Pakistani Christian Woman Asia Bibi Still Waiting For Verdict On Final Death Penalty Appeal

Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman who has been rotting away in jail on Death Row since 2010 for blasphemy, will soon find out if the Islamist fanatics of that country will get their wish. Unbelievably, death for blaspheming Prophet Mohammad is still part of Pakistan's penal code.

Back in 2009 Bibi was working in the fields picking berries when an argument ensued after her Muslim coworkers took offense when she allegedly drank water from the same container. Or handled the bowl. Or something. Stories differ, so who knows what the actual truth is. But after the quarrel, the Muslim women ran to the local cleric claiming Bibi had blasphemed. Whether she did or not is irrelevant, it's a barbaric practice that should be abolished but continues to this day. In fact, hardliners are calling for stricter enforcement of the law.

 Over the past 8 years there have been a series of appeals all of which have failed. This was the final one, and though the Supreme Court has actually made a decision, they are waiting to announce the verdict. This could be good news, but considering the hardliners are gaining numbers, I tend to think it's not. According to the DailyMail:

On Wednesday Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), a hardline religious political party -- which had a strong showing in nationwide elections earlier this year -- said in a press conference aired via YouTube that if she was freed the justices responsible would meet a "horrible" end.

That's not just an idle threat, people have been assassinated for trying to reform that part of Pakistani  law. And more often than not, angry mobs take the law into their own hands. Back in 2014 I wrote about a Pakistani Christian husband and wife who were beaten to death and then burned for allegedly desecrating a Quran. And a governor back in 2011 was killed for opposing the law and supporting Bibi.

There are some in Pakistan who believe that the blasphemy law needs to go the way of the dinosaurs, but few have the courage to lobby for change because they could wind up dead. That's what happened to Salmaan Taseer in 2011. The politician and businessman, who was governor of Punjab at the time, was murdered by Mumtaz Qadri, one of his bodyguards, because Taseer was very vocal about his opposition to the blasphemy law. Taseer was also asking for a pardon for Aasia Bibi. He was shot 27 times with a sub-machine gun. And who was considered the hero? Qadri. He even got a mosque named after him. In a middle-class neighbourhood, to boot.

She could ask the President for clemency, but there's no way she could remain in the country. She and her family would be sitting targets, but the hardliners are trying to prevent her from leaving.

Separately on Wednesday, a former spokesman for Islamabad's notorious Red Mosque moved to prevent Bibi from leaving the country by petitioning the capital's High Court to put her on the no-fly list.

Hard to believe that in the 21st century there are brutal, inhumane laws that still exist, supported by blood-lusting religious fanatics.

Read more at Christian Post, and News18.

Pakistani Christian Couple Beaten To Death And Burned For Desecrating Quran

Only in Pakistan would a Christian couple accused of desecrating a Quran be beaten to death and then hurled into a kiln and burned. And the tragic part is- who knows if the couple were actually guilty or not. It could have been any number of things, including the fact that they were Christian, or perhaps they had a falling out with one of their accusers. Accusations of blasphemy are often levied against people who are involved in some alleged dispute, and though Pakistan still has draconian blasphemy laws that will earn you the death sentence, mob justice usually takes care of the accused before the courts can.

The victims were only identified by their first names, Shama and Shehzad, and were a married couple.

Pakistan's brick kiln workers are often subject to harsh practices, with a study by the Bonded Labour Liberation Front Pakistan estimating that 4.5 million are indentured labourers.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has constituted a three-member committee to fast track the investigation of the killings and ordered police to beef up security at Christian neighbourhoods in the province, an official from his media office told AFP.

Minorities are often targets, like Aasia Bibi, a Christian who was convicted of blasphemy, and then sentenced to death in November 2010.  She was accused by a Muslim woman after the two argued.

And 70-year-old schizophrenic Mohammad Asghar, a British/Pakistani man, has also been languishing in jail since 2010 for blasphemy. He was accused, after a dispute with a tenant, of writing that he was the Prophet Mohammad. No-one bothered to take into consideration his mental status. Asghar was then shot in the back by a vigilante prison guard in September, though he survived.

There are some in Pakistan who believe that the blasphemy law needs to go the way of the dinosaurs, but few have the courage to lobby for change because they could wind up dead.  That's what happened to Salmaan Taseer in 2011. The politician and businessman, who was governor of Punjab at the time, was murdered by Mumtaz Qadri, one of his bodyguards, because Taseer was very vocal about his opposition to the blasphemy law. Taseer was also asking for a pardon for Aasia Bibi. He was shot 27 times with a sub-machine gun. And who was considered the hero?  Qadri. He even got a mosque named after him. In a middle-class neighbourhood, to boot.

It's heartening, though, to read the comments on the Dawn article I sourced this from. Most are appalled by what happened to the Christian couple.

And this editorial from March 29, 2014, was reposted on Dawn:

Editorial: Death for blasphemy

The reality of Pakistan today is that mere accusation of this crime, howsoever unsubstantiated, instantly imperils the life of the individual concerned, and that threat persists not only throughout his incarceration, but even after acquittal.

Minorities are particularly impacted by the blasphemy law. Firstly, they are disproportionately targeted as compared to their actual representation in the population.

Secondly, when one of them is accused, the entire community is made to suffer, as illustrated by the mob violence in Joseph Colony, Gojra, etc or in lesser known cases where communities have been intimidated into moving en masse out of the locality. In fact, the desire to grab land or settle personal scores often underlies blasphemy allegations. That is all the more reason the law needs to be revisited.

Good luck with that.  Unfortunately, Pakistan is getting more and more conservative, and I can't imagine reform happening any time soon.

Pakistani Man Sentenced To Death For Blasphemy

They love their Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan, even though most of the accusations are simply a way of getting back at someone you have a grudge against.  You'd think they'd learn after they discovered that the cleric who accused  a young 14-year-old Christian girl, Rimsha Masih, of burning the pages of a Quran, was actually the one who framed her by planting evidence. But they've now fined and sentenced to 10 years in prison, plus death, 25-year-old Hazrat Ali Shah who was accused by fellow villagers  of  blaspheming Mohammed after an argument in early 2011.

According to prosecutors, Hazrat Ali Shah uttered something blasphemous against the Holy Prophet (pbuh) in March 2011 in his village of Barenis, which was testified by many villagers.

Police registered a case under Sections 295 –(a), (b) and (c) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The convicted man allegedly stood on the roof of his house and spoke loudly and inappropriately against the Prophet (pbuh) about one and a half year ago, creating a tense situation in the village, after which police arrested him and lodged a case.

A Christian woman, Aasia Bibi (aka Aasia Noreen), is also on death row after she too was accused of blasphemy in 2010.  She's still waiting on appeals.

What a shameful, pathetic law.

Sources; Tribune, Dawn