CHRISTIAN SCHOOL MASTER FRAMED FOR BLASPHEMY IN PAKISTAN

Apparent rivalry between a Christian and a Muslim school has led to a charge of blasphemy against a Christian teacher in Sialkot District.
Thirty-five year old Parvez Masih, a dedicated Christian teacher, was accused by rival Muslims on 1st April 2001 and now faces the threat of 
a death sentence.

For the past fifteen years Parvez Masih has been running a reputable private school, Iqbal Memorial High School, in Chailayke village where
there are six hundred Muslim families and twenty Christian families.  A year and a half ago, a Muslim by the name of Mohammad Ibrahim opened
M.I. Muslim High School in the same area. However, due to the high standards and long-standing reputation of Iqbal Memorial High School, 
it has attracted more students than M.I. Muslim High. Local sources suggest that Mohammad Ibrahim has been devising malicious schemes to force
Parvez Masih into closing down his school. His latest attempt was to lodge a complaint of blasphemy with the local police in Daska Saddar.

The Christian Liberation Front Pakistan (CLF) report that the allegation was based on the testimony of three Muslim students, Wakeel Ahmed,
Mohammad Bashir and Mohammad Ramzan (all minors). All were said to have told Mohammad Ibrahim and another Muslim teacher Mohammad Sajjad, a close relative of Mohammad Ibrahim, that Parvez Masih had uttered blasphemous words against the Prophet Mohammad during a lesson some two to three months ago.

Without verifying the facts, the Deputy Commissioner of Sialker registered Mohammad Ibrahim’s complaint under Section 295C of the
Pakistan Penal Code on 1st April 2001. Parvez Masih was duly arrested and is being held in detention pending trial.

Currently, the atmosphere in Chailayke village is intense and volatile.  The Bar Council of Sialkot has announced that any lawyer taking up the
case of Parvez Masih would be killed. Extremists Islamic groups in the area, in particular the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and the Sipah Sihaba, have
also declared that those pleading for Parvez Masih and those found helping him would be dealt with severely.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) strongly condemns the misuse of blasphemy laws to settle personal scores and demands the immediate and
unconditional release of Parvez Masih.  Advocacy Director Tina Lambert adds, "The Blasphemy Laws are regularly
used as a weapon of discrimination against religious minorities in Pakistan. Over the years the lives of scores of innocent individuals -
men and women like Parvez Masih - have been ruined on the pretext of punishing ‘blasphemy’. It is high time that the international 
community called the Pakistan Government to account for its failure to reform its legislation in accordance with international standards of justice and
human rights."

For more information please contact Lydia Haines on +44 (0)20 8942 8810
CHRISTIAN SOLIDARITY WORLDWIDE
PO BOX 99, NEW MALDEN
SURREY KT3 3YF, UK