More about new woman victim of blasphemy laws - Shamim Masih

The relatives of Shamim Masih, a 26-year-old Christian woman from the Punjab, are terrified and scared after she was arrested on blasphemy charges. The mother of a five-month girl, she was taken into custody in Bahawalnagar, Lahore, on 28 February for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad. The accusation came from some of her relatives who recently converted to Islam. When she turned down their request to follow them and insisted that she was happy as a Christian, they reacted violently, first proffering threats and then accusing her of blasphemy.

Masih's family has been going through hell since then and has chosen not to make any statements to the press for fear of exacerbating tensions and provoke a reprisal by extremist groups.

For its part, the Catholic Church has condemned the latest case involving the 'black law', which occurred on the same day that 50 human rights activists and political figures appealed to the United Nations for Asia Bibi's release. For Mgr Rufin Anthony, bishop of Islamabad/Rawalpindi, "this is shocking news." Once more, "the blasphemy law is being misused in Punjab," he lamented.

When a Christian institution, a church, Bibles or a statue of our Mother Mary are desecrated in Lahore, the incident is not filed under the blasphemy law even when the evidence is there.

However, if a minor unsubstantiated incident involves a Christian woman, the police very zealously files a case under Article 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code.

For the prelate, "law enforcement agencies now have a duty to ensure order and justice for the woman."

Fr John Mell, an activist in Multan, is angered by the incident. For him, this case is a "huge violation" of the blasphemy law, which is being used indiscriminately against minorities.

"The government of Punjab is a silent observer" to what is happening. It "is allowing the law to be misused." Time has come "for us to raise out voice. Otherwise, we shall be silenced forever."

Source : VOP Christians report

Photo Sunny Gill

Blasphemous double standards, dirty drinks, discriminatory laws and lawyers

You've heard of Asia Bibi right? A poor Christian farm labourer from an obscure village, persecuted and attacked for her faith, then accused of blasphemy under the notorious 'Hudood code' blasphemy laws and sentenced to death. But have you heard of Aamir Liaquat? Not some obscure poor rural woman, but a religious scholar with his own TV show in Pakistan and a former State Minister for Religious Affairs. When videos emerged of outtakes from his show where he laughed at a woman caller who asked questions about rape and suicide, swore - a lot, and making comments deemed as blaspheming against the companions of Islam's prophet, he claimed that it was all a fake, a conspiracy, that the tapes had been tampered with. Eventually though, he made a tearful public repentance, and fellow religious scholars issued statements that his repentance complied with all sharia requirements. He got away scott free, and continued his show on TV, even though the same Hudood laws used to condemn to death the innocent Asia Bibi required a 3 year prison term and / or a fine for such an offence. Go figure. This exemplifies the reality of the situation in Pakistan.

Oh, what a wonderful law!

Talking of this set of laws, they also impose similar sentences on any of the Muslim Ahmadi sect (deemed as not really Muslims) who referred to themselves as Muslims, called their place of worship a mosque, etc, etc. To guage some idea of the hostility and religious equivalent to racism in Pakistan, we only need to look at a recent event where the Lahore Bar Association voted, apparently unanimously, to ban any 'Shezan' brand drinks in courts and prosecute anyone selling them on court premises. Why? Because they are produced by an Ahmadhi owned company. The lawyers plan to ban all other products from the same firm. Naturally the Ahmahdi lawyers and canteen owners are not happy.

The incident with Aasia Bibi started when she was deemed to have polluted water just by being a Christian, these drinks are banned by bigots just because they are made by Ahmahdi's - no doubt polluted too. Let's call this for what it is. The religious equivalent of racism and apartheid, and it is enforced and enabled by these wicked laws, laws that violate basic human rights and UN human rights declarations. It's time to take a stand. If you want to stand up for the rights of freedom of religion and speech in Pakistan for Christians and other minorities, come and join us on the morning of 10th of March to protest and petition outside the Pakistani embassy and 10 Downing Street, and join us to press for peace with music at our Peace Concert in Trafalgar Square in the afternoon.

http://britishpakistanichristian.blogspot.com/2011/11/protest-march-and-trafalgar-square.html

Sources

http://tribune.com.pk/story/334757/barred-lawyers-ban-drink-on-court-complex/

http://kashifmd.com/2012/01/11/aamir-and-aasia-a-tale-of-two-blasphemies/

Iran tries amnesia - is Pakistan trying the same? A Call to arms

We take a moment to draw your attention to recent aspects of an ongoing case in Iran, about Pastor Nadarkhani - arrested on apostasy charges 3 years ago after protesting about the fact his son would be forced to read the Quran in school. He has been threatened with the death penalty unless he converts to Islam. After international outcry, suddenly the charges against him were said to have really been rape and 'Zionsim' all along. Most recently, the Ayatollah who is the head of Iran's judiciary has ordered the judge to delay the verdict for one year, and several observers believe the goal is to let the furore simmer down so Christians around the world forget about him, and then he can be quietly executed.

