'If we don't speak out now, we will pay the price'

Every once in a while comes a novel that makes you realise that your problem is not yours alone Where the growing rightwing extremism in India has ruffled the minorities and even spurred riots right before the Coronavirus outbreak shifted the countrys focus in neighbouring Pakistan similar battles are being fought And this is often exacerbated by the upholders of lawPakistani writer Osman Haneefs new novel Blasphemy The Trial of Danesh Masih Readomania Publishing is an insightful account of the consequences of illthought morally corrosive laws Through the story of Danesh the young son of a Christian househelp wrongly charged for blasphemy Haneef explores Pakistans controversial lawOnly earlier this week the brotherinlaw of Asia Bibimdasha Pakistani Christian woman who was convicted of blasphemy by a court and sentenced to death by hanging before being acquitted by the apex court in 2018mdashwas murdered in Sheikhupura city of Punjab once again putting the spotlight on killings in the name of religionOsman HaneefHaneef who has worked as TV actor a strategy consultant and a diplomatic adviser and was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2017 hopes his novel can reopen a conversation about reform which he says is a difficult hill to climbEdited excerpts from the interview Pakistans blasphemy laws have been a concern for human rights activists and academicians alike What prompted you to write this novel nowI wrote the first draft without a strong sense of the narrative arc But no matter what I wrote my mind kept returning to a blasphemy case from the 1990s An illiterate teenage boy Salamat Masih and two others were accused of writing blasphemous statements on the wall of a mosque in a village in Punjab There was no physical evidence and the judge was never told what was actually said because to repeat the statement would have been blasphemous The conviction was eventually overturned and Masih fled the country However the glaring injustice of an innocent boy wrongfully convicted in a Kafkaesque court proceeding in Pakistan stayed with me I had to tell this storyWhether its Asia Bibi she spent eight years on death row lawyer Rashid Rahman who was gunned down or now university lecturer Junaid Hafeez we have seen people twist the law to their own ends and the topic sadly has stayed relevant Though Pakistan is one of the 13 countries where blasphemy is punishable by death it hasnt executed anyone for the same as yet But mobs have been using death penalty as a sanction for vigilante killings When I was creating the character of Pir Piya a religious figure in the novel who uses the blasphemy law to further his own end I examined much of the literature around religious radicalisation The research on religious extremism examines the issue from an individual organisational societal economic and historical dimension It is fair to say that the Islamisation of Pakistan under Zia former President Muhammad ZiaulHaq has twisted narratives to spread an extremist ideology in Pakistan which has created an acceptance and understanding of the law among the general population It is this acceptance that made people flock to Mumtaz Qadris the assassin of politician Salmaan Taseer funeral But it is also worth noting that this extremist ideology doesnt explain why certain individuals become radicalised and others dont After all for every Mumtaz Qadri there are countless human rights activists and campaign leaders such as Asma Jahangir who have fought for a more tolerant and open society And when individuals turn to religion as a form of oppression it is often a convenient tool rather than the actual reason For instance in the novel Danesh is not accused of blasphemy because of a religious reason but because of a spurned lover Part of your novel has been historicised blurring the lines between fact and fiction Why did you choose this treatment over say a straight nonfiction accountI didnt just want to tell the story of a single blasphemy trial I wanted to tell a story that would be compelling multilayered and engage the reader on multiple issues Fiction allowed me to explore the underlying motivations of the characters which is not always possible in nonfiction accounts and to cover multiple truths The very nature of this novel involves walking a tightrope Are you prepared for the backlashHonestly I dont know When I think about people like Salman Taseer who was unjustly murdered because of his moderate views and advocacy I worry But if those of us who are able to speak out dont because of our fear we will abdicate the decision making to more extreme factions of our society and we will all pay the price Do you think Pakistan would some day be in a position to repeal this law What is the countrys stand on the issue currentlyWe must have hope The blasphemy law in its modern form and its repercussions have come about because of Zias ul Haq government and policies of Islamisation It is not an essential part of the fabric of our culture and society but there are elements who want to make it one The basis of an unpardonable death penalty for blasphemy is a misinterpretation of Islamic scholarship If we could reopen the debate around the original interpretation we could at least remove the most abhorrent features of the law However currently any political leader who challenges the law or proposes any amendments faces very real threats to his or her personal safety and securityCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news