Pakistan Wants U.N. Campaign To Counter Religious Defamation

Imran Khan, who used to be a cricket player and philanthropist but is now Pakistan's 22nd Prime Minister, seems to have his heart set on dragging the rest of the world into Pakistan's blasphemy hell. Pakistan still has barbaric blasphemy laws with the death penalty as punishment. And if the country's laws don't get you, vigilante hard-line Muslims will. Politicians have been killed for trying to bring Pakistan into the 21st century. In 2011, Punjabi governor Salmaan Taseer was murdered by his bodyguard for speaking out against blasphemy laws. His killer was hailed a hero. Now his son is a target of Islamists. And all it takes is for someone with a grudge to claim you have blasphemed. Mobs have taken the law into their own hands before it even gets to the court, like this poor Christian couple who were beaten to death for allegedly desecrating a Quran.

Khan now wants the U.N. to institute a global initiative against defaming religions. We know that really means Islam.

Speaking at the Eighth Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilization, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, said the premier had made a major announcement to counter Islamophobia and incitement to hatred being witnessed in some parts of the world.

“Hate narratives are spreading in several parts of the world; Islamophobia is on the rise and diversity is being seen not as a source of enrichment but as a threat, and politics of fear seem to be replacing politics of hope,” she asserted

So basically this post would be subject to whatever initiative they came up with. In other words, criticisim of blasphemy laws could get people in trouble.

Scary times ahead.

More on Tribune.pk

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 Hardliners- New Law Protecting Women Is Un-Islamic

Pakistan isn't like Afghanistan. And it's a tad more progressive than say, Iran or Saudi Arabia when it comes to its women folk. There are no religious police out on the streets making sure women are covered. Unlike Saudi Arabia, they can drive. Universities are not segregated. Heck, they even elected a female Prime Minister. Twice. Although Benazir Bhutto was eventually assassinated she served two terms from 1984 through 1993. Of course, that was back then when Muslims weren't quite so fanatical and hardline as they are today. But although their legal system is rooted in British common law, the Penal Code often adheres to Islamic Shariah law and many of its barbaric practises, including death for apostasy and blasphemy. Any attempts to change the more radical Islamic laws, like Blasphemy and child marriage laws are met with major resistance, and often violence from a slew of religious hardliners.

The latest child marriage law ban never came to fruition because of opposition from the hardliners who actually want girls as young as nine to be eligible to marry, as per Shariah law.  And now, they want a new law protecting women to go bye-bye. There's a lot of domestic abuse within the Islamic nuclear family, so that's not surprising.

More than 35 religious parties and groups in Pakistan have come together to call on the government retract a new law in the country's largest province of Punjab that protects women from abuse. Claiming that the law is unIslamic, they accuse the law of being part of the West's agenda to destroy the family system in Pakistan.

The Women's Protection Act was passed by Punjab in February to protect women from domestic, psychological and sexual violence. It also calls for the setting up of a toll-free abuse reporting hot line, women's shelters and district-level panels to investigate reports of abuse. The new law also mandates the use of GPS bracelets to keep track of offenders.

The law however seems to have fallen foul of the mainly conservative clerics and religious leaders. They have said it is in conflict with both the Koran and the Pakistan constitution.

"This controversial law to protect women was promulgated to accomplish the West's agenda to destroy the family system in Pakistan," reads the joint declaration from the conference comprising the religious parties and groups. "This act ... is redundant and would add to the miseries of women."

[snip]

Pakistan Today said the Council of Islamic Ideology, a Pakistani religious body that advises the government on the compatibility of laws with Islam has declared the Women's Protection Act as un-Islamic. On 14 March, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of the Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam, the country's largest religious party, claimed that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had promised to address the reservations of the religious parties.

The rest here.

Pakistani Hardliners Want Nine-Year-Olds To Marry

After attempting to institute a child marriage ban, the Pakistan Muslim League Party has caved to pressure from the religious extremists- who just so happen to be mainstream in that country. The proposed law is now off the table after the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) cried 'blasphemy' deeming it un-Islamic. And we know what happens to Muslim blasphemers.

