A court in Pakistan has sentenced a Muslim prayer leader and his son to life in jail for blasphemy.
The pair were found guilty in Punjab province of tearing down and trampling a poster of a gathering to mark the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.
A Christian leader said this was the first time a jail term had been handed down under the blasphemy law, which carries a mandatory death sentence.
A Christian woman is on death row for allegedly insulting Islam.
The conviction of the Muslim father and son on Tuesday was Pakistan’s first under its blasphemy law since last week’s assassination of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who had backed proposed reforms to the legislation.
• More articles about Islamic extremism in Pakistan
• This is but one reason why people in civilized countries should reject Muslim efforts to introduce the Sharia. Islamic law is incompatible with human rights and human decency.
This Jan. 1, 2011 CNN report shows fanatic Muslim clerics threaten revolution if the Pakistani government changes the country’s blasphemy laws: