KARACHI: Police interrogated on Friday University of Karachi faculty in connection with the murder of a dean of Islamic studies known for his liberal views who had been labeled a 'blasphemer' in a text message campaign.
Mohammad Shakil Auj, the 54-year-old dean of Islamic Studies at the university, was called an apostate in the widely-circulated message that said he should be beheaded after he issued controversial religious decrees.
They included allowing a Muslim woman to marry out of her faith and to pray while wearing lipstick and nail polish.
He was shot dead while driving to an Iranian cultural centre where he was invited as a guest of honour on Thursday, while a junior colleague travelling with him received a bullet wound to her arm.
Auj, a recipient of a presidential medal of distinction, had been fighting a case against the originators of the text message campaign which began two years ago.
"We are currently interrogating at least three professors, who were the former colleagues of Dr Auj and were blamed for the SMS controversy," Pir Mohammad Shah, a senior police officer in charge of the case told AFP.
The suspects were named as Abdul Rasheed -- the department's previous dean, along with Auj's colleagues Naseer Ahmed Akhtar and Ubaid Ahmed Khan. Another suspect named Mohammad Samiuz Zaman was a secretary at the nearby NED Engineering University.
"They all were involved in the SMS controversy for which the late Dr Auj had registered the case two years back fearing risks to his life," Shah said.
The SMS read: "The blasphemer of the Prophet and Quran, Dr Shakil, curses be upon him, deserves only one punishment -- beheading."
At the time he opened the case in 2012, the late professor told police: "It has endangered my life and on the basis of the propaganda I could be murdered."
A recent report from a US government advisory panel said Pakistan used blasphemy laws more than any other country in the world. It listed 14 people on death row and 19 others serving life sentences for insulting Islam.
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Ashamed to be a Pakistani right now. We have lost the plot as a nation. It is true, these draconion laws are the product of 1st the British Empire & then Zia.
I am loving to see whats happening in Pakistan and Blasphemy law is a very nice and modern law , I want it to be adopted in India so that people from other religion do not dare insult Hinduism
@Sharjeel Ashraf: Let other people live peacefully in this world,and you don't need to worry about hereafter.
OMG...university deans and professors...even god can't save Pakistan now
In our country elected members of NA, PA, doctors, engineers, lawyers, and professors were and could be publicly flogged by a fascist general Zia. However, the confessed killers like Qadri remain in jail like a VIP. All these terrorists have sympathizers at high places and most of the jobs are inside jobs. Yet none of the extremist, fanatic terrorist is ever publicly humiliated, flogged or properly punished. Nobody could be this expertly killed from behind while in a car unless the killers knew everybody the way they were sitting in the car. In every crime including GHQ or naval attacks there are always insiders helping and this case is no exception.
Looks like most of you never heard of rangila rasool case?
Instead of wailing and ranting the right approach would be to get the Blasphemy Laws removed from the statutes.
@Salim: Absurd idea I will say. You may live happily here but what about the hereafter?
@scotchpak: oh we are only 400 years behind. no problems!
@ Salim Islam will be all and everything in Pakistan. We will never give up anything to you secularists.
"As for those who have made divisions in their religion and become (different) sects, you have no concern with them in anything. Their case will come before Allah, who will then inform them of what they used to do" Surah Al-Anaam, ayaat 159.
Don't have heart to listen screams of loved ones anymore. I wish and pray that nation could become one against murderers and looters who are doing activities in the name of religion, constitution and democracy.
@Salim: Remove religion from our lives??? To whom and for whom you r forwarding your nonsense demand?? What is the mistake of religion in all this.
Islam is religion of peace and honesty ... Words are empty if followers of this religion behave violently all the time .
Blasphemy laws are a colonial and a Zia era legacy. The Rahmat-lil-Alameen (saw) never practiced or promoted or taught such illogical mannerism.
These laws were promulgated by Bhutto; What is PPP's current stand on it. For this one you cannot blame Nawaz Sharif - well he is unable to provide security and safety to the people of Pakistan though.
Punish the three if found guilty by giving them the same punishment as they wanted the Prof to have.
It is about time that we must remove such religious hindrances from our lives - which is doing nothing but harm . Whatever harm has come to Pakistan is all because of this religious extremism - So it is high time that a constitutional decree should be devised to thwart any unlawful future acts along with its august implementation.
Has the murderer of Salman Taseer ........been punished ?
Absolutely critical for our survival as a country is to replace religion with nationalism and change the narrative. Pakistan is the only country in the region where people relate to religion first. We should correct our curriculum revisit the history books introduce alternate religions study to familiarise our children about the 5 bn non Muslims in the world who are living peacefully.
R.I.P Dr. Shakil.
These murderers get their powers from Islamic parties, who in turn have armed gangs, to protect their version of Islam.
Muslims have become the most dangerous group of people against other Muslims.
A nation cannot prosper unless it lets religion become a personal matter and not favour one one religion over the other. There can never be an exception.
"The suspects were named as Abdul Rasheed — the department’s previous dean, along with Auj’s colleagues Naseer Ahmed Akhtar and Ubaid Ahmed Khan. Another suspect named Mohammad Samiuz Zaman was a secretary at the nearby NED Engineering University."
When there university deans and professors who have been so tainted by extremism, then what hope is there for the common man?
Religion or faith should never trump humanity. Millions of people around the world and specially in the West are guided by human decency in their lives. What kind of a message about Islam does this news send across the world? Do these murderers have any idea? I guess they don't care.
Just as feared, Pakistan has become extremely dangerous for anyone who stands for personal liberty and conscientious convictions. This is an extremely shameful moment for us as a country; unfortunately just another one in a long line of such moments. The repression of religiosity is such that even pointing it out is to invite death.
Its time fanatics are punished for their heinous crimes against others who are simply different.