Currently a girl can marry at age 16, and a boy 18. They wanted to raise the age to 18 for girls, and mete out harsher punishments for those who married underage young girls. That's now not going to happen.

CII's Mohammad Khan Sheerani said:

“Parliament cannot create legislation that is against the teachings of the Holy Quran or Sunnah.”

In fact, they want marriage laws to comply with Shariah, which means that girls as young as nine should be allowed to marry, if "the signs of puberty are visible”. In other words, they want to legalize pedophilia.

Disgusting.

Way to go Pakistan.

Source.

Bill To Ban Child Marriage In Pakistan Shot Down As Anti-Islamic

As proof that Pakistan is living in the dark ages, a proposed bill to ban child marriage in that country was shot down after the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) called it anti-Islamic.

The ruling party politician who introduced the bill, Marvi Menon of the Pakistan Muslim League party, withdrew it after the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) dubbed the bill “blasphemous”.

The CII unanimously rejected the proposed Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill 2014 on "purely religious grounds", reports The Express Tribune.

CII Chairman Mohammad Khan Sheerani said the bill contradicted Islamic teachings.

The proposed legislation recommended giving out harsher punishments to those entering a marriage with a minor, as well as raising the minimum age of marriage for women to 18-years-old.

Legally girls can marry at 16 and men at 18, but the CII believes that's anti-Islamic. According to Islamic law, 9-year-old girls should be allowed to marry.

Of course Ms Menon withdrew the bill after the CII called it  "blasphemous."  She is well aware of what happens to people who try to civilize a society still attached to backward Islamic ideology- people get killed.

More here.

Pakistan Reinstates Death Penalty For Terrorists

I'm a little confused over Pakistan's stance on the death penalty after reading an article on Al Arabiya.

Pakistan announced Wednesday it will end its moratorium on the death penalty in terror-related cases, the prime minister’s office said a day after Taliban militants killed 141 students and school staff in the country's bloodiest ever terror attack.

“The prime minister has approved abolishment of moratorium on the execution of death penalty in terrorism-related cases,” an official from Sharif’s office said, according to Agence France-Presse.

Hanging remains on the Pakistani statute book and judges continue to pass the death sentence, but a de facto moratorium on civilian executions has been in place since 2008.

So, people who have been sentenced to death for blasphemy and adultery won't actually be executed? Just rot away in prison, or executed by radical Islamist vigilantes?

Apparently, the moratorium was also applicable to terrorists, until now. It took the revenge massacre of a bunch of innocent kids by the Pakistani Taliban to change that.

And it seems the Afghan Taliban are taking the moral high ground regarding the school massacre by their Pakistani brethren Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has always condemned the killing of children and innocent people at every juncture," the Afghan Taliban, which often target civilians, said in a statement released late Tuesday, according to Agence France-Presse.

"The intentional killing of innocent people, women and children goes against the principles of Islam and every Islamic government and movement must adhere to this fundamental essence,” the statement read.

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the official name of the Taliban) expresses its condolences over the incident and mourns with the families of killed children," it added.

Muslims condemn the killing of school kids and innocent people, any yet it happens all the time.

Pakistani Family Butchered In Honour Killing

While a conservative Muslim male in places like Pakistan can have multiple wives of his choosing, the woman usually never has that same choice of whom to wed. And if she does, she might wind up dead. Many a young couple who have married for love are subject to "honour" killings. It happens all the time. The couple run off but are eventually tracked down and murdered. In one recent case, it took 3 decades to catch up to a woman who married for love after her first arranged-marriage husband passed away. After thirty or so years, her son from that first marriage, with her former brother-in-law in tow, butchered his mother along with her 2nd husband and four of their kids. With an ax. Because marrying another man, for love, dishonoured him.

The couple’s 13-year-old daughter was critically injured in the attack on Tuesday night and is fighting for her life in hospital, while four other children escaped unharmed. “Ghulam Fatima, who was in her sixties, had married the man of her choice after her husband died and they moved to Punjab from Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa after threats from Fatima’s former inlaws,” Allah Ditta, a local police official told AFP. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is a conservative northwestern province where it is frowned upon for a woman to marry for a second time, especially someone of her own choosing.

