David Powers, professor of near eastern studies at Cornell University and author of “Studies in Qur’an and Hadith: The Formation of the Islamic Law of Inheritance,” comments on this week’s arrest of a Pakistani girl accused of burning the Quran.
He says:
“Muslims regard the Quran as the literal word of God and any desecration of the Quran or any slanderous statement made against the prophet Mohammed has been categorized as blasphemy in Islamic law since the first century of Islamic history. However reprehensible, the action taken in Pakistan must be understood in this context.
“The punishment for blasphemy - death - has been applied sporadically throughout history, most often in periods of social, economic, and political upheaval, as is currently the case in Pakistan. According to Muslim jurists, however, the penalty may not be applied to a minor or to a person who is not mentally competent. Thus, there are no grounds for conviction of an eleven-girl who suffers from Down’s syndrome.”
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