Pakistan’s 'Last Self-Declared Jew' Attacked, Detained

One of Pakistan’s most well-known Jewish citizens was allegedly beaten and held in police custody Wednesday after an argument broke out about the rights of non-Muslims in the country. In an interview with VOA, Fishel Benkhald said he was taken into custody initially by the police and then handed over to the Rangers, a paramilitary force, and questioned for hours. “They took me to the Rangers area... I was still handcuffed and I was blindfolded. ... They didn’t beat me up much, just only a little bit of manhandling, and some slaps and some, I think, punches on my back,” said Benkhald, who has been described as “Pakistan’s last self-declared Jew.” The son of a Muslim father and Jewish mother, Benkhald’s real name is Faisal, but he said he considers himself Jewish and recently adopted “Fishel.” He has received widespread international media attention for his work to help preserve a Jewish cemetery in Karachi. The disagreement between Benkhald and another individual initially broke out on Twitter, but they agreed to meet in a restaurant to discuss the issue of non-Muslims being allowed to become the president of Pakistan. Under the constitution, non-Muslims are not allowed to hold the office of the presidency. However, after a heated exchange, Benkhald said that he was beaten by at least three other people. “I was manhandled for about, let’s say, one-and-a-half minutes or two minutes," said the avid tweeter. "The beating was, like I remember, three to five punches and the last thing which I remember was a kick on my head.” Pakistan has recently come under increased scrutiny for its treatment of minorities, usually related to the country’s blasphemy law. Benkhald said that even though he was taken into police custody and then handed over to the Rangers, the people who attacked him were not placed in the police van after the incident. He said he was also questioned by the Rangers, who checked his cell phone. He claimed that he was asked why he was followed on Twitter by Israeli officials, Israeli embassies around the world, and some journalists. He was released later in the day but has still not been told of the charges he faces or why he was arrested. “I cannot go to the Rangers, but I will go to the police, because they first picked me,” Benkhald said when asked how he would respond to his arrest. The Karachi police declined to comment despite repeated attempts by VOA to reach them.



from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1wMJlDS