Allah Ditta added that Fatima’s former inlaws had been searching for her in vain since she fled her old home, finally tracing her to her house in the Athara Hazari neighbourhood of Jhang city on Monday. Her son and brother-in-law were invited to stay as guests but murdered their hosts a day later. “Her son and his uncle came to her house on Monday and stayed there until Tuesday night when they axed Fatima, her husband and four children to death,” Ditta said. Mian Aslam, a second local police official, confirmed the incident and said Fatima’s son Mohammad remained at large but his uncle Gul Zameen had been arrested.

The brother-in-law has been arrested, her son Mohammad is still on the run.

Source: Arab Times

Pakistani Actress Veena Malik & Others Get 25 Years Jail For Blasphemy

Only in Pakistan.

If the extremist element in Pakistan has its way, popular Bollywood Pakistani actress Veena Malik along with her husband Asad Bashir Khan Khattak, TV host Shaista Wahidi, and a media mogul and owner of Geo TV will spend a very long time in jail.  The four of them have been sentenced to 26 years in jail for blasphemy.

Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, owner of Geo and Jang group, was accused of allowing the airing of a blasphemous programme by Geo television in May, which played a religious song while staging a mock marriage of Malik with Bashir.

Judge Shahbaz Khan also sentenced both Malik and Bashir, along with TV host Shaista Wahidi, to 26 years each. The ATC also imposed a 1.3 million Pakistani rupees fine on the convicts.

The judge said in his judgment that the four accused had committed profanity, and the court in its 40-page verdict also asked the police to arrest them, an official said. But the order is unlikely to be implemented because the Gilgit-Baltistan region is not considered a full-fledged province by Pakistan and verdicts by its courts do not apply to the rest of the country. and ordered that their properties should be sold to raise the fine, if they fail to pay it.

Thankfully, none are currently residing in Pakistan.

There are other blasphemy cases pending from other Pakistani cities.

Source: Time of India

Malik caused quite a stir after allegedly posing nude for a magazine.

H/T: Tarek Fatah

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.

Indian Jihadists Call For Attacks On Infidels- Kill The Idol Worshippers

A bunch of Islamist radicals from India, based in Pakistan, have called on fellow Muslims to attack non-Muslims in response to the air-strikes by the West targeting Islamic State jihadists.

The head of the little-known Ansar al-Tawhid fi’Bilad al-Hind urged Muslims to kill foreigners and other infidels in mainly Hindu India where Muslims have largely stayed away from global jihad.

"If you are in the fortunate position to kill an American or European, whether French or Australian or Canadian, or other unbelievers who have declared war on the Islamic State, then do so," said Maulana Abdul Rehman al-Nadwi al-Hindi in a 30-minute video posted online last week.

Indian security analysts said that Maulana Abdul Rehman is a pseudonym for fugitive jihadist Sultan Abdul Kadir Armar, a former resident of southern India who attended an Islamist seminary before going to Pakistan.

"Kill the idol worshippers wherever you find them ... shoot them if you can, stab them, throw stones at their heads, poison them, run them over, burn their fields - and if you are unable ... spit in their faces," al-Hindi said, referring to Hindus.

The emergence of a Islamic State-aligned militant group in India comes weeks after al Qaeda announced the formation of an Indian branch, aiming to rouse the world's third largest Muslim population into action.

The rest here.

Pakistani Professor Accused Of Blasphemy Gunned Down

This is what happens to "moderate" or "liberal" Muslims who have the courage to buck the conservative Muslim line.

A Pakistani academic known for promoting liberal views on Islam has been shot dead by gunmen – two years after being accused of committing blasphemy in a speech he made in the US.

Dr Muhammad Shakil Auj, Dean of the faculty of Islamic Studies at the University of Karachi, was attacked by two gunmen on a motorbike as he was making his way in his car to a function at the city’s Iranian cultural centre. A junior teaching colleague was also hit and suffered an injury to her arm.

