A British imam with hundreds of thousands of followers on Facebook has declared the murderer of a politician who stood up for Pakistani Christians a "martyr".
In a post to almost 136,000 people, Imam Muhammed Asim Hussain said Mumtaz Qadri killed Salman Taseer "in honour of the Prophet".
Qadri was sentenced to death for the murder of Salman Taseer in 2011, a politician who strongly opposed the country's blasphemy laws, often used to target Christians.
He shot Mr Taseer in broad daylight while acting as a personal body guard. He didn't show any remorse for his actions.
Qadri was hanged on Monday for the crime.
It was "a dark day in the history of Pakistan," claimed Mr Hussain. Qadri had been "wrongfully executed and martyred in the way of Allah", he added.
Mr Hussain is a prominent cleric in Bolton and often speaks at mosques.
Tens of thousands of people attended Qadri's funeral on Tuesday whilst more protested across Pakistan.
A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference
In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.
Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.
For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.
Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.
Support Us