Asia Bibi, Pakistan Blasphemy Case Defendant, Death Sentence Handed Down

Asia Bibi, a Christian woman and mother of five, has been sentenced to death for "blasphemy" in Pakistan, the first conviction of its kind for a woman, the AFP is reporting.

The case originated in Pakistan's Punjab province when a group of female Muslim laborers complained that Bibi had made derogatory comments about the Prophet Mohammed. According to CNN, the women alleged that Bibi said, "the Quran is fake and your prophet remained in bed for one month before his death because he had worms in his ears and mouth. He married Khadija just for money and after looting her kicked her out of the house." A police investigation was opened, which led to a trial and guilty verdict for Bibi. The AFP reports:

Sentencing her to hang, Judge Naveed Iqbal "totally ruled out" any chance that Asia was falsely implicated and said there were "no mitigating circumstances", according to a copy of the verdict seen by AFP.

Bibi is proclaiming her innocence and says that she is being persecuted for her Christian beliefs in a Muslim majority nation, says the Telegraph.

Human rights groups are condemning the verdict, and her husband, Ashiq Masih, told the AFP that he would appeal the verdict.

Last July, two Christian brothers were shot dead after being convicted of blasphemy, the BBC reported.

Comments

[Abbasi Bhurban]

02:14 PM on 01/07/2011

hi , frndz i just want 2 knw that why u pepole getting to spoil our islam ???

[Abbasi Bhurban]

02:18 PM on 01/07/2011

plz dnt spoil to islam islam is the best

[Nabeela]

02:19 PM on 12/08/2010

Is the Huffington Post becoming a lame news source? The FACTS of this case are that Begum Asai Bibi simply drank from a water well cup that had communal use; but when a few of her Muslim co-workers saw this, they became furious, stating that she had contaminated the cup and entire water source because she is a Christian. In other words because she is not Muslim (and considered a kaffir in Islamic culture) she should does not have the right to drink from ANY water source they don't want her too. When they mocked her they included insults to her belief that Jesus is God, Lord and Savior and Begum Bibi stood up for her beliefs. But anyone in their right mind would know Christians in Pakistan watch their words and actions carefully so it is MORE likely her co-workers made up these words. For anyone who does NOT know, the blasphemy law in Pakistan is used in many illogical instances and as petty retribution or for landgrabbing, etc - and its used against Muslims too. THAT is what the Huffington Post should be reporting indepth on. This is a CIVIL RIGHTS case and people around the world need to speak out against the blasphemy law and stand FOR freedom of religion and beliefs regardless of where a person lives! Begum Bibi is simply a 21c Rosa Parks who would not give up her religion when many tried to force her to!

[mateoconifer]

07:59 PM on 12/05/2010

Another example of religion and it's limitations. Muslims and Christians aren't all that different, not very excepting of others.

[Thomas Taylor]

02:01 AM on 12/06/2010

Have any Christian ministers been chopping off any heads lately?

[IBelieve2011]

04:40 PM on 12/18/2010

On the other hand, the enlightened atheist regimes of the world who believe in no God, torture and murder Christians and other faiths for not bowing down to the god of State.... Now that sounds like a solution! Christians do not go around declaring war on Muslims. Christians share their faith in love and pray for those who torture them, even while being beaten. Read "Tortured for Christ" by Richard Wurmbrand, or "The Heavenly Man" by Paul Hattaway, about Brother Yun to read of love in the face of the hatred of the atheist states of Romania in the 50's and China to this day. Any state without God, becomes god, and they have zero moral oversight for how they conduct 'affairs of state.

[steiner123]

07:29 AM on 11/27/2010

I meant:

Do you think that more Islam will help this state?