“A bullet pierced through his head, proving fatal,” senior police officer Pir Mohammad Shah told the Associated Press. “We are investigating the killing. It would be premature to state the motive at the moment.”

The 54-year academic was known as someone who had spoken out on many issues in Islam and written several articles. One of the articles had suggested Muslim women should be allowed to marry non-Muslim men. He had also said Muslim women did not need to remove lipstick or make-up before going to prayer.

In 2012, Mr Auj, 54, had complained to police that four colleagues from the university had threatened him and sent him text messages accusing him of blasphemy. They had claimed a speech he had made that year in the US amounted to blasphemy.

One of the academics he complained about had previously held his position within the department. The four men face charges but are currently out on bail, according to reports.

More on Independent UK.

Cricket Jihad- Pakistani Player Tells Buddhist "Convert" and You Will Go To Heaven

The different ways to heaven through jihad include, terror jihad, love jihad, rape jihad, and now cricket jihad.

The cricket jihad is in reference to the Muslim Pakistani cricket player, Ahmed Shehzad, telling Sri Lankan Buddhist Tillakaratne Dilshan to convert to Islam if he wanted to go to heaven after a recent game. It was caught on camera.

Shehzad said:

 "if you are a non-Muslim and you turn Muslim, no matter whatever you do in your life, straight to heaven."

One can assume Dilshan responded heck no, because Ahmed then told Dilshan:

 "Then be ready for the fire."

I think one can say with certainty that there's a huge contingency of Muslims who will be getting a one way ticket to hell when their time comes.

Apparently Dilshan's father is a Muslim, but he and his siblings chose to follow their mum's religion, and he eventually changed his name from Tuwan Mohamed to Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan, which is Sinhalese-Buddhist.

I'm surprised Ahmed didn't tell him he should be executed for apostasy.  In Islam, unlike most other religions, the children are considered Muslim if the father is.

Pakistani Rapists Released, Victim Commits Suicide

Pakistan, where distraught gang-rape victims commit suicide because their rapists go free.

17-year-old Zahra Nasim, killed herself at the headquarters of the Commissioner of Police after her three rapists were released.

This happens all too often, but at least people are out there demanding justice and new laws to protect women against violence.

Story here.

Newlyweds Beheaded Over Love Marriage In Pakistan

More barbarism out of Pakistan- a young couple who married for love, beheaded by her family.

23-year-old Muafia Bibi married 27-year-old Sajjad Ahmed against her parents wishes.

On Friday, seven members of Muafia's family, including her father Dilshad alias Kulla, uncle Ghulam Husain, Shamshad, Afzaal Husain and Bashiran Bibi, stormed into house of the newly-weds in Hasanabad, bundled them into a van and took them to an outhouse at Satrah.

The suspects tied up the legs and arms of Sajjad and Muafia and cut off their heads with choppers in public but nobody dared stop them, the FIR said. The suspects fled from the village after the incident.
Sajjad's family told Dawn the couple had come into contact several months ago and wanted to get married but Muafia's parents didn't agree to her marriage with Sajjad which led to their love marriage. They said the couple was issued threats by the girl's family.

Police handed over the bodies to Sajjad's family after autopsy at Daska Civil Hospital. They were laid to rest amid police security.

Police are still searching for the killers.

Half-Fox, Half-Woman Creature A Hit At Pakistan Zoo

I admit, I once played a Blueberry for some promotional gig. It was hotter than hades inside that contraption of a costume, and being pushed and shoved by kids was not worth the paltry sum I received for the job.  As actors, we've all subjected ourselves to humiliation for some extra bucks. But Pakistani Murad Ali's paying gig is probably the most humiliating and bizarre I've ever heard of.  Murad plays a  "mythical half-fox, half-woman creature" at the Karachi Zoo (see photo above) for the better part of the day. He inherited the part from his daddy Mumtaz Mahal after the man passed away 16 years ago.

