A Muslim cleric and a colleague of a Christian nurse attacked by a mob following blasphemy allegations have called on their social media followers to protect minorities.
A day after Tabitha Nazir Gill was slapped and stripped at Sobhraj Maternity Hospital in Karachi, cleric Maulana Tahir urged authorities to protect religious minorities.
“It is with great grief I request Prime Minister Imran Khan and state leaders to take notice. The police investigation proved that she didn’t commit blasphemy,” he stated in a Jan. 29 video message on Facebook.
“The faces of the attackers are clear in the video. They should be given strictest punishment as well so that a violent or a religious fanatic cannot misuse the 295 (blasphemy) law to harm minorities and settle a personal score in the name of religion.
“Nowadays incidents are happening with girls of minority communities facing mountains of tyranny. Try to amend this law. Nobody should suffer. Prophet Muhammad urged to protect creation for the will of Allah. Minorities deserve equal rights to live and worship peacefully.”
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The victim of the Karachi attack, who is also a gospel singer in the Apostolic Church, has gone into hiding since police registered a blasphemy case against her under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code that mandates the death penalty for blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad.
Kausar, a Muslim staff nurse at Sobhraj Maternity Hospital, released a video supporting her colleague.
“What happened with Tabitha has created unrest. This is unacceptable. I know her personally. She is a good girl and has a kind attitude with everyone. A woman was degraded,” she said.
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