Petition Seeks Repeal of Pakistan's Blasphemy Laws

Religion News Service reports that a petition calling for the repeal of Pakistan's blasphemy laws has been delivered to the United Nation High Commissioner for Human Rights. The laws impose the death sentence on a person found desecrating the Quran, often with little evidence. The signatories say the law is used to settle scores with non-Muslims and has been exploited to incite hatred and attacks against Pakistan's minority Christian community in recent times. "These laws condemn to death any person who desecrates the Holy Quran," said the petition, which bears more than 9,000 signatures. "The testimony of just one Muslim is sufficient to bring charges against the alleged culprit who is then immediately put in jail, where he often remains for months or years pending trail."