In Pakistan – a guy gets ten years in prison and a large fine for misquoting a Hadith.
After a trial spread over 14 months and conducted in an uneasy environment, Additional District and Sessions Judge Raja Pervez Akhtar jailed a blasphemy accused for 10 years and imposed a fine of Rs200,000 on Tuesday evening.
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Convict Ghulam Ali Asghar, a resident of Chinji village in Talagang tehsil, was booked on Nov 17, 2011, on a charge of blaspheming the Holy Prophet (PBUH) by misquoting a Hadith in Punjabi language.
Judge Raja Pervez Akhtar acquitted Ghulam Ali Asghar of the allegation levelled under 295-C (the section which forbids blaspheming the Holy Prophet [PBHU]), but imprisoned him for ten years under 295-A (which forbids outraging religious feelings) and also imposed a fine of Rs200,000. The convict will have to undergo an additional jail term of six months if he does not pay the fine.
Ten years in the slammer. For misquoting something from a very old collection of sayings.
That’s insane.
The amusing thing- except for Mr Asghar- is that no Pakistani paper reports what he is acccused of saying or what the original version was, presumably from fear of being accused of blasphemy too.
And you thought the Grammar Police were bad?