Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Christian Woman, Asia Bibi, Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy in Pakistan

Muhammad ordered his followers to murder people who criticize him and his religion. Is it any surprise that some of his followers actually kill people for blasphemy? Further, is anyone shocked that members of a religion that regards Christians as the "worst of creatures" (Qur'an 98:6) would use blasphemy laws to persecute Christians? But let's all be tolerant of the intolerance. After all, to criticize Islamic law would be racist and bigoted.

Asia Bibi, a 45-year-old mother-of-five, denies blasphemy and told investigators that she was being persecuted for her faith in a country where Christians face routine harassment and discrimination.

Christian groups and human rights campaigners condemned the verdict and called for the blasphemy laws to be repealed.

Her supporters say she will now appeal against the sentence handed down in a local court in the town of Sheikhupura, near Lahore, Pakistan.

Ashiq Masih, her husband, said he had not had the heart to break the news to two of their children.

"I haven't told two of my younger daughters about the court's decision," he said. "They asked me many times about their mother but I can't get the courage to tell them that the judge has sentenced their mother to capital punishment for a crime she never committed." Mrs Bibi has been held in prison since June last year.

The court heard she had been working as a farmhand in fields with other women, when she was asked to fetch drinking water.

Some of the other women – all Muslims – refused to drink the water as it had been brought by a Christian and was therefore "unclean", according to Mrs Bibi's evidence, sparking a row.

The incident was forgotten until a few days later when Mrs Bibi said she was set upon by a mob.

The police were called and took her to a police station for her own safety.

Shahzad Kamran, of the Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan, said: "The police were under pressure from this Muslim mob, including clerics, asking for Asia to be killed because she had spoken ill of the Prophet Mohammed.

"So after the police saved her life they then registered a blasphemy case against her." He added that she had been held in isolation for more than a year before being sentenced to death on Monday.

"The trial was clear," he said. "She was innocent and did not say those words." Earlier this year, Pakistan's internet service providers were ordered to block Facebook to prevent access to supposedly blasphemous images.

Human rights groups believe the law is often used to discriminate against religious minorities, such as the country's estimated three million Christians.

Although no one has ever been executed under Pakistan's blasphemy laws – most are freed on appeal – as many as 10 people are thought to have been murdered while on trial.

Ali Hasan Dayan, of Human Rights Watch, said the blasphemy laws were out of step with rights guaranteed under Pakistan's constitution and should be repealed.

"It's an obscene law," he said. "Essentially the blasphemy law is used as a tool of persecution and to settle other scores that are nothing to do with religion.

"It makes religious minorities particularly vulnerable because it's often used against them." (Source)

10 comments:

minoria said...

I was about to write something else and I stumble on this.It makes me so sick.I think the BARNABAS FUND is probably helping her.Its director is DR PATRICK SOOKHDOE(an ex-Muslim,now Christian,author of GLOBAL JIHAD(2010)).

Its website is:
http://barnabasfund.org/

You can contact them at (it has their email,telephone,fax):

http://barnabasfund.org/US/About-us/Contact-us/

Also let us not forget Shafsha and Will.And I remember we were asked to pray for Sam Shamoun also.And then there is Mary Jo Sharp who needs funds for her ministry,it is in her blog(click on blog of confidentchristianity.com)and please donate.

Jabari said...

Lord Jesus, I pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters all over the world. I pray that they will not be afraid. I pray that you will this persecution they are facing to embolden them. Keep them safe Lord Jesus.

And now Lord Jesus, I pray that you will give the people who put my sister-in-Christ to death justice. Let their years be as short as the grass. Count every prayer they pray as an abomination to you, Jesus. However, Jesus give them a chance to make you the Lord of their lives.

I give this all to you Jesus, in your name

Amen.

Confident Christianity said...

Also remember Pastor Youcef Nardarkhani who was reportedly sentenced to death for apostasy. The pastor’s trial was held in recent weeks in the 11th Chamber of The Assize Court of the province of Gilan in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The pastor was arrested in October 2009.

If a death sentence is officially handed down by the court and Pastor Youcef is executed, his would be the first judicial execution of a Christian in Iran in two decades.

And this will be a government ordered and exacted execution for apostasy from Islam.

Jabari said...

Minoria said:
Also let us not forget Shafsha and Will.And I remember we were asked to pray for Sam Shamoun also.And then there is Mary Jo Sharp who needs funds for her ministry,it is in her blog(click on blog of confidentchristianity.com)and please donate.

Alot of people need our prayers these days. We need to be pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17).

Radical Moderate said...

Wow, bring water to your co workers and get sentenced to death for Blasphemy. Yeah nothing to fear here folks, nothing at all.

I had a email exchange with Yahya Snow on Youtube regarding how Chritians are to be treated under Islamic Law and I asked him if I as a Christian should fear those that wish to practice such Islam.

