Arafat Mazhar is an academic, a musician and an animator. He is the founder and director of Engage, ShehriPakistan and Puffball Studio, the studio behind the brilliant dystopian short film, Shehr e Tabassum, directed by Arafat Mazhar himself.

From his early days of being in Jamaat-e-Islami to his seminal research on the Blasphemy law, Arafat Mazhar comes on the podcast to discuss the history of the Blasphemy Law in Pakistan and the legacy of extremism. Arafat talks about how the law came to be and the history of Islamic jurisdiction on the topic.

We discuss the role of religion in Pakistan, the madrassas, if vilifying Mumtaz Qadri is enough, how do we protect the future of our children and provide a counter narrative that is able to communicate effectively to them. Visit www.engagepakistan.com for all the report which has resources that people can read to verify Arafat Mazhar's claims.

The trailer at the end of the podcast is of Swipe, Arafat Mazhar's latest film, check out more on the Shehr-e-Tabassum Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_15dKzkIMY

The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

Blasphemy Law and the legacy of extremism in Pakistan - Arafat Mazhar - TPE #059