Pakistan: Woman's Attire Sparks Blasphemy Accusations, Prompting Police Rescue and Public Apology
In Pakistan, a crowd went ballistic when they mistook a woman's outfit for Quran verses decorated with Arabic calligraphy and accused her of blasphemy.
Amidst the presence of hundreds, she was rescued by police officers who escorted her to safety. She issued a public apology thereafter.
The dress's Arabic inscriptions read "Halwa" which means "beautiful" in Arabic.
In Pakistan, the death penalty is often employed for blasphemy. Before their cases ever reach trial, some individuals have already been lynched.
According to the BBC, the initial report came in at around 13:10 local (08:10 GMT) on Sunday from a concerned citizen in Lahore, the capital of the Punjab province in Pakistan, regarding a mob surrounding a lady inside a restaurant.
According to Assistant Superintendent, Syeda Shehrbano, by the time they got there, the eatery had a throng of around 300 people.
One of the footage that went viral showed a terrified lady seated in the far corner of the eatery, her hand covering her face.
Another shows the police surrounding her; they were the only thing standing between her and the throng of people yelling for her to take off her blouse. In some videos, people can be heard chanting that those who blaspheme must be beheaded.
Social media footage shows Ms Shehrbano standing at the front of the restaurant, attempting to calm down the growing mob.
"Nobody actually knew what was written on the shirt," she said. "The major feat was to try to get that woman out of the area in order to ensure that she is safe."
A member of the audience even had to "negotiate" with Ms Shehrbano, she says.
"We told them we would take the woman with us, her actions are going to be taken into account and we're going to hold her responsible for whatever crime committed as per the law of the land."
Later on, the video showed Ms Shehrbano guiding the lady through the throng as she held the woman, who was now wearing a headscarf and a black robe. Despite the crowd's best efforts to block their approach, more police officers created an arm chain.
According to Ms Shehrbano, some of those in the crowd were members of the conservative Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party.
After the woman was taken into custody, she was examined by religious experts who verified that the writing on her garment was indeed Arabic calligraphy and not Quranic verses.
After concluding that the lady was innocent, the authorities requested that the academics make a video in which they explain their conclusions.
"I didn't have any such intention, it happened by mistake. Still I apologise for all that happened, and I'll make sure it never happens again," she said, adding that she is a devout Muslim and would never commit blasphemy.
She reportedly went shopping in Lahore and has since departed the city, according to authorities.
According to Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, a former Islamic affairs adviser to the prime minister, the men in the crowd, not the lady, should have apologised.
According to Ms Shehrbano, there has been a "mushrooming of incidents" like the one on Sunday.
"Had I not screamed and had I not convinced the crowd that we will do something about it, It would have turned nastier…Thank God," she said. Not only has she garnered a lot of praise, but the Chief of Punjab Police has also called for her to be honoured for her courage.
The British colonisers of India were the first to codify anti-blasphemy laws, and the military dictatorship of the 1980s further enlarged them.
Several houses and churches in Jaranwala, a city east of Pakistan, were set on fire in August of last year after accusations that two individuals from the community had tampered with the Quran.