Upsetting Muslims and Christians alike in a speech on 20 November, Imran Khan claimed there is no historical record of Jesus Christ.
This could have been a slip of the tongue by the Oxford University-educated leader of the centrist PTI party, but has been viewed as a direct attack on the Christian faith by Pakistani Christians, who number as many as three million in the country.
Around the globe, there was a strong reaction from Christians who have been shocked at Khan’s remarks. He also faced significant criticism from many Muslims, as Jesus is referred to in the Qur’an on 187 occasions.
Khan signalled support for Pakistan’s notorious ‘blasphemy’ law when he announced a campaign against religious defamation, in an apparent attempt to place Pakistan at the forefront of efforts to counter criticism of Islam worldwide. He asserted that nobody should be allowed to hurt the religious sentiments of billions of Muslims ‘under the garb of so-called free speech’.
