In January 2011, 17-year-old Pakistani Muslim student Muhammad Samiullah was arrested for blasphemy. He had allegedly written remarks on an exam he had taken which were insulting to Islam in an apparent bout of frustration. Because the remarks were blasphemous, they were never repeated publicly to any outlet or organization, so it is unclear what he actually wrote.

Upon his arrest, he was taken into juvenile detention, where he was beaten by police. He quickly apologized for what he had done and expressed remorse. The ultimate outcome of the case is uncertain.

“I used to pray five times a day and recite the Holy Quran. But when my cousins came, they influenced my beliefs and discouraged me from following the religion.” - Muhammad Samiullah

As the victim tells it, he had been experiencing distress for a few years, owing to the death of his father. He wanted to do well in school so he could give his family a better source of financial support. Some academic struggles led to frustration. In addition, he said, he had cousins in Norway who had visited him a couple of years prior, and they had told him of their secular lifestyle, apparently placing doubts about religion into his head. He blamed them for influencing him to write the blasphemous comments.

“I was under severe mental stress, and whatever I did was unintentional. I did not mean it, and I deeply regret what I did.” - Muhammad Samiullah

In the wake of the incident, publications in Pakistan reported that he may have been “brainwashed” by his cousins. Police then threatened that unless the two Pakistani-Norwegians turned themselves in, warrants would be issued for their arrest. Like Muhammad Samiullah’s ultimate fate, whether anything came of this threat is unclear.