Christian nurse attacked by mob after being accused of blasphemy

In a recent video circulating on social media, a woman is seen being attacked by an angry mob. A Christian nurse and gospel singer at Sohraj hospital in Karachi was beaten up by a mob of women who accused her of committing blasphemy. In the video, a man is also heard shouting that the nurse shouldn’t be let out of the hospital because she “insulted our dear Prophet.”

The nurse was attacked by brooms before the police arrived and took her in its custody. She disclosed that she did not say anything and the women in abayas had planned it all beforehand. Police have released the nurse after finding out that the allegations were baseless and shifted her to a protected location. The Pakistan Penal Code, punishes blasphemy against any recognized religion, providing penalties ranging from a fine to death. In the last decade, the “offences” committed by those accused of blasphemy have been as absurd as throwing a business card into the rubbish (the man’s name was Muhammad), a rural water dispute, spelling errors, the naming of a child, the design of a place of worship, burning a (non-religious) talisman or sharing a picture on Facebook.