MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND (ANS) -- A Pakistani Christian man charged with blasphemy last week says the allegations are the result of a longstanding personal grudge against him by Muslims.

According to a news release from CLAAS-UK (the Center for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement) Waris Masih, also known as Bhaloo, was charged on Aug. 21 for allegedly insulting Muhammad after entering a mosque in Rajkot village district Gujranwala, a predominantly Muslim village of north-eastern Pakistan.

CLAAS said if convicted of the charges, Masih faces a mandatory death penalty. He denies the allegations.

Masih, a local councilor but not a member of any political party, said while it is the first time he has been accused of blasphemy, false accusations have been made against him before.

CLAAS said in the past, allegations against him have all been proved false. He said registration of the blasphemy case is the latest attempt at revenge against him by a number of Muslim men.

On Aug. 28, CLAAS reported, hundreds of protesting Muslims blocked roads in Gujranwala District to press for blasphemy charges against Masih, causing local Christians to fear an outbreak of violence. Masih was charged three days later. The 50-year-old husband and father of three has now gone into hiding with his family.

Nasir Saeed, director of CLAAS-UK, said in a news release that extremism and religious intolerance have grown in Pakistan and the blasphemy laws are being misused by Muslims to settle personal grudges against religious minorities, especially Christians. He said he believes Western foreign policies are a factor, as it is believed that Pakistani Christians are associates of the West.

He added, “The Pakistani government must make appropriate changes to these controversial laws as Muslims very often take the law into their own hands and sometimes even kill those accused of blasphemy.”

Saeed continued, “For example, Pastors Rashid and Sajid were recently killed while they were on their way to the court and were not even given a chance to prove themselves innocent. Christians in Pakistan are living under constant fear because of these laws and the killing of several innocent Christians and other religious minorities, but the government still doesn't seem willing to look into these laws, whilst the opposition openly opposes any changes to them.”

CLAAS works on behalf of persecuted Christians in Pakistan. For more information go to www.claas.org.uk 

Jeremy Reynalds is a freelance writer and the founder and CEO of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "Now You See Me." Additional details on some of Reynalds' previous books are available at http://www.HomelessBook.com. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jeremyreynalds@comcast.net. Tel: (505) 400-7145.