[Ben Randle]

09:52 AM on 11/22/2010

There are some basic problems with infamous blasphemy law. Ever since its passage, the incidents of blasphemy seem to be on the rise. It proves that the law either incites blasphemy or is misused by the complainants for settling personal scores. This is evident from the fact that Christians are not the only victims of this law as in past some Muslims have been lynched on charges of blasphemy. In any case, the law itself is the biggest blasphemer and should be repealed. read more at: http://fmeducation.wordpress.com/2010/11/22/blasphemy-law-incites-blasphemy-or-is-being-misused-for-personal-reasons/

[cardenaldo]

03:42 PM on 11/17/2010

¿Physical force? Killing someone goes way beyond "physical force". And by saying "a lot of different religions" there's a wicked intention to include Christian religion, which is outrageous. Offensive expressions to Christian faith, churches, and believers are commonly stated with no consequences but Christian prayers on behalf of the offender. As I see, a super user is not necessarily a righteous person.

[Valerie Farris]

06:02 PM on 11/16/2010

Asia Bibi is a Christian living in Pakistan.
She has been sentenced to death by hanging, for proclaiming Jesus as her Lord and Savior.
Yes, that is her crime.
Google her name for the complete story.
I am asking all to please pray for this woman.
Not just once. Add this dear saint to your permanent prayer list.
She will need our prayers daily.
Her case is under appeal, so there is still a chance to save her.
Let God know we care. Ask Him for a miracle.

Also, I went to the bank and got 100- $1.00 bills.
I wrote PRAY FOR ASIA BIBI on the backs of each bill.
My hope is once they get circulated, someone will heed the call.

Thanks in advance, and God Bless.

[Max Shaw]

04:42 PM on 11/15/2010

This is outrageous..Someone is always going to be against someone'e else religion..It does not give anyone the right to kill them for it...This world has a long history of killing people who dont conform to other people's religion..I feel that organized religion has really stepped up its hatred and intolerance. Unbelievable. Man..this ruined my day.

[Red45]

04:36 PM on 11/15/2010

I'm sorry. I don't believe this woman said the things for which she's been condemned.  As a christian woman living in a muslim country, she would have known better. She's being framed and I pray they send her out of the country instead of killing her.

[dubbleplusgood]

05:24 PM on 11/14/2010

The actions of Pakistan along with other Islamic countries and several of the comments here at Huffpo have proven that freedom of speech as defined by their Ministries of Truth does not include speech that is 'disrespectful', 'offensive', or 'blasphemous'. However, speech can often be disrespectful, offensive and even blasphemous but the religious fail to realize that same speech is part of, and protected by, the very idea of freedom of speech.

There is no such thing as freedom of speech only for the speech that is agreeable to you. By that logic all dictators could be said to be the greatest supporters of freedom of speech. The religious have repeatedly demonstrated their intolerance for freedom of speech through acts of discrimination, intimidation, coercion, abuse, imprisonment and execution.

The taboo of criticizing religion must be challenged without fail, without hesitation, and without weakness. Far too long have dissenters been killed and threatened and if liberty will ever stand a chance at lasting success, freedom of speech must prevail.

Sam Harris: Why I Criticize Religion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeblvLoVJCA

Christopher Hitchens: Hitchens on Freedom of Expression (4 parts)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlIn1Fk2-LM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1K-8ME9qZY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ9JdgmWTZI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJExwAQP4Eg

[Bmori]

10:46 PM on 11/14/2010

Nice comment, already a fan!

[Red45]

04:37 PM on 11/15/2010

Brilliant. Thank you. F+F

[jkb5371]

12:23 PM on 11/14/2010

Ah, the religion of "peace". Warms the heart.

[drsoos]

08:47 AM on 11/14/2010

Religious freedom and freedom of speech. I'm sure Pakistan and other Muslim nations have heard of these things, but they simply reject them. Why reject them? Let's be honest, it's forbidden in Islam if they are used to attack the teachings of the prophet. If you can't use free speech to criticize religion, then what good is it?

[AMtM]

12:30 PM on 12/04/2010

drsoos, scroll down please and read a comment i have left. Islam does not forbid people from questioning the teachings of the Prophet (pbuh). In the time of the prophet (pbuh), he was thrown out by his community and he was attacked (physically and verbally) by many people but not once did he say a bad word about them and nor did he ever seek revenge. In fact he did the opposite. Furthermore, to criticise and to attack are to very different things. In a civilised society it should always be ok to criticise and discuss but it should not be ok to attack and disrespect another human being, or any creature for that matter.

