s estimated 180 million people. Pakistan's much-debated "Blasphemy Law" is often used to target Christians and other minorities. In 2012, 14-year-old Rimsha Masih was falsely accused of burning the Quran, the sacred Islamic text. Charges were later dropped amid international concern for her safety, but the law, remains on the books. Alexander Smith contributed to this report from London. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/pakistani-christians-burned-alive-were-attacked-1-200-people-kin-n243386 what a sick world we live in Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Didymus 34,380 Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 It will ask a lot of people to change this law. I hope one day there will be enough pressure from within Islamic culture to rethink these concepts of the Quran as a sacred object (we're getting there closer now that Muslims are confronted more and more with digital expressions of faith, for example reading the Quran on your smartphone) because outside pressure is not a very effective way I think. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melech 9,900 Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 It will ask a lot of people to change this law. I hope one day there will be enough pressure from within Islamic culture to rethink these concepts of the Quran as a sacred object (we're getting there closer now that Muslims are confronted more and more with digital expressions of faith, for example reading the Quran on your smartphone) because outside pressure is not a very effective way I think. i hope so too. They shouldn't have religion of fear but a religion of celebrating and praising Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByeBye49 161 Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Didymus 34,380 Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 i hope so too. They shouldn't have religion of fear but a religion of celebrating and praising That reminds me of one of my favorite Islamic mystical stories, written by a woman, which makes it even more epic. A woman initiated in Sufism (Islamic mysticism) walks into a village with a torch in her left hand and a bucket of water in her right hand. She yells to the people: "I shall burn the heavens and quench the hells. And then we shall see who loves Allah not out of fear for punishment or hope for reward, but for Allah Himself." It's writers like these that give me so much hope for the beautiful culture that is Islam. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHANTEL 2 Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Well, let me think what churches like mine do. Spending tons of moneys to help the poor, giving food/clothes for homeless people, give them shelter in the winter, don't take money from their members. Yes totally terror and creating wars. RELIGIONS, did I say churches? and I couldn't care one bit about what you think your church is doing, at the end it's stills separating people. We're in 2014, people need to religion is BS and that it's just a tool used by governments, people at power/etc. to influence people Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melech 9,900 Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 RELIGIONS, did I say churches? and I couldn't care one bit about what you think your church is doing, at the end it's stills separating people. We're in 2014, people need to religion is BS and that it's just a tool used by governments, people at power/etc. to influence people Yes and my church acts after a religion. My church unites people. Poor and rich, black and white, old and young. I'm actually shocked by you lack of tolerance and knowledge of religions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Didymus 34,380 Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 RELIGIONS, did I say churches? and I couldn't care one bit about what you think your church is doing, at the end it's stills separating people. We're in 2014, people need to religion is BS and that it's just a tool used by governments, people at power/etc. to influence people Religion can also be an individual practice, obviously. Stop trying to derail the thread, this is totally unnecessary. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garnite 8 Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 wonder how long it'll take someone to say that 1200 people killing people because of rumours of burning a religious book has "nothing to do with religion". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHANTEL 2 Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Religion can also be an individual practice, obviously. Stop trying to derail the thread, this is totally unnecessary. personal beliefs aren't what I'm talking about, I'm talking about the 'main' rleigions, such as Buddhism, christianity, islam, judaism, Hinduism, etc. Yes and my church acts after a religion. My church unites people. Poor and rich, black and white, old and young. I'm actually shocked by you lack of tolerance and knowledge of religions. it's acting after a religion, and this religion is still separating people. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Didymus 34,380 Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 personal beliefs aren't what I'm talking about, I'm talking about the 'main' rleigions, such as Buddhism, christianity, islam, judaism, Hinduism, etc. You can't seriously pretend those are static, easy-to-define currents. Their history is immense and complicated. Simplifying religious developments isn't gonna help us to get rid of its fanaticism. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melech 9,900 Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 personal beliefs aren't what I'm talking about, I'm talking about the 'main' rleigions, such as Buddhism, christianity, islam, judaism, Hinduism, etc. it's acting after a religion, and this religion is still separating people. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9svNAjMg0yQ such terror,such cruelty, such war Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melech 9,900 Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 personal beliefs aren't what I'm talking about, I'm talking about the 'main' rleigions, such as Buddhism, christianity, islam, judaism, Hinduism, etc. it's acting after a religion, and this religion is still separating people. Gimme examples please Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garnite 8 Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9svNAjMg0yQ such terror,such cruelty, such war hamas and hezbollah are also known for their charity and humanitarian efforts. but i think we all know it's besides the point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melech 9,900 Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 hamas and hezbollah are also known for their charity and humanitarian efforts. but i think we all know it's besides the point. well, still my church doesn't attack a country or creates war, so you argument is invalid Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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