For those of you who don't know I am providing the legal code from the Shafi School of Islamic Jurisprudence below.

o11.5 Such non-Muslim subjects are obliged to comply with Islamic rules that pertain to the safety and
indemnity of life, reputation, and property. In addition, they:
(1) are penalized for committing adultery or theft, thought not for drunkenness;
(2) are distinguished from Muslims in dress, wearing a wide cloth belt (zunnar);
(3) are not greeted with "as-Salamu 'alaykum";
(4) must keep to the side of the street;
(5) may not build higher than or as high as the Muslims' buildings, though if they acquire a tall house,
it is not razed;
(6) are forbidden to openly display wine or pork, (A: to ring church bells or display crosses,) recite
the Torah or Evangel aloud, or make public display of their funerals and feastdays;
(7) and are forbidden to build new churches.

Now it took a while, he only seemed to want to focus on the first part of Point 6, pork and wine, as if that really concerned me. It took a few emails but I finally got him to discuss the more pressing issues. Below is his response.

"I'm glad you have dropped your affiliation for pork and alcohol (Jesus will not approve of these two evils)

Being distinguished as non-muslims. Are you for real? Really. Is this such a problem? Your pals on the net make it clear they are non-muslims via their usernames (such as "infidel", "kafir", etc). Brother Jeff, if people know you are a non-Muslim it is not going to be the end of the world. Take a chill pill.

Keeping to the side of the street. Is that so restrictive and so tormenting? If the UK adopted some law which dictates non-christians must use the side of the footpath, I am not going to panic or lose any sleep. You worry too much.

Not being able to build razed buildings? Again, are you serious? Is this a big concer? In any case if you really need a raised building then you will get one. Take a chill pill, brother Jeff. It's hardly worth writing home about.

To ring beels or display crosses. Well, France seems to have banned overtly religious symbols (including the cross, correct me if I'm wrong)...so go and moan at the French. This Sharia is not EVEN affecting you but French law is affecting minoria. You are being inconsistent.

Ringing bells, I grew up near a vicarage (and church) and thus heard the ringing of the bells EVERY Sunday morning. Muslims are not allowed to build minarets in Switzerland? Am I crying about this or losing sleep? No. Muslims (in my country UK) are not allowed to perform the CALL TO PRAYER in the morning or at night (which is equivalent in volume to the ringing of bells). So, Jeff...be consistent and start protesting for the call to prayer.

Really, Jeff..is it the end of the world if you are not allowed to ring your bells in an Islamic theocracy? You can STILL perform your church service. Take a chill pill brother...

New churches? Do you really NEED new churches? You can perform the services in your old churches or at home. Its hardly a thing to panic over. I know you would like to have new churches but why should a theocracy which believes your religion to be false want new churches popping up? "

So there you have it folks nothing to fear about Islam nothing at all.

Anonymous said...

And how many billions of doallars is the United States pouring into Paksitan to prevent the "extremist" from taking over? oops did I say exteremist. and I can't asy Ilamist and i can't say terrorist.

But we can all pray.

minoria said...

Thanks Confident Christianity for the information on the Iranian pastor,I didn't know anything about him.There is a strange power Islam has over Muslims.Look at the case of Paul Williams,in a debate he has been having with a Christian called Andrew(a great debater,who knows alot,alot more than I) in one part Paul said,in essence,that Christians only believe Jesus is God because the the book says so.

When I was writing there I gave the OT passages that show the Messiah would be Yahweh(the Jeremiah prophecy about the Messiah).Paul Williams never argued my interpretation.What he does is ignore the OT evidence and in another segment repeat the same line that Christians invented the idea Jesus was God.He is not interested in what the OT or NT really say.He is not searching for truth of what the text says.That does not mean he has to believe the text,but to know what it really says and argue otherwise is to show disregard for scholarship.

There was a Muslim in avraidire.com called Alaoui who told me to answer like 7 questions about Jesus and the NT.I think he thought they proved Jesus was not God in the gospels.Like the one Shabir Ally(in his lack of interest in scholarship) always puts:"If Jesus was God and he died,then God died,what logic is there in that?"

I told him the spirit of God the Son simply left the body,God never died.The body of Jesus was going to die one day,either killed or of old age.He didn't argue back,it seems it had never ocurred to him.

goethechosemercy said...

God bless and protect this woman,
Named after the continent from which she comes.
Preserve her life.
Compel those holding her to show mercy.

Fernando said...

I'm glad thate, at leaste in this subjects, people from all Christian denominatiuons call her a Christian eben though she's a Catholic... to saad, on the other hand, thate so communly people say thate our Catholic brothers ain't Christians...

Unknown said...

@Fernando, who says that Catholics are not Christians?

A question: If "Thou shall not kill" is as clear as day. Then why is the death sentence and stoning allowed?

Why does Islam say that it follows the prophets yet fails to follow Jesus's commands where he gives clear examples that stoning is not lawful. Jews use to follow such blasphemy / adultry laws in the years after Moses but I don't hear of any cases where Jews are still following that old law in our modern day.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." Matthew 5:17