Saleem and Rasheed Masih

Saleem Masih and Rasheed Masih, two Pakistani brothers are imprisoned on charges of blasphemy against Mohammed and Islam. A store vendor refused to serve the two men ice cream because he could not serve Christians in the same bowls used by Muslims. The vendor, Maqsood Ahmed, told the two men that if they wanted to buy ice cream from him, they had to supply their own bowls. When the two men challenged this assertion, the vendor accused the men of blasphemy. Unfortunately, the charges were registered by the police. Despite the fact that a number of Muslim families in the community sided with the two Christians as they knew the charges against them were false, officials continued to pursue the case.

In May of 2000, the brothers were sentenced to 35 years of imprisonment. Originally the two men were sentenced to death under Section 295c of the Pakistani Penal Code. Later, Judge Yousaf sentenced the men under Section 295a to a $925.00 fine and 25 years in prison. He also added another 10 years and a $460.00 fine for “insulting Islam.” The case was appealed to the High Court in May of 2000, but the appeal is still pending (normally, it takes approximately three to four years for an appeal to be heard on a blasphemy case. Even after that time, some judges will continue to postpone hearing the case due to pressure from extremist groups).

The families of the accused have been under tremendous pressure by their communities. A third brother, Hamid Masih, in addition to raising his own five children, is taking care of the eight children, three and five respectively, of the two imprisoned men. In June of 2001, criminals broke into the house of Hamid Masih, stole all his belongings and raped his wife.

Unfortunately, unscrupulous individuals level blasphemy charges as a method of solving land and business disputes. Religious and ethnic minorities bear the brunt of the false accusations. Although the Pakistani government has not put anyone to death under this law, once accusations of blasphemy are made against an individual, the local community often takes matters into its own hands and kills those accused.

To help Saleem and Rasheed Masih, please write letters to Iranian government officials listed here using the text below as a model.  

Key Pakistani government officials

Chief Executive:

His Excellency Pervez Musharraf
President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Islamabad
Pakistan

Dear Mr. President:

Ambassador:

Her Excellency
Dr. Maleeha Lodhi
Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
2315 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008

Dear Madam Ambassador:

Sample Letter

Dear Mr. President:

I write today as a friend of the Pakistani people and as an American citizen wishing to express my deep concern about the imprisonment of Saleem and Rasheed Masih. Reports reveal that the two brothers are in prison due to blasphemy charges leveled against them. I am very concerned about the safety of the two men, their families, and other religious and ethnic minorities due to the misuse of the blasphemy law.

Unfortunately, despite clear evidence from Muslim community members that the charges were false, the judge charged and sentenced the two men under Section 295A and 295C of the Pakistani Penal Code. The men are now in prison for allegedly insulting Islam because they disagreed with a store vendor, Maqsood Ahmed, who would not serve the two men, Christians, ice cream in the same bowls used to serve Muslims. The Masih brothers languish in prison while waiting for their May 2000 appeal to be heard by the court.

Mr. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, recognized the right to freedom of religion in his presidential address of 1947 when he stated, “[you] may belong to any religion or cast or creed. That has nothing to do with the business of the state … We are starting with the fundamental principle that we are all citizens of one state… you are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan.” Unfortunately, minority religious believers, particularly Christians and Ahmadis, have been the victims of less tolerant treatment than that expressed in this presidential statement. In addition, the rights this statement supports have been eroded over the years due to legal changes within Pakistan.

In Saleem and Rasheed Masih’s case, the evidence makes it clear that personal rivalry was the key reason for the accusations. Unfortunately, the continued registration of cases such as these greatly undermines rule of law in Pakistan. I respectfully request that the government of Pakistan ensure that justice is upheld, innocent people are freed from prison, and frivolous cases are prevented from being pursued.

Mr. President, I commend you for your decision to eliminate the separate electoral system and create a joint electorate so that ethnic and religious minorities are no longer disenfranchised.

Thank you for your attention to ensuring that justice occurs in the case of Saleem and Rasheed Masih.

Sincerely,

Religious Prisoners Congressional Task Force Home
Prisoner Index
Congressman Pitts' Human Rights Page
Congressman Pitts' Home Page