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In Pakistan, a shrine to murder for 'blasphemy'
As a Senate committee mulls Pakistan's blasphemy laws, thousands visit shrine to Mumtaz Qadri, killer of Salman Taseer.
Islamabad, Pakistan - Two narrow minarets rise into the sky, flanking a deep green dome on top of a building nestled in rolling hills on the outskirts of Pakistan's capital.
Inside, the walls are lined with inscriptions from the Quran and verses in praise of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, whose mosque in the Saudi city of Medina the dome seeks to mimic. The ceiling is inlaid with an intricate mirror-work mosaic, a kaleidoscope of colours and shapes.
In the centre of the inner chamber lies a white marble grave. The stone around its edges is carved into a delicate latticework. The grave is covered with fresh roses, whose scent fill the room.
On the carpeted floor, visitors pay their respects. Some pray, others read from the Quran. In one corner, three young men quietly recite poems in praise of Prophet Muhammad.
The peaceful calm is eerily at odds with the act that brought them all here. For this is the grave of Mumtaz Qadri, a Pakistani police officer who, in 2011, fired 28 bullets into then-Punjab governor Salman Taseer over alleged blasphemy, killing him instantly.
In Pakistan, a shrine to murder for 'blasphemy' | Pakistan | Al Jazeera
As a Senate committee mulls Pakistan's blasphemy laws, thousands visit shrine to Mumtaz Qadri, killer of Salman Taseer.
Islamabad, Pakistan - Two narrow minarets rise into the sky, flanking a deep green dome on top of a building nestled in rolling hills on the outskirts of Pakistan's capital.
Inside, the walls are lined with inscriptions from the Quran and verses in praise of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, whose mosque in the Saudi city of Medina the dome seeks to mimic. The ceiling is inlaid with an intricate mirror-work mosaic, a kaleidoscope of colours and shapes.
In the centre of the inner chamber lies a white marble grave. The stone around its edges is carved into a delicate latticework. The grave is covered with fresh roses, whose scent fill the room.
On the carpeted floor, visitors pay their respects. Some pray, others read from the Quran. In one corner, three young men quietly recite poems in praise of Prophet Muhammad.
The peaceful calm is eerily at odds with the act that brought them all here. For this is the grave of Mumtaz Qadri, a Pakistani police officer who, in 2011, fired 28 bullets into then-Punjab governor Salman Taseer over alleged blasphemy, killing him instantly.
In Pakistan, a shrine to murder for 'blasphemy' | Pakistan | Al Jazeera
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