[drsoos]

12:03 PM on 01/09/2011

AMtM, what are you talking about? If a person says something derogatory about the prophet Muhammad, then that's criticism no matter how harsh it may be. In a society that has free speech, one can say these things without fearing arrest and incarceration. If someone in the United States says Jesus was an a**hole, or that he isn't God, or that he didn't rise from the dead, that person would not be arrested and/or convicted on any count. THAT'S what freedom of religion and speech are about. There is no such freedom in Pakistan. And what if a Muslim in Pakistan says Jesus is not the Son of God? Will the same happen to him as happened to Asia Bibi?

[SaulZ]

11:07 PM on 11/13/2010

In the land of Pakistan, from where I originally migrated, many more Muslims are themselves guilty of blasphemy than a Christian, Hindu or any other faith. Every time they kill an innocent human they kill the entire humanity (From their Holy Quran) and thus have rejected their Holy Book, which is blasphemy. It is the Muslims themselves who are doing things contrary to the teachings of their Quran and their prophet and most of them need to be handed the verdict of death sentence.

[Red45]

04:39 PM on 11/15/2010

To be fair, all this persecution is being delivered by the old men at the top in Pakistan. I have to believe that most Muslims are smarter than this, and more peaceful and forgiving.

[Retrofuturistic]

08:12 PM on 11/13/2010

Hmmm. It seems that a lot of different religions get their "allegiance" through the threat of persecution, because people are afraid not to believe what they are told to believe.

So--- I guess if the brainwashing (violence against freedom of mind) doesn't work, you can always use physical force.

[Ichor]

06:22 PM on 11/13/2010

Until Islam openly accepts criticism, it cannot grow into anything resembling modernity. It will remain stuck in its medievalism, only those fearing its wrath or steeped in its ignorance, proclaiming its greatness. Societies dominated by such closed minds are destined to be forever angry and resentful, watching the west, the Chinese, the Koreans, the Indians, leaving them in the dust.

[Smashing Pumpkins Foreve]

04:14 AM on 11/14/2010

"It (Islam) will remain stuck in its medievalism, only those fearing its wrath or steeped in its ignorance, proclaiming its greatness..."

Actually, your using the word medievalism for Islam (or the so-called "Moslems" today who have very little to do with "Islam" - both entities are entirely separate and have very little to do with one another now...) is confusing. It was medieval Islam (also known as the "Golden Age of Islam") that gave the world incredible knowledge and insight that it never saw before from mathematics to astronomy to medicine to architecture to optics to even the basic computer. You wouldn't be eating ice cream today hadn't not been for Muslim scientists discovering that adding salt to chilly water makes it freeze. For all the tales of dragon tales and knights in shining armor medieval Europe didn't see plain cotton fabric until it was gifted to them by Muslim Jihadists (yes, believe it or not and note the word "Jihadist"...) after the Crusades as a goodwill present. It is medieval Islam that the Moslem world desperately needs today, and again, please do not equate the two words "Islam" and "Moslem", it is an insult to the former which is perfect and straight in its way. The latter far from it...

[Red45]

04:40 PM on 11/15/2010

uh, what?

[xMoonWalkerx]

01:53 PM on 11/22/2010

I haven't heard of people speaking about Christian,Jewish or Hindu inventions. Why associate a religion with inventions? People like you can only look at anything through the perverted prism of religion. Not good.

[AMtM]

12:20 PM on 12/04/2010

Ichor. Islam through the Prophet(pbuh) and the Quran promote the question and discussion on the religion. In the scriptures, it tells people to question what you see, hear and read. Funny you talk about the Indians, of which 160 million plus are Muslim. The Chinese also have a large Islamic community. Are we talking nations or religions? If we are talking about religions, then i ought to point many issues that people like you have brought up have in fact got nothing to do with Islam but rather culture. I.e. Honour killing, common in south Asia. I would suggest you watch the report http://www.channel4.com/programmes/unreported-world/articles/video-blog-india-part-1 . Just as people in Muslim countries should question everthing that is said by clerics, leaders and media, the same can be said of those in the west. Whatever you read or hear is not always the truth. It may come as a bit of a shock, but the media and governments dont always tell you the truth