Asia Bibi is in a similar limbo. Originally convicted of 'blasphemy and sentenced to death, the President was going to pardon her, but under huge protests from across the Muslim community

including some so-called 'moderates' meant that idea was put on ice. Some say that we should keep quiet about Asia to allow for quiet diplomacy. Perhaps. Or, it could have the result of making way for her to be forgotten, and for the sharia-fanatics to have their way. For better or worse, she has become the symbol of the oppression of the perverse and perverting blasphemy laws that are used to oppress minorities, to intensify and perpetuate the prejudices and injustices of the last few decades, and are abused to settle personal scores or Christians who get to 'uppity' or 'big for their shoes'. Familiar sentiments for those with memories of the Jim Crow laws of pre-Civil Rights America - it's not for nothing that 2 posts ago Asia was referred to as the Rosa Parks of Pakistan. If you don't know how Rosa Parks is, google her.

If not so much for Asia's sake, then for the sake of all the lesser known names and the past and present and future victims, dead and living, we need to stand up boldly for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Pakistan, and in righteous anger oppose the unjust laws that oppress them.

It is a spiritual battle.

Prayer and persuasion, protest and politicking will be needed.

This is the year! It may well be the first of many years. But this is the year to pick up the pace, to raise the banner higher. I talk to church leaders in Pakistan - they say anything we can do will help. In March this year, there is an opportunity. As we remember the first anniversary of the martyrdom of Shabbhaz Bhatti, who devoted his life to supporting the Christians of Pakistan and opposing the blasphemy laws, let us take up the banner that he held to his very last. Not just one Federal Minister, but a network of stern opponents of the blasphemy laws around the world. Like the fight to abolish the slave trade under that great politician and campaigner Wilberforce, it may last a lifetime, but it is a battle that needs to be fought and won.

Join us. Wherever you are in the world, let the anniversary of Bhatti's death be the occasion to make a stand. Talk to your local and national politicians. Organize rallies. Join with like minded-groups and people. Raise the issue. First of all pray, and rally the church. Start doing it now. In the UK, we will be having one of our marches in London. We want it to be a big one.

10th March. Put it in your diary.

Make every effort to be there. Make every effort to not be there alone, but with as many as you can bring. If you can't go, encourage others you know to come anyway.

As well as the normal protests and petitions at the Pakistani embassy and at the Prime Ministers pile, we are planning on doing a 3 hour peace concert in Trafalgar square. We are looking for great talent, old and new, known and unknown. We already have some names lined up. But a concert costs money for things like stage and sound. If you can help give, there's a donate button at the top right of this posting.

We will also need stewards and ushers to help out. If you can help in this way, get in contact with Wilson - email Wilson@aasecurity.co.uk - or see his other contact details to the left.

If you are passionate about religious freedom and want to get involved as a musician, email myself at bpcajumble@hotmail.co.uk, along with samples of or links to your music, and we will consider your request. There's no money in it. You would just get yourself, your band and instruments down here, and pair off with our stage and sound.....

Above all else, PRAY. For the Christians in Pakistan, for Asia, and for ours and other efforts to raise the issue of the blasphemy laws. And pray to for Pastor Nadarkhani in our neighbouring nation of Iran, and remember not to forget him, or those like him.

Source for Iran Story

Interview with CLAAS

The CLAAS staff interviewed for video

Recently Barnabas Fund released clips from a brief interview with CLAAS staff members about the situation in Pakistan with particular regard to the blasphemy law and rape of Christian girls

: - usually when employed in Muslim houses

: - it renders them un-marriageable in Pakistani society

: - those forced to convert to Islam and marry the Muslim cannot return to their homes

: - they will be killed if they try and 'return' to their true faith

: - their families would be killed by Muslim groups if they accepted the victims back into their homes

: - the incidence of these occurrences is probably wildly under-reported - many do not get to the police stations and courts

: - usually the case is closed after 2 or 3 months

:- usually action is only taken due to pressure resulting from exposure in the International media

: - the perpetrators are usually influential Muslim families who beat the girls to intimidate them

: - if they fall pregnant due to rape, the courts can really do nothing to help at all, even if they wanted to

Here is the article and the video is here but also embedded below :

Aslam Masih, another martyr to the wicked blasphemy laws!

Aslam Masih

Yet another Christian has died in terrible conditions as a result of false charges under the depraved blasphemy laws. Aslam Masih, 30, died being after kept in atrocious conditions in prison, and then denied the medical treatment he needed.

