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January 13th, 2011
10:51 AM ET

Police: Two clerics in Pakistan allegedly inspired governor's killing

Police in Pakistan are searching for two hard-line Muslim clerics who allegedly inspired the assassin of a liberal politician gunned down last week, a police official told CNN.

The clerics' names appear in a confession statement delivered to a judge by Muhammad Mumtaz Qadir, the gunman who killed Punjab provincial governor Salman Taseer, said deputy Islamabad police chief Bin Yamin.

Qadir was serving as one of Taseer's security guards when he fired more than 20 bullets at his boss in broad daylight outside an upscale Islamabad shopping plaza.

In his statement, Qadir credited Sunni clerics Mufti Haneef Qureshi and Imtiaz Shah for motivating him to kill Taseer after the politician spoke out against Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws, police said.

Read the full story here.

- CNN Belief Blog

Filed under: Asia • Belief • Islam • Pakistan • Violence

soundoff (13 Responses)
  1. downloads

    Wow, superb weblog structure! How lengthy have you been running a blog for? you made blogging glance easy. The full look of your website is great, let alone the content!

    May 10, 2012 at 1:44 am |
  2. Keith

    As idealistic as working towards a coexistence sounds, this simply will not occur. According to Psalm 83, there is a regional war coming after which Israel's borders will be expanded. Damascus will not survive this war. I don't know exactly how it will happen-perhaps Syria will use chemical weapons on the Jews. And we all know how much being gassed will remind them of the Holocost and enfuriate them. Perhaps enough to nuke Damascus? Isaiah 17:1 say how it will cease from being a city. When this war starts some will think we are entering WW lll, but don't worry-it won't be that yet.

    January 15, 2011 at 6:52 pm |
  3. Mark from Middle River

    I was speaking to a few Muslim co-workers and they explained that this guy was killed for trying to pardon a woman that was sentanced to be excuted by stoning. I questioned them how can they equate Islam as a religion of peace and understanding but could condon such. After a few fumbled comments I then asked them what would happen if they decided to convert away from Islam. One said that they would be given three days to return. His comments were that they could not leave Islam because of what other Muslims would do to them. I asked him which did he fear more, disappointing Allah or his fellow Muslims.

    No answer, for the first time. When Islam finally gets pulled more and more into the light its going to be ugly on a mega scale.

    January 15, 2011 at 12:57 am |
    • Keith

      The true horrors of islam are covered up by a spiineless complicit media here in the U. S. Islam will cease as a religion when Damascus gets blown off the map in the coming regional war between Israel and its immediate neighbors. Muslims believe that Jesus Christ returns alright, but to Damascus, not Jerusalem. If Damascus is wiped out, then He can't return there. It will be time to throw away their korans and hadiths and look to the real Soveriegn of the Universe-the Lord Jesus Christ.

      January 15, 2011 at 9:13 am |
    • Mark from Middle River

      "An American writer Glan Chancy once wrote that Syria is “the best nation in the Middle East in which to live if you are a Christian.” Christian holidays like Christmas, New Year, and Easter, are officially celebrated in Syria, something that is not found in most other Arab countries, and according to Chancy"

      http://www.mideastviews.com/articleview.php?art=171

      I do not think we need to wipe any place off the map..... that sounds a bit North Korean. We just gotta work towards a coexistence.

      "Whiles yet the cool and temperate wind of grace. O'erblows the filthy and contagious clouds.Of heady murder, spoil and villany." shakespeare

      January 15, 2011 at 2:46 pm |
  4. Keith

    What? From the religion of peace? No way. This straight islam stuff gives me a headache- I need to switch to the "islam light". I hear it is brewed by a guy named Rauf somewhere in Manhattan(but not Ground Zero). Yes, "islam light" brewed right here in the good ole U.S. of A. Don't settle for that middle-eastern junk with the bad aftertaste, stonings, hangings, and unsightly wife beatings. Now available in the convienent 12th Iman carryout. Allah Akbar!

    January 14, 2011 at 8:25 pm |
  5. JohnQuest

    So, it's not okay to say that a man that has been dead for 1400 years, may not have been right about everything, but it is okay to murder.

    I'm beginning to think that Islam is more bas-s ackward than Scientology, oh I can be tried and sentence to death for saying that by the believers in Islam. The Scientologist will just ignore me, which is more civilized?

