Pakistani boy cuts off own hand after blasphemy mistake: police

[muriel_volestrangler]

A 15-year-old Pakistani boy cut off his own hand believing he had committed blasphemy, only to be celebrated by his parents and neighbours for the act, police told AFP Friday.

Local police chief Nausher Ahmed described how an imam told a gathering at a village mosque that those who love the Prophet Mohammad always say their prayers, then asked who among the crowd had stopped praying.

Mohammad Anwar, 15, raised his hand by mistake after apparently mishearing the question.

The crowd swiftly accused him of blasphemy so he went to his house and cut off the hand he had raised, put it on a plate, and presented it to the cleric, the police chief said.

http://news.yahoo.com/pakistani-boy-cuts-off-own-hand-blasphemy-mistake-142348551.html

I really hope this isn't true, but I fear it is, if AFP was talking to a police chief, who said there was a video of villagers showing their approval. Fucked up village.

[trotsky]

1. Wow.

Someone should be along with a Google Gish Gallop shortly to try and raise questions about the story. Like, oh, well in this story, it says it took place in the Hujra Shah Muqeem district, but in another, it's in the adjacent district.

Besides I'm sure it was because of a property dispute. Or something. Definitely not religion.

[rug]

3. Then I'm sure you will be pleased with the last sentence of the article.

"No complaint has been made, he said, so no police report has been filed and there will be no investigation."

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. That is, of course, one of the worst things about this

They're taking it in their stride, as if this was an acceptable outcome. They should be renouncing their beliefs that have ended up brainwashing a child into disfiguring himself for life with extreme violence.

[rug]

5. I don't see how a child cutting off his hand would not result in a police report.

Did he go to the hospital, which would have reported it, or did he just return to the mosque with the hand on a plate?

Not to be skeptical.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. If it did happen (and I can see that some skepticism is warranted )

then I'd think it quite possible he didn't go to a hospital - it is a village (the nearest hospital may be about 40km away, looking at a map).

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. Interview with him; he went to the mosque first with the hand, and then they took him to hospital

"I came back home and went to the grass-cutting machine, but found the place dark so I took my uncle's phone to point some light at my hand. I placed it under the machine and chopped it off in a single swirl."

Qaiser picked his severed hand up from under the machine and, bleeding profusely, placed it on a tray and took it back to the mosque, less than 100 metres from his home.

Asked about everyone's reaction, he said: "They didn't say anything. A few people came forward to take me to the hospital, before I passed out."
...
The cleric has been arrested under anti-terrorism laws, and denies charges of inciting hatred and violence. But the family does not want the cleric to be punished.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35341256

[rug]

14. Tahnks for the update. That's a lot more plausible.

Still a fucked up story though. The cutter he used is not even a power tool. He had to turn the handle manually to cut his hand off.

These cases of religious self-mutilation are not common at all but they are not unheard of. Origen in the third century cut off his testicles to resist temptation. But he was a grown man not an impressionable teenager.

[cleanhippie]

16. What a travesty. This is the result of religious indoctrination.

Extreme as it is, it's still indoctrination of a growing mind to blindly accept religious authority. We'd see things like this closer to home if our laws weren't secular in nature.

Although I'm sure someone will be along to explain how religion had nothing to do with this.

As usual.

[Act_of_Reparation]

13. It's a developing story, Trotsky.

And it is important that we take stock of the situation as more and more information comes to light. We sure wouldn't want to think he was wearing red socks the day of his elective auto-amputation when he was really wearing green socks, or that he used pairing knife when he actually used a butter knife.

Important information is important.

[rug]

15. Your disdain for facts is noted.

[cleanhippie]

17. Exactly

[Reter]

2. As mush as I despise Pat Robertson, this kind of barbaric support is far worse

The worst that nutcase will do is blame a hurricane on gay marriage. This is just jaw-dropping.

[Iggo]

7. Religion !!!

[hrmjustin]

8. Absolutely horrific.

[backscatter712]

9. This is your brain on religion...

Any questions?

[rug]

10. Yes.

What were they on?

[cleanhippie]

11. That can't be right. They're not scrambled. Must be the early stage of indoctrination.

Last edited Wed Jan 20, 2016, 12:00 AM - Edit history (1)