LAHORE, Pakistan — Christian twins have been arrested in Pakistan and charged with blasphemy for allegedly tearing pages of the Quran.
A Muslim filed a police report against 18-year-old brothers Tabish Shahid and Kalu Shahid of Kalay Wala Tehsil in Pakistan’s Punjab province, accusing them of desecrating pages of the Quran. News outlets Christian Daily International and Morning Star News state that conviction on such a charge carries a life sentence.
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The Muslim claims the twins were filming TikTok videos Aug. 26 at a village fair during which they threw pieces of paper bearing quranic verses, the media outlets report.
Illiteracy issues
Sajid Christopher of the legal advocate group Human Friends Organization said the twins are illiterate. They did not realize that the pages they were throwing — pages they had torn from a booklet they found — were from the Quran.
“While it’s true that a majority of blasphemy allegations arise from personal disputes and rivalries, there are instances where Christians have found themselves in trouble due to their illiteracy,” Christopher told the media outlets.
Pakistan is No. 7 on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of places most difficult to be a Christian.
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