A stark report connects dots between blasphemy law abuses in Pakistan and Islamophobia’s political exploitation in the West—both mechanisms that silence voices, entrench radicals, and fracture communities.
Pakistan’s statutes, meant to protect faith, instead enable vendettas against minorities, especially Christians. Trivial spats turn deadly via false claims, trapping families in legal purgatory amid social exile and violence risks.
Extremists leverage this chaos to proliferate unchecked, just as Western demagoguery brands anti-terror vigilance as prejudice. Result? Jihadists dodge probes, blending their violence with religion to evade repercussions.
True devotion doesn’t demand subjugation. The report condemns Sharia impositions as authoritarianism, eroding freedoms for nonconformists.
Reform is imperative: Pakistan must safeguard innocents from fabricated charges; global leaders, disentangle extremism from faith critiques. Embracing pluralism over polarization charts the path to secure, diverse societies.