    January 14, 2011 at 10:22 am |
  6. Reality

    One more time:

    Worth reiteration:

    Recognizing the flaws, follies and frauds in the foundations of Islam, Judaism and Christianity by the "bowers", kneelers" and "pew peasants" will quickly converge these religions into some simple rules of life (e.g. Do No Harm). No koran, bible, clerics, nuns, monks, imams, evangelicals, ayatollahs, rabbis, professors of religion or priests needed or desired. Ditto for houses and classes of "worthless worship" aka mosques, churches, basilicas, cathedrals, temples and synagogues.

    January 13, 2011 at 3:07 pm |
  7. Gary

    coworkers from Pakistan advised me last two times visiting their home country not a pleasant experience. Tons of beg-gars,pick pocketers. paranoia,civil unrest feeling

    January 13, 2011 at 2:17 pm |
  8. Peace2All

    ...And yet more wonderful news on the radicalize zealots who kill people to shut them up for freedom of expression, because the Governor wanted to make the 'blasphemy laws' not a death penalty, if someone speaks says a 'naughty' against Muhammed.

    Is Muhammed 'that' easily offended that he needs people to kill on his behalf...?

    Peace...

    January 13, 2011 at 12:39 pm |
    • HotAirAce

      If direct "cause and effect" is probable, the "clerics" should be tried for murder. Will be interesting to see if they are prosecuted and how the population reacts when the law (re: murder) is applied equally to all.

      January 13, 2011 at 12:57 pm |
  9. Reality

    And to think the insanity would stop if only Muslims would read and take to heart and mind the following:

    Saving Muslims is quite easy!!!

    The Five Steps To Deprogram 1400 Years of Islamic Myths:

    ( –The Steps take less than two minutes to finish- simply amazing, two minutes to bring peace and rationality to over one billion lost souls- Priceless!!!)

    Are you ready?

    Using "The 77 Branches of Islamic "faith" a collection compiled by Imam Bayhaqi as a starting point. In it, he explains the essential virtues that reflect true "faith" (iman) through related Qur’anic verses and Prophetic sayings." i.e. a nice summary of the Koran and Islamic beliefs.

    "1. Belief in Allah"

    aka as God, Yahweh, Zeus, Jehovah, Mother Nature, etc. should be added to your cleansing neurons.

    "2. To believe that everything other than Allah was non-existent. Thereafter, Allah Most High created these things and subsequently they came into existence."

    Evolution and the Big Bang or the "Gi-b G-nab" (when the universe starts to recycle) are more plausible and the "akas" for Allah should be included if you continue to be a "crea-tionist".

    "3. To believe in the existence of angels."

    A major item for neuron cleansing. Angels/de-vils are the mythical creations of ancient civilizations, e.g. Hitt-ites, to explain/define natural events, contacts with their gods, big birds, sudden winds, protectors during the dark nights, etc. No "pretty/ug-ly wingy thingies" ever visited or talked to Mohammed, Jesus, Mary or Joseph or Joe Smith. Today we would classify angels as f–airies and "tin–ker be-lls". Modern de-vils are classified as the de-mons of the de-mented.

    "4. To believe that all the heavenly books that were sent to the different prophets are true. However, apart from the Quran, all other books are not valid anymore."

    Another major item to delete. There are no books written in the spirit state of Heaven (if there is one) just as there are no angels to write/publish/distribute them. The Koran, OT, NT etc. are simply books written by humans for humans.

    Prophets were invented by ancient scribes typically to keep the un-educated masses in line. Today we call them for-tune tellers.

    Prophecies are also invali-dated by the natural/God/Allah gifts of Free Will and Future.

    "5. To believe that all the prophets are true. However, we are commanded to follow the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) alone."

    Mohammed spent thirty days "fasting" (the Ramadan legend) in a hot cave before his first contact with Allah aka God etc. via a "pretty wingy thingy". Common sense demands a neuron deletion of #5. #5 is also the major source of Islamic vi-olence i.e. turning Mohammed's "fast, hunger-driven" hallu-cinations into horrible reality for unbelievers.

    Walk these Five Steps and we guarantee a complete recovery from your Islamic ways!!!!

    (Please forward a copy of these Five Steps to all your Muslim friends especially those in Pakistan)

    January 13, 2011 at 11:57 am |
  10. Amrullah Yousafzai, Margalla Hills

    Why couldn't all Pakistani girls be like her?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBc9z-B9ulU
    and her:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JfggTjKmUk

    January 13, 2011 at 11:52 am |
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.