Monday, November 29, 2010

Blasphemy Law in Pakistan is targeting Christians

Fabricated evidence was recently used to convict a Asia Bibi, a Christian woman in Pakistan of blasphemy against the Muslim prophet Muhammad. The high-court judge, following Pakistan sharia law, sentenced her to life  in prison.

The president of Pakistan, Asif Zardari, and Punjab provincial governor Suleiman Ta-Seer, both took serious notice of this incident. The governor met with the Christian woman in jail. He claims that he will forward a personal letter to the president asking to pardon her from charges (even though she is completely innocent).  However, the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) has called for a march against her possible freedom and in favor of the blasphemy law "295-C".

Bibi, 45, is the first woman condemned to die under the blasphemy law. She has been jailed for 18 months and was sentenced November 8, 2010 to hang. Her lawyer has filed an appeal with the Lahore High Court, and President Asif Ali Zardari has decided to let the appeal process play out instead of immediately pardoning her, said Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti, who met with Zardari on Thursday, November 25, 2010.

There are 10 million Christians in Pakistan out of a total population of 160 million. The blasphemy law is being used by Islamic fundamentalists to intimidate them.

Please pray for this Christian sister.

(Based on a Facebook message from a pastor in Pakistan, November 30, 2010.
For more info, see http://incontext.webs.com/thepersecuted.htm#666831394.)
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2 comments:

  1. Marko MalyjJanuary 3, 2011 at 7:41:00 PM EST

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  2. Marko MalyjJanuary 3, 2011 at 7:43:00 PM EST

    Lahore (AsiaNews) - Asia Bibi is still waiting in jail for the High Court in Lahore to decide the date for her appeal against the death sentence for blasphemy passed in November 2010. In the midst of an imminent governmental crisis Islamic religious parties are stepping up pressure against the government to prevent any change to the controversial blasphemy law. In an attempt to ease the pressure, the government announced in no uncertain terms that it does not plan to eliminate or amend the blasphemy law.
    Read more at http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Asia-Bibi-still-in-prison.-Government-u-turn-on-law-against-blasphemy-20404.html .

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