London: (By Hannah Chowdhry and Juliet Chowdhry) An Islamic cleric was lynched by a mob after comparing a political candidate Saeed Khan, to Muhammed. The violence began when the cleric stated that Mr Khan was as pious as Muhammed during a political rally, he was punched on stage and fell at which point a mob began to attack him.

A video of a violent mob beating the man to death with sticks and trampling him to death has gone viral. 

WARNING AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE IS GRAPHIC FOOTAGE OF THE ATTACK

A Muslim cleric was lynched to death by a violent mob in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkwa after he claimed a political candidate named Saeed Khan was as pious as Muhammed.

Maulana Nigar Alam (40 yrs), was beaten beaten to death in Sawaldher village in the district of Mardan on Saturday 6th May.

Mr Alam had been speaking at a political  rally in support of a Supreme Court decision to hold election polls on 14th May, rather than the ruling Government’s decision to hold them in October.

Around 5:30, at the end of the rally, a Mr Alam was called on stage to conclude the event with a prayer.  During the prayer Mr Alam’s comparison of a local politician with Muhammed enraged the attendees of the rally. He had just had finished his prayer when one of the protestors lunged onto the stage and brutally punched Mr Alam in the face, throwing him off the stage. The enraged mob did not wait for the police and lynched the man on the spot.

Many graphic videos of the incident are being widely circulated on social media in Pakistani.  They show a charged- up crowd beating the man with sticks and stamping on his unconscious body on the floor. Men chanted Muslim slogans while lynching the cleric.

Juliet Chowdhry, Trustee for British Asian Christian Association, said:

“The increasing violence associated with Islamic extremism in Pakistan is frightening.

“It takes so little to ignite a passion for killing and mobs precipitate in seconds.

“This recent extrajudicial killing shows the speed in which a mob can form – the cleric had just uttered the offensive words and was killed a minute later.

“There is no way to police such instantaneous hatred.

“Many innocent people will be killed unless Islamic hate speech is removed from mosques across the country.

“Moreover, the Government of Pakistan must now remove all hate elements from their national curriculum.

“Failure to do so, makes them complicit with every crime of hate.”

Religious extremism and intolerance have led to a rise in extra judicial killings in Pakistan.

Back in February an angry mob killed a Muslim man in Nankana Saab, Punjab. The angry mob took the man out of Police custody and killed him.

Last year, a Sri Lankan manager in Sialkot, Priyantha Kumara was lynched by the angry mob over the allegations of blasphemy..

In April this year, a Chinese supervisor of heavy transportation at Dasu hydropower plant in Kheber Pakhtunkhwa was also booked under the charges of blasphemy.

British Asian Christian Association, are supporting several blasphemy law victims who have been accused of blasphemy, who survived potential lynching after being arrested by local police.  We are supporting Nabeel Masih who was the youngest ever blasphemy prisoner in Pakistan (click here) and Zafar Masih who has been incarcerated fir over 10 years and is Pakistan’s longest serving blasphemy convict (click here). These two and others are supported at great expense, with safe accommodation for them or their targeted families, the costs for legal advocates and regular visits to their prison and much more.  This is an expensive operation and we rely on the generosity of donors to provide our help.  You can help us continue this work by donating.