Murad Ali, impersonates a woman with a fox carcass apparently attached to his head, saying (Urdu): "The visitors go away happy. And knowing that they feel happy makes me happy too. There is a bond of love between me and them. Life is very short; it should be spent spreading smiles."

And Mumtaz isn't just a pretty face - for 12 hours a day, the mythical creature offers insights about wide ranging topics - from marriage advice to school tests.

Mohammad Osama, sixth grade student, saying (Urdu): "I feel good. I had a nice talk with her. I'm really happy."

If you're ever in Karachi you too can get sage advice from Murad for a mere 10 U.S. cents.

Source: Al Arabiya

Police Drop Attempted Murder Charges Against Baby Musa In Pakistan

I missed the story about the Pakistani baby boy who was arrested and charged with attempted murder. The 9-month-old faced a jail sentence along with four adults after participating in a protest against the gas company that was disconnecting the service of poor folk in a Lahore slum after they had failed to pay their bill. Musa Khan was taken to the protest by his father and grandfather, it turned violent (no surprise there), stones were hurled at gas workers, and the 3 were arrested.

After global outrage, Pakistani authorities have dropped the charges against baby-Musa.

Critics say the charges reflected the tendency of the Pakistani police to lodge exaggerated complaints against poor families.

On Saturday, though, the police withdrew the charges against Musa, the baby’s lawyer, Irfan Tarar, told The Associated Press.

The case against the baby led to widespread ridicule being heaped against the Pakistani legal system, particularly after little Musa was photographed crying while being fingerprinted — and he then had to be comforted with a bottle of milk. His family subsequently moved him out of Lahore to Faisalabad, citing safety reasons.

Yep, for years Osama Bin Laden had safe-haven in Pakistan, the same goes for members of al-Qaeda, and a toddler is arrested because his dad and grandad allegedly threw stones during a protest.

Way to go Pakistan.

Source: NY Times

"Women Are Un-Islamic" Claims Pakistan's Council of Islamic Ideology?

Legitimate mainstream news websites, bloggers and readers often mistake articles posted by fake/satire sites like The Onion and The Daily Currant as truth. I know I've almost been suckered into believing some.  But if it's a little too outrageous, I google. Of course, there are plenty of legitimately outrageous stories from the Middle East and environs that, as unbelievable as they are, turn out to be legit, so one never knows.

So, when I saw someone on Facebook post a link to an article on Pakistan Today titled "Council of Islamic Ideology declares women’s existence anti-Islamic" I checked it out and, yes, Pakistan has its very own satire news site. Who would have thought.

Islamabad - Sharia Correspondent: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) concluded their 192nd meeting on Thursday with the ruling that women are un-Islamic and that their mere existence contradicted Sharia and the will of Allah. As the meeting concluded CII Chairman Maulana Muhammad Khan Shirani noted that women by existing defied the laws of nature, and to protect Islam and the Sharia women should be forced to stop existing as soon as possible. The announcement comes a couple of days after CII’s 191st meeting where they dubbed laws related to minimum marriage age to be un-Islamic.

After declaring women to be un-Islamic, Shirani explained that there were actually two kinds of women – haraam and makrooh. “We can divide all women in the world into two distinct categories: those who are haraam and those who are makrooh. Now the difference between haraam and makrooh is that the former is categorically forbidden while the latter is really really disliked,” Shirani said.

The rest here.  It's pretty darn funny.

Pakistani Woman Refuses Arranged Marriage Gets Charged With Blasphemy

Only in Pakistan does a refusal of marriage get you maimed or killed or possibly executed for blasphemy.

Combine arranged marriages with women considered to be chattel, and you have a recipe for disaster. And you can't always blame it on ignorance. Eraj Sajjad's dad is a senior bureaucrat in the Sindh government (so I assume he must be somewhat educated), who arranged for his daughter to be married to a wealthy businessman. She refused and the spurned would-be groom leveled a blasphemy charge against her. When she went to the Federal Interior Ministry for help- security and the charges dropped- they said sorry, no can do.