He was originally accused of blasphemy by members of the conservative Islamic group Tablighi Jamaat. He was in the prison hospital for several months but was not taken to the general hospital for the care he needed due to 'security concerns', although eventually they relented, but too late.

When he was visited by a human rights group towards the end of July, he had a high fever, was unable to stand and struggled to breathe. He had tuberculosis, but the autopsy stated that his death on 9th September was due to dengue fever, a disease entirely curable with proper medical attention.

 Unfortunately he lost contact with his family, who did not visit him after his arrest in 2010. This had a huge effect on his mental health. He, like others in the prison accused of 'blasphemy' was kept in solitary confinement without access to a toilet, water or electricity.

 He was also denied basic sanitary products like soap, toothpaste and clean clothes, and this barbaric treatment contributed considerably to his decline in health.

Sources :

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Persecution/Default.aspx?id=1440182

http://global.christianpost.com/news/authorities-refused-treatment-to-christian-who-died-in-pakistan-prison-56025/

http://www.barnabasfund.org/Christian-man-accused-of-blasphemy-dies-in-Pakistan-prison.html

http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/headlinenewsd.php?hnewsid=3046

Another Asia Bibi petition - as well as ours

I hope that you have signed our Asia Bibi petition. Every signature counts. If you have not already done so, please do sign

There is also another petition at the new Christians in Pakistan site here, which we would also urge you to sign if you have not already done so. And also a whole site dedicated to mercy for Asia Bibi, with rather a large petition here

In case you don't know her story, here is a brief recap. Asia Bibi is a poor Pakistani Christian woman, a mother of 5 children, including a disabled girl, who was working in the fields. Her Muslim work'mates' heaped abuse on her when she brought them drinking water, on the grounds that it was 'contaminated' because she, a dirty Christian, touched it. There was a heated debate in which Asia vigorously defended her faith in Christ, in particular referring to Jesus dying for her sins and being resurrected, and compared this to Mohammed, when the Muslims women put intense pressure on her to convert to Islam. The women then accused her of blasphemy when she refused to convert, and local people and Imams attacked her and her daughters.

She was arrested, charged, tried and convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to death. Initially it appeared that she would be pardoned, but the governor of the province, Salman Taseer, who campaigned against the blasphemy law and wanted to free her, was assassinated by one of his own bodyguards, to great praise from many in Pakistan, including so called 'moderate' religious groups. The president of Pakistan seemed like he might want to pardon her, but after this assassination and intense pressure and volatile demonstrations, he has backed away from all moves to abolish, repeal or reform the wicked blasphemy laws. (Just recently his son was kidnapped by religious extremists).

Later on, the other primary campaigner against the blasphemy laws, the only Christian minister in government, Shabhaz Bhatti, was assassinated - in March of this year.

Asia Bibi remains in jail on death row, and Muslim extremists in the area are putting intense pressure on her husband and family, trying (quite effectively it seems) to keep them isolated from any messages or actions of support from the outside world. They all need your prayers, and support, and one means of support is to sign these petitions - this one, and this one, as well as ours

Blind faith - blasphemy blight across the whole of society

I came across an excellent documentary about the blasphemy laws in Pakistan, with interviews with a number of victims from across all religions, and various judges and Islamic scholars. I can't post it here, but here is the link to the video 'Blind Faith' (about 22 minutes long).

The one thing that I found sad was the way that the Christian victims feel so imposed upon that they have to use the language of their oppressors religion, which is very telling

Hospital Hold-Up

A small coterie of Muslim businessman have tried to inveigle the police into helping them steal a whole hospital in Taxilla near Islamabad from the Presbyterian church several months ago. The Catholic bishop from Islamabad has intervened, and a district police officer investigated and promised that the culprits would be arrested. As usual, the culprits were prominent businessmen aided by influential local political figures. They claimed that the missionary-owned hospital had been sold to them, and that the hospital administrators were refusing to hand over the property. They filed a report with the police, and later ramped up the pressure by accusing the administrators of blasphemy.

The Catholic bishop, Rufin Anthony, said 'This is not a first attempt to take over Church or missionary property by force. The Christian Hospital in Taxila has been targeted by various groups in the past.'

Thankfully, a Gojra-type incident seems to have been avoided, but it could so easily have been that abuse of the blasphemy law and manipulation religious feeling for greedy theft of a hospital led to such an incident. The incident gives further weight to the need for the Government of Pakistan to turn from its cowardly deference to Islamicist fanatics, and re-commit to amending the corrupting and corrosive blasphemy laws.

Thanks again to Asia News for reporting this story.