A warning for the West: Cost of being a Christian in Pakistan

Is saying “Jesus is the only way to Heaven” protected speech? In many countries, Pakistan among them, that phrase could be grounds for an accusation of blasphemy and an insult to Islam. Now, the United Kingdom is preparing to strengthen its “online speech” law, which has already resulted in thousands of people imprisoned and fined since its inception, to cater to religious sensitivities. The result could make the statement of any tenet of faith a thought crime.

One of the fundamental principles of Western civilization is the freedom of conscience and freedom of speech, yet governments in the West are also increasingly placating political and religious extremists within their own borders to censor speech online or in public forms that “offends” another person’s religious belief. This pushes key European countries like the UK closer to the Pakistan blasphemy model of honoring the sensitivity of the most easily offended.

If the Western world fully comprehended the scope of Christian persecution in Pakistan, and where it leads, I’m convinced they would be more than a little nervous about its implications for our freedoms. 

The UK made the news recently arresting citizens who pointed out the religious ideology of Islamists who have been rioting and looting in the streets of England, thus giving the impression that it may be better to be an Islamic rioter than to point out that rioters have a religious agenda.

Now the Prime Minister, in a rush to legislate against those who he perhaps views as not supportive of his response, is pushing an “online speech” law. The vagueness of the language, combined with a lack of specificity around who decides which religious speech is offensive, gives rise to enormous fear that the UK is essentially creating a blasphemy law.

Time and again we have seen the horrific results of blasphemy laws in Pakistan. Imagine doing something as simple as stepping on a few pieces of paper and then facing arrest on charges that could result in a life sentence or death. This is exactly what happened just months ago to a Christian rickshaw driver in Pakistan. When getting out of his vehicle, he inadvertently stepped on some pages that were allegedly part of the Quran. Because he is a follower of Jesus, the punishment for the crime was especially severe. This scenario is all too common in a country where Christians make up just over 1% of the population. And all because a government decided blasphemy laws should trump freedom of speech and religion.

Unsurprisingly, Pakistan is one of 12 countries designated as a “Country of Particular Concern” by the U.S. State Department for engaging in “particularly severe violations of religious freedom,” including the systematic enforcement of these harsh blasphemy laws. Incidents of mob violence against Christians in Jaranwala, Punjab and elsewhere escalate despite the Pakistani government’s recent resolutions to address violence and protect vulnerable communities. Even in recent days, a mob tried to kill a Christian mother accused of blasphemy.

The level of persecution in Pakistan — motivated by blasphemy laws that favor one group over another — should be a warning to the rest of the world. Without strong protections in place to allow freedom of religious belief and thought, any one of us could meet the same fate. In the US and the UK, we already see these shadows of censorship and intolerance around the ways we educate our children, what we share on social media platforms, and in our freedom to gather and express.

“Freedom of speech” is meant to protect unpopular speech, not to be used as a useless slogan.

Pakistan’s persecution of Christians reminds us that now is the time to stay vigilant and make our concerns clear to those in the halls of power. And the UK would be wise to heed these examples from Pakistan and understand that free speech can be a great freedom.