Every now and then from some dark corner of the country comes news about a prosecution under the blasphemy law. And every now and then an obliging district judge finding the person so charged guilty hands out a sentence of death. When this happens, the collective image of Pakistan takes another blow on the chin. Blasphemy is serious business but what exactly is it? Preferring form over substance we have turned it into a technical …showed first 75 words of 1549 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1549 total…could fight their case. They went to court and are now back on their jobs. We are poor and helpless women. With the greatest respect we beseech you in the name of God and his Holy Prophet to let municipal schools stay as part of the municipal bodies. We are in a state of great anxiety." The invocation to God and the Prophet brought tears into the eyes of even a hardened sinner like me.