Pakistani student beaten to death after being accused of blasphemy

Jon Street  Apr 14, 2017 5:31 pm

Blood stains are seen on a wall and the ground at a hostel at Abdul Wali Khan University at the site where students beat to death a classmate in Mardan on Thursday. Hundreds of Pakistani students beat to death a classmate known for his liberal views on a university campus in the country's conservative northwest. Mashal Khan, a journalism student, was stripped, beaten, shot, and thrown from the second floor of his hostel. (Abdul Majeed/AFP/Getty Images) 

A Pakistani college student died Thursday after a mob of people beat him to death on campus for allegedly sharing blasphemous content on social media.

Marshal Khan, whose age was not immediately clear, attended Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, Pakistan, where he studied journalism. According to one of Khan’s teachers, he was “brilliant and inquisitive, always complaining about the political system of the country .”

Khan’s former teacher, however, said they “never heard him say anything controversial about the religion.”

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif issued an order just last month to have any content that was considered to be blasphemous of the religion of Islam removed from websites. The prime minister’s action called for “strict punishment under the law” for anyone violating the order, Reuters reported.

After accusations against Khan surfaced Thursday, so too did a video showing the consequence of his alleged posting: a mob of about 10 students shouting “Allahu Akbar” while stripping Khan of his clothes and beating him with pieces of wood “until his skull caved in,” the Washington Times reported.

Other students reportedly watched as the deadly beating occurred, according to Reuters.

Even after Khan was dead, the mob sought to get even. According to police chief Mohammad Alam Shinwari, they also “wanted to burn his body.”

Ten students were arrested for Khan’s murder. It was not immediately clear what punishment they could face.

The content of the exact post for which Khan was beaten to death is not known. However, Khan’s Facebook page reveals he was an advocate for women’s rights.

“To all the women in Pakistan who are working for change . Dont give up on your dreams . Your bravery and resilience In the face of such adversities is admirable ..” Khan posted to Facebook in March from Mardan, Pakistan.

And in early March, Khan posted a message to minorities, including those are gay. In Pakistan, homosexuality is illegal.

“If you are black or you are brown or you are gay or you are lesbian or you are Trans or you are Introvert , Anyone that is treating you unkindly , It’s only because they are afraid or they have been taught to be afraid of how important you are. because being different means you make a difference. so f*** em….” Khan wrote March 6.

According to the CIA World Fact Book, 96.4 percent of Pakistan’s population of more than 200 million people identify as Muslim.