Federal Interior Ministry and Senior Minister Sindh Nisar Khuhro refused to help her. The Interior Ministry, in a letter to her, said that as she had been formally implicated in a case of a serious nature and this ministry could not help her.On the other hand, Senior Minister Nisar Khuhro, while refusing her any help, suggested approaching the proper forum of the court of law.

In her letter, she narrated that she had escaped from her residence in Lahore because her parents wanted her to marry a businessman Imtiaz Alam against her will. According to her, Imtiaz Alam belonged to a wealthy family and was an influential person therefore he managed to register a false blasphemy case by using his influence and money against her to get revenge as she had refused to marry him. In her letter, she sought protection and withdrawal of the false blasphemy case against her.

But it wasn't just Imtiaz trying to harm Eraj, according to Eraj when she fled her parents house, Imtiaz and her mum and dad wanted to honor kill her.

I suppose the best alternative to honor killing the woman is to charge her with blasphemy, which can garner the death penalty in Pakistan.

Source

Did Pakistani Jihadists Bring Polio To Syria?

Polio is a devastating, highly infectious disease that spreads and cripples children very quickly, and there is no cure. Vaccinating kids is the only way to stop it from spreading. For the most part, the world has been able to eradicate it. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are only three countries where polio is still endemic: Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. I'm not sure about Nigeria, but the reason why it's still a problem in Afghanistan and Pakistan, is because the Taliban- in all their breathtaking ignorance- think immunization is some Western conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children. So they've been systematically attacking and killing polio workers. Back in January, 7 aid workers were killed, including a doctor, and there have been others since. But it's not just the Taliban, two teachers attacked a woman when she came to their house, because they believed the polio vaccine was a plot by the U.S. to cause mental retardation.

Syria had been polio free for 14 years, until now.  And thanks to the Pakistani jihadists who have gone to Syria to fight, polio has come back with a vengeance. 10 under-immunized children, so far, have been paralyzed, and neighbouring countries are running scared. As a result Syria, Lebanon and some other countries in the Middle East are on a mission to vaccinate over 20 million kids. Lebanon has already started its campaign:

“Today was the launching of the polio campaign in Lebanon. Lebanon has been polio-free for almost twelve years and it should stay as it is. Therefore today, together with the ministry of health, we have started the vaccination of more than 750,000 under five children,” UNICEF representative in Lebanon, AnnaMaria Laurini, told Reuters.

Though there is no way to definitively determine if Pakistani fighters are to blame for bringing the virus to North East Syria, the fact that it's only one of three countries where polio is still a problem, and North East Syria is where the rebels have taken hold, it seems more than likely.

Pakistani Cleric Rapes 4-Year-Old Girl In Madrassa

Not that pedophiles and rapists don't exist in other religions, but Muslim clerics have a tendency to hold themselves to a higher standard, which  makes their acts of sexual violence even more egregious. Take the head cleric at a Pakistani madrassa who allegedly raped a 4-year-old girl on her first day of school at the seminary, and then fled. He has since been arrested, but the little girl has been hospitalized in critical condition.

The girl’s father, a resident of Nawan Shehr in Mailsi, said in the FIR that he had dropped his daughter at the Shaheedanwala seminary in the neighbourhood.

He said more than 70 children from five nearby villages were enrolled at the seminary.

He said it was the girl’s first day and the chief cleric had asked him to drop her at his office. The father was told that he (cleric) would introduce her to other children.

He said when he went to pick her up at noon, he was told that his daughter was in the chief cleric’s office. The office was locked and the cleric missing. He said he broke into the room and found the child lying unconscious.

She was taken to the district headquarters hospital, where doctors treating her said that her condition was critical. Doctors later said she had undergone a surgery.

Dr Tahira Parveen at the DHQ hospital told The Express Tribune that the girl’s medico-legal examination confirmed rape.

Apparently two other clerics from the same seminary also went missing.

Locals have been protesting, calling for a boycott of all madrassas. They should shut them all down, considering they are also the breeding ground for terrorist and future suicide bombers.

Source: Pakistan Express Tribune