Pakistani YouTuber charged with blasphemy over controversial perfume launch

A Pakistani YouTube star has been charged with blasphemy after launching a perfume named after the very law he has fallen foul of, police said Tuesday.

Rajab Butt has one of the largest online followings in the Muslim-majority country and has been embroiled in controversy for years, including over his brief custody of a lion cub.

In a recent video, since deleted from his social media accounts, Butt launched his “295” perfume which refers to blasphemy legislation in the penal code.

Repeat offender

He said it followed a case filed against him last year, over an earlier video deemed blasphemous by Islamists.

His perfume publicity sparked further ire, prompting the leader of the radical Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) to file a complaint late Monday.

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“Our religious sentiments have been hurt”, said TLP leader Haider Ali Shah Gillani, whose party puts blasphemy as its central concern.

“There are numerous sections in the penal code but why did he choose blasphemy-related sections to name a perfume?”, he told AFP.

“This means you acknowledge the offence and are celebrating it. This is essentially an attempt to normalise such actions,” he said.

Blasphemy and cybercrime charges

A police charge sheet seen by AFP and authenticated by a police official on Tuesday details the accusations against Butt, including blasphemy and cybercrime.

Blasphemy is an incendiary charge in Pakistan, where even unsubstantiated accusations can incite public outrage and lead to lynchings.

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In both cases against him, the social media personality risks up to 10 years in prison.

Butt apologises

Butt issued an apology video on Sunday, asserting he is not against the country’s blasphemy laws.

“I apologise for the words I uttered during the launch of the perfume,” he said while holding a Koran.

“I apologise and announce the discontinuation of this perfume,” he added.

Butt has previously drawn a parallel with his “mentor”, the slain Indian rapper Sidhu Moose Wala, who released a song titled “295” in reference to religious incitement.

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In other legal troubles, Butt pleaded guilty in January to owning an undocumented wild animal after accepting a lion cub as a wedding gift.

He avoided jail by promising a judge to post animal rights videos for a year.