Blasphemy Charges Against Muslim Women Stir Tensions in Pakistan

Two Muslim women, school principal Shahnaz Khan and her chef Shazia Karamat, have been charged under blasphemy laws in Pakistan's Punjab province for allegedly burning Quran pages. The women and their families have fled the village. Similar blasphemy charges were previously filed against two young Christian sisters in a nearby district.

Two Muslim women, including a school principal, face blasphemy charges in Pakistan's Punjab province for allegedly burning pages of the Quran, police reported on Tuesday.

Shahnaz Khan, a private school principal, and her chef, Shazia Karamat, were booked under section 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code after a local Imam, Kashif Ali, accused them of desecrating the holy book in Rai Kalan village of Kasur district, about 50 km from here.

According to police officer Khalid Saleem, both women and their families fled the village after Imam Ali announced from his mosque that they had burned the Quran pages on Saturday. A heavy police presence was deployed to prevent any violence, and Khan went into hiding before a mob could reach her home and school.