Considering everything else that is going on in the Middle East these days, it’s no wonder that there was little international attention to the death of Qumar David in Pakistan.
David was the 50-year-old Christian Pakistani who had been jailed — just for a quarter century — for blasphemy and who recently died in prison.
Natural causes, according to the officials.
Murder, according to the man’s attorney.
As the Associated Press reported: “Two prominent Pakistani politicians have been murdered this year for their campaign to change blasphemy laws that make it a capital offense to insult Islam.
“Critics say the laws are widely misused to persecute Christians or settle scores in the mostly Muslim country.
“Human rights groups say Christians convicted under the law have been murdered by extremists.”
Pervez Chaudhry is the attorney who has since stated that he is 100 percent certain that David was murdered.
Both men were receiving death threats since David went to trial last year.
The dead man had been sentenced to 25 years in prison for blasphemy — another ploy frequently used to attach Christians in this part of the world.
“Christians have long been a persecuted minority in Pakistan and frequently complain they have little access to justice.
“Pakistan’s ruling party is broadly secular, but is under pressure from Islamist political parties as well as militants waging a bloody campaign of violence. It has not spoken out loudly against the murders of the two politicians, and shelved any plans to amend the blasphemy laws to try and make them less susceptible to abuse,” the AP explained.
It’s just another side of this part of the world that American “leaders” keep thrusting us into.
— Chuck Smith