Younus Shaikh (author)
Encyclopedia
Mohammad Younus Shaikh (or Younis Sheik or Younis Sheikh) (born 1965) is a hotel manager and writer in Kharadar, Pakistan
. In 2005, he wrote a book: "Shaitan Maulvi" (Satanic Cleric). On account of that book, the police charged Shaikh with offences under Pakistan's Penal Code and under the Anti-terrorism Act. An anti-terrorism court found Shaikh guilty of those offences, and sentenced him to a fine and to life in prison.
At trial, the special public prosecutor proved that Shaikh had committed blasphemy by writing that stoning to death (Rajam) as a punishment for adultery was not mentioned in the Quran, and by insulting four historical Imams (religious leaders) by describing them as “Jews.”
On 11 August 2005, Judge Arshad Noor Khan of the Anti-Terrorist Court found Shaikh guilty of “defiling a copy of the Koran, outraging religious feelings and propagating religious hatred among society.” The judge imposed upon Shaikh a fine of 100,000 rupees, and sentenced him to spend his life in jail.
In 2007, a blogger reported that Shaikh appealed his conviction to the High Court, and won the right to a new trial.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. In 2005, he wrote a book: "Shaitan Maulvi" (Satanic Cleric). On account of that book, the police charged Shaikh with offences under Pakistan's Penal Code and under the Anti-terrorism Act. An anti-terrorism court found Shaikh guilty of those offences, and sentenced him to a fine and to life in prison.
The Offence
On 3 February 2005, Shaikh was distributing copies of his book when he came to the attention of Sub-inspector Gulzar Ahmed Khokhar. The Sub-inspector arrested Shaikh for violating Sections 153A, 295A, and 295B of the Pakistan Penal Code, and Sections 8 and 9 of the Anti-terrorism Act. The police placed Shaikh in solitary confinement in Karachi Central Prison to prevent other inmates from attacking him.At trial, the special public prosecutor proved that Shaikh had committed blasphemy by writing that stoning to death (Rajam) as a punishment for adultery was not mentioned in the Quran, and by insulting four historical Imams (religious leaders) by describing them as “Jews.”
On 11 August 2005, Judge Arshad Noor Khan of the Anti-Terrorist Court found Shaikh guilty of “defiling a copy of the Koran, outraging religious feelings and propagating religious hatred among society.” The judge imposed upon Shaikh a fine of 100,000 rupees, and sentenced him to spend his life in jail.
In 2007, a blogger reported that Shaikh appealed his conviction to the High Court, and won the right to a new trial.
External links
- http://www.rationalistinternational.net/archive/en/rationalist_2005/146.html Dr. Younas Shaikh in solidarity with Younas Shaikh (author)