Condemning the murder of a university student, Mashal Khan, over allegations of blasphemy, Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai urged state institutions and political parties in Pakistan to shun their silence, take a stand and bring justice to the victim and his family.
According to The Express Tribune, Malala said in a video message on Facebook after talking to Mashal's father over the phone, that some Pakistanis have forgotten the message of peace given by Islam. "This was not just the funeral of Mashal Khan, it was the funeral of the message of our religion Islam," she said. "This is an incident filled with terror and fear," Malala said.
She added that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) never advised his followers to "be impatient and go around killing people". "We have forgotten our values. We are not representing the true Islam," she regretted.
Malala said people complain about the presence of Islamophobia in the West and that the western nations were "maligning our names". "No one is maligning the name of your country or religion. We ourselves are bringing a bad name to our country and religion," she stressed.
On April 13, Abdul Wali Khan University students Mashal and Abdullah were targeted by a violent mob on campus premises. Mashal was killed, while Abdullah was injured for allegedly "publishing blasphemous content online", according to police.
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