Combating Islam

Part 2: Mob Justice and Fatwa Wars — Vigilante Enforcement of the Prophet’s Honor

7-part series: “The Untouchable Prophet: How Islam Enforces Total Submission to Muhammad”

When the Law Isn’t Fast Enough, the Lynch Mob Steps In

The formal Islamic legal system prescribes death for insulting Muhammad. But in many parts of the Muslim world, you don’t need a court ruling to be executed for “blasphemy.” You just need a rumor, a crowd, and a rage-filled Friday sermon.

Whether it’s in the streets of Pakistan, the press offices of Europe, or the fatwa halls of Iran, enforcement of Muhammad’s “untouchable” status often bypasses courts entirely. It takes the form of mob violence, extrajudicial killings, and open calls for assassination — not as anomalies, but as expressions of religious piety.

The result is a global culture of fear, where even perceived criticism of Muhammad can bring death — and even defending the accused can get you killed.

1. Pakistan: Where the Law Ends and the Mob Begins

Section 295-C of Pakistan’s Penal Code states:

“Whoever by words, either spoken or written... defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) shall be punished with death or imprisonment for life…”

In practice, this law functions as both a weapon and a death sentence:

Accusations are routinely fabricated to settle personal disputes, seize land, or target minorities.
Police, lawyers, and judges face threats and assassination for defending the accused.
Mobs often kill before courts can rule.

Notable cases:

Asia Bibi (2009)
A Christian woman accused of insulting Muhammad during an argument over drinking water. Despite zero evidence, she spent 8 years on death row. Two officials who defended her — Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and Minister Shahbaz Bhatti — were assassinated. Her lawyer fled the country.
Mashal Khan (2017)
A journalism student falsely accused of blasphemy. Beaten, stripped, and shot by a mob of fellow students — on university grounds.
Junaid Hafeez (2013–present)
A university lecturer accused of posting blasphemous content online. Imprisoned in solitary confinement for over a decade. His first lawyer was murdered.

This isn’t about fringe radicals. It’s state-supported religious terror.

2. Iran: State-Sanctioned Assassination with Global Reach

In 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the death of author Salman Rushdie over his novel The Satanic Verses, which included fictionalized depictions of Muhammad.

“I inform the proud Muslim people of the world that the author… and all those involved in its publication… are condemned to death.”
— Khomeini’s fatwa, February 14, 1989

This was not an idle religious opinion. It was a state-sanctioned order for murder. And it came with a bounty.

Rushdie went into hiding for decades.
Translators and publishers were attacked — some fatally.
In 2022, Rushdie was stabbed repeatedly onstage in New York — 33 years later.

The fatwa was never rescinded. In fact, Iranian officials have repeatedly reaffirmed it. The Islamic Republic’s message is clear: wherever you are, if you offend Muhammad, you are never safe.

3. The Danish Cartoon Riots: Global Jihad for a Sketch

In 2005, Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published twelve cartoons of Muhammad, some satirical.

The reaction?

Over 200 people killed in riots across:
- Afghanistan
- Pakistan
- Nigeria
- Somalia
- Iran
Embassies burned in Damascus, Beirut, and Tehran.
Boycotts, diplomatic crises, and bounties on cartoonists' heads.

Notably:

The paper didn’t blaspheme Allah.
The cartoons didn’t call for violence.
Many simply showed Muhammad holding a bomb-shaped turban — a visual metaphor for jihadism.

That was enough to unleash international fury. Entire governments demanded retractions, and some Islamic clerics circulated fake, more offensive images just to intensify the outrage.

This wasn’t spontaneous. It was organized, religiously sanctioned rage.

4. Charlie Hebdo: The Cost of Satire in France

In 2015, Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine, was attacked by gunmen shouting “Allahu Akbar” — 12 people were murdered, including the editor and cartoonists.

Their crime?

Publishing cartoons of Muhammad.

This wasn’t just an act of terror. It was enforcement of Islamic blasphemy law by bullet — in a secular democracy. And the response from parts of the Muslim world?

Celebrations.
Justifications.
Statements blaming the victims for “provoking” Muslims.

This wasn’t an aberration. It was the global reach of Muhammad’s “untouchable” status — enforced not by debate, but by murder.

5. Even Muslims Aren’t Safe

Muslims who attempt reform, critique the Prophet’s behavior, or question the application of Sharia aren’t spared.

Bangladesh:
- Atheist bloggers were hacked to death in public.
- Targets were listed by name in fatwas and online forums.
Saudi Arabia:
- Raif Badawi, a blogger who questioned religious dogma, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes.
Egypt:
- Karim Amer, imprisoned for four years for criticizing Islam and Muhammad on his blog.

These aren’t “liberal” societies failing to live up to their ideals. They’re Islamic societies living up to their religious principles — as defined by the untouchability of Muhammad.

6. The Prophet’s Honor as a Global Trigger

Why is it that mocking Jesus, denying the resurrection, or burning Bibles doesn’t lead to global murder sprees?

Because in Islam, the Prophet’s status is not just theological — it’s totalitarian. He is not a man to be believed in. He is a figure to be obeyed, revered, and never questioned.

This is why Muslim outrage is so visceral, so consistent, and so violent. It’s not random. It’s structurally built into the religion’s power dynamics.

The result?

Free speech dies.
Satirists die.
Dissent dies.

And Muhammad lives on — as the untouchable monarch of a faith that pretends to worship God, but actually enforces submission to a man.

Conclusion: Vigilante Sharia Is Not a Bug — It’s a Feature

The defenders of Islam often say, “These mobs do not represent true Islam.”

But Islamic jurisprudence says otherwise.
Fatwas say otherwise.
And the unbroken pattern of violence over Muhammad’s honor — for centuries — says otherwise.

This is not about fringe radicals.

The laws exist.
The clerics endorse them.
The mobs enforce them.
The governments enable them.

When criticism of a man becomes a death sentence — whether by statute or by mob — you are no longer dealing with religion. You are dealing with a cult of personality backed by force.

This is not spirituality.

This is religious tyranny — and Muhammad is the unchallengeable sovereign at its center.

Next: Part 3: Forbidden to Depict — Iconoclasm as Control