By SHAUNA ANDERSON
A young girl aged just seven, along with her baby sister and her grandmother, have been burned to death in their family home.
The house was attacked by a mob angry over “blasphemous” material on Facebook.
The horrific murders took place in the Pakistani town of Gujranwala, 140 miles from the capital Islamabad.
The Guardian reports the family were considered Ahmadi; they are Muslim but believe in a prophet after Mohammed. A 1984 Pakistani law declared Ahmadis non-Muslims and many Pakistanis consider them heretics.
The violence began after an Ahmadi youth, aged just 17, posted a photo to Facebook to which a friend took offense. The photo was of the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure in the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
Mobs began attacking houses, setting fire to those considered Ahmadi.
The India Times cites a police officer as saying: “Later, a crowd of 150 people came to the police station demanding the registration of a blasphemy case against the accused.”
While police negotiated with the protesters the home of the young girl and her family was attacked.
According to The India Times, accusations of blasphemy are increasing in Pakistan. In 2011 there was just one, but last year that number had increased to at least 68. This year, over 100 people have been accused of blasphemy so far.
Human rights workers say the accusations are increasingly used to settle personal vendettas or to grab the property of the accused.
Penalties for blasphemy range from a fine to death.
Top Comments
Yes Mamamia, report on backward angry Muslims to get the Hillbillies out with their pitchforks, but show no coverage on the thousands of Palestinians who have been murdered and maimed by Israel in the past two weeks.
What? There's an article up today! And there have been a number of others in the past fortnight as well!
In this case and many cases Religion is just a weapon or a tool.
These murderers would find other excuses if they didn't have Religion.
Murderers and thieves are Murders and thieves.
So you don't think religion changes the way people think and act?
"Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion." Steven Weinberg