Christian woman in Pakistan stands firm against blasphemy accusations to protect neighbors

A Christian woman in Pakistan refused to leave her village even after she was accused of blasphemy. She stood firm because she did not want her Christian neighbors to become the targets of a mob.

"If I flee, what would happen to my Christian neighbours and their houses?" Sonia Gill said, according to the World Watch Monitor.

On May 16, Gill was accused of blasphemy by her neighbor, Sharjila Komal aka Poma, after seeing an advertising banner spread on the former's floor. Komal apparently claimed that the banner bore the name of Propher Mohammed, although it only had pictures and names of politicians. According to Gill, it was used during the local elections in November 2015, and since it was no longer of any use, the 23-year-old Christian decided to use it to cover their floor.

"It was about 8 p.m., when about 70 people reached our home and demanded that the banner 'bearing sacred Islamic names' be handed over to them. I invited the prominent persons – who were about 18 in number – to come in and inspect the banners they believed bore the sacred name of the Prophet," narrated Sonia's brother, Shaukat Gill. "After seeing the banners, these angry protestors said that they were not satisfied and that they would consult among themselves in the nearby mosque."

The people, who were led by Muslim cleric Khubaib Jalali, decided to discuss the matter at the Mosque Gulzar-e-Habib, but even though the mob had dispersed, Shaukat sensed that the mob could still attack them. He called the police, who arrived shortly and inspected the banner in question. They found nothing blasphemous in it.

According to the report, Jalali still filed a complaint at the local police station and asked that the Gills' case be registered under Pakistan Penal Code Section 295-C. The section states that anyone found guilty of defiling the name of Mohammed, either directly or indirectly, would be penalized with a fine and either life imprisonment or death.

The following day, the Gills were warned by Christian girls of what they heard in the street -- that there was a plan to once again hold a protest against them.

"Several Christians and Muslims suggested that I should flee the place, but I said that if I did, angry protestors would harm other Christians and their property," Sonia narrated. "Whatever they want to do, they should do it to me and not to others."

The matter was later resolved when Jalali withdrew the complaint. In a statement, he wrote that he investigated the matter and found that "no occurrence of blasphemy could be verified."

The accusation is speculated to have stemmed from a grudge that Komal had with the Gills. Three years previously, Komal's Muslim sister-in-law eloped with the Gills' Christian cousin. A police case was filed against the man but was resolved when the woman returned to her family.

The blasphemy accusation had caught the attention of a Punjab parliamentarian Mary Gill, who lauded the police for restoring law and order. But because this had been the second such incident in a month within the area, she raised her concern with Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

"On the instructions of the Chief Minister, the matter was discussed in a high-powered cabinet meeting on 19 May," she said. "I suggested establishing a minorities' protection cell, where quick information about such incidents could be provided and law-enforcement agencies could be mobilised to deal with such situations. I am happy that the cabinet meeting decided on establishing a cell that could deal with such untoward situations."