Pakistani police have arrested an imam on terror charges after the imam accidentally inspired a 15-year-old boy to chop off his own hand.
The reason the boy, Anwar Ali, cut off his hand? He believed he had committed blasphemy and was convinced that he had committed blasphemy after listening to a sermon from imam Shabbir Ahmed, Pakistani newspaper Dawn reports. After Ali cut off his own hand, locals proclaimed him a hero.
What ended up happening is that Ahmed had rhetorically asked the crowd, “Who does not love the Prophet?”
Ali misunderstood Ahmed’s question and raised his hand in response, prompting outrage from Ahmed. The imam yelled that Ali was a “blasphemer who was liable to be killed.” The crowd joined Ahmed in accusing Ali of blasphemy.
Distraught at the accusation, Ali ran home and decided that the only way to remove the stain of blasphemy was to cut off his own hand. He then came back and delivered his hand on a plate to Ahmed as a sort of penance.
Ahmed was subsequently arrested on terror charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act, as throwing around the charge of blasphemy is incredibly contentious and likely to cause disorder.
The boy is disappointed that Ahmed is now in prison, saying that the imam is totally blameless. Ali’s parents reportedly celebrated Ali’s decision to cut off his hand as indicative of devotion to Islam.
Ali told The News that he felt no pain when he cut off his hand.
Follow Jonah Bennett on Twitter
Send tips to jonah@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.