August 14, 2001

His Excellency, Pervez Musharraf
President
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Islamabad, Pakistan

Dear President Musharraf:

The widespread discrimination and persecution of members of minority religious groups taking place in Pakistan - sanctioned and in many cases facilitated by current laws - is odious and intolerable in a civilized nation. We strongly urge you to oppose these acts, and the legal instruments enabling them, and proceed with steps to enable equality and true democracy for all religious believers in Pakistan.

The right of an individual to express his or her beliefs immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs - whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others - within due limits, is the fundamental freedom and the first human right.

Pakistani Christians face tremendous persecution under the Blasphemy Law, which is sometimes applied arbitrarily upon the accusation of insult to the Prophet Mohammed or the Holy Koran, and can carry the death penalty. In 1998, after Christian Ayub Masih was sentenced to death for blasphemy, Dr. John Joseph, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Faisalabad, allegedly shot himself outside the courthouse in protest. The Bishop's death set off protests leading to even more anti-Christian sentiment and repression, jeopardizing the lives and property of all Pakistani Christians and deepening the shadow of fear cast into the daily life of all members of minority religions in Pakistan. On July 25, 2001, Masih's appeal, which was supported by Amnesty International, was rejected by the Multan Bench of Lahore High Court. Ayub, who faces death by hanging, has until August 24 to appeal to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. But judges and lawyers are now afraid since a High Court judge, who acquitted another Christian from blasphemy charges, was killed by a Muslim in 1997.

The blasphemy laws, introduced in 1986, are open to widespread abuse with terrible consequences for Christians and other Pakistani citizens. On April 1, 2001, Parvaiz Masih, a Christian schoolteacher was charged with blasphemy and immediately sent to Sialkot jail without proper investigation. His accuser, Mohammed Ibrahim, an influential landlord of the same village, also started a Muslim school two years ago but could not compete with Parvaiz.

Minority Muslim groups also face oppression, as some have been declared "not Muslims" in the eyes of the law, and thus their practice of elements of Islam is considered blasphemous. Under current Martial Ordnance XX of 1984, Professor Johannan Friedman has observed that the "everyday life of an Ahmadi has been turned into a crime." Indeed, quotidian religious observances, such as the traditional Muslim greeting "peace be upon you" and the call to prayer are criminal acts punishable with imprisonment when practiced by members of the Ahmadiyya community.

In a climate of unbridled extremism, even unfounded allegations of blasphemy made against members of religious minorities can prove impossible for a private citizen of average means to combat. While the blasphemy laws remain in place, Pakistan's religious minorities are defenseless against opportunism and malice.

President Musharraf, we urge you to keep the following objectives, essential to liberty and the legitimacy of any Pakistani regime, foremost in mind:

1. Repeal of Pakistan's Martial Ordinance XX, which is in conflict with international law and the basic human right of freedom of religion;
2. Repeal of Pakistan's Blasphemy Law, which has become an instrument of repression;
3. Release of prisoners jailed under Ordinance XX and the Blasphemy Law;
4. Introduction in Pakistan of an electoral system guaranteeing every citizen the right to vote without declaration of his or her religion;
5. Repeal of the 8th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan declaring Ahmadis legally "not Muslims;"
6. Elimination in Pakistan of the requirement to declare one's religion when applying for a passport or to swear to exclusive statements regarding religion for admission to an educational institution, obtaining the national identity card, or employment.

Your presidency suggests an opportunity for relief from the oppression faced by religious minorities in Pakistan. You explained to Time magazine that your "view is of a tolerant Islam, Islam in the true sense, and not an Islam which is manipulated for political gains. Islam is a 'deen,' a way of life. I am a believer in taking Islam in its real, progressive form--a much broader futuristic view rather than a dogmatic and retrogressive one."

We believe that a critical opportunity exists at this time to help you uphold your thoughts and allow Pakistan to reclaim its proper place in the family of humane and tolerant nations. We encourage and support your development of Pakistan to find its way home to the spirit of its founder, Mr. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who said on August 14, 1947, "you may belong to any religion or cast or creed - that has nothing to do with the business of the State." As we enter the Twenty-first Century, no nation should sentence its own citizens to death for the observance of their religious faith.

Religious liberty, in the full sense of the term, is the first human right. This means a liberty not reduced to the private sphere only. To discriminate religious beliefs, or to discredit one or another form of religious practice, is a form of exclusion contrary to the respect of fundamental human values and will eventually destabilize society, where a certain pluralism of thought and action should exist, as well as a benevolent and brotherly attitude. This will necessarily create a climate of tension, intolerance, opposition and suspect, not conductive to social peace.

The opportunity to press for historic change in Pakistan has come, yet that window of opportunity will not exist forever. Your leadership in pushing democracy, fighting religious persecution, and expanding religious pluralism in Pakistan is critical.

Sincerely,

Joseph K. Grieboski
President
Institute on Religion and Public Policy

Reverend Thomas R. Betz, O.F.M., Cap.
Director
Office for Pastoral Care for Migrants and Refugees
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Rev. John E. Chowning
Vice President for Church/External Relations
Executive Assistant to the President
Political Science Faculty
Campbellsville University

Robert Destro
Professor of Law
Columbus School of Law
The Catholic University of America

Reverend Doctor Robert Edgar
General Secretary
National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA

Archbishop Nicholas Lambrou
Archbishop-Primate
Autocephalous Holy Eastern Orthodox Church

Reverend N. J. L'Heureux, Jr.
Executive Director
Queens Federation of Churches