Asia Bibi from jail: 'I'd rather die than be free Christian and Muslim'

Friday, 19 November 2010 15:01

PAKISTAN, 19/11/2010 (LD, El Pais / ProtestanteDigital.com)

Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian farmer 45, waiting in death row execution by hanging. His crime, an alleged blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad that his lawyers have not been demonstrated or investigated, nor before his arrest or the summary process which sentenced to death. His case reveals the arbitrariness with which the anti-blasphemy law to harass Christians and other religious minorities in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the international community is mobilized to prevent this tragedy. The judge offered him freedom in exchange for converting to Islam. "I'd rather die a Christian, to leave prison to be Muslim," she said.

A new case of Islamic fundamentalism and discrimination against the Christian minority in Pakistan has as its protagonist. The last case is the Christian Asia Bibi, sentenced to death by hanging for the alleged crime of blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad. Catholics and Protestants, as well as human rights organizations and NGOs are mobilizing to keep takes to complete the sentence.

As reported by AsiaNews, a court in Punjab, 75 miles west of Lahore, this woman sentenced 45 years for a crime of blasphemy. Meanwhile, activists complain that the legislation encourages the extremist Muslims in a country increasingly hostile to religious minorities

THE FACTS
The incident occurred in June 2009, when Bibi, a farm worker, was sent to fetch water while working in a field. The other women, followers of Islam, she was opposed because, not being a Muslim, would contaminate the container and make it impure. Therefore, he demanded to leave the Christian and Muslim to be made, to which she objected.

In its justification, the Christian faithful to their partners said that "Jesus died on the cross for the sins of mankind" and asked Muslim women what Muhammad had done for them. As they heard these words came to the local imam, husband of one of them, which in turn filed a complaint with the police for the crime of blasphemy. And is that article 295 of Pakistan Penal Code with the death penalty blaspheming the prophet of Islam.

The judge, Naveed Iqbal, sentenced to death after having been previously arrested. The judge ruled that he had been falsely fully charged or that there were "extenuating circumstances." Now the sentence to death by hanging has to be ratified by the High Court of Lahore.

Convert to Islam or death by hanging
In addition, the newspaper La Razón published the words of Asia Bibi, his lawyer keeps on mobile. They related that the judge who sentenced her to death "entered the cell and offered to convert to Islam to go free. Asia told the judge he would rather die as a Christian to leave the prison to be Muslim."

"I'm not a criminal, I did nothing wrong. I've been judged for being Christian. I believe in God and His great love. If the judge sentenced me to death for loving God, I am proud to sacrifice my life for him" , she told her lawyer.

INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN
Meanwhile, Christian groups, both Catholic and Protestant, are campaigning for international pressure to occur in Pakistan and prevent the death of this Christian woman.

The CCP and the Pakistani Christian community in the U.S. have called a demonstration on December 2 at the UN headquarters in New York, requesting their intervention. Pakistani Christians make up 2% of the population along with the Ahmadis, a heterodox branch of Islam is also under siege.

Other initiatives focus on collecting signatures to lobby and to save it. Hundreds of thousands of signatures have been collected in only a week. These firms are directed to both the UN and the Pakistan government itself.

Discriminated against as Christians
However, it is not the first time that discrimination on Christians have put in the spotlight on Pakistan. Another known fact occurred following the severe floods that ravaged the country during the summer. At that time, Christians were treated as second class citizens and denied aid by the simple fact of being Christians.

Required local authorities to Christians or to convert to Islam or they would not receive food or help despite being cases of extreme necessity. Likewise, politicians flooded the country a Christian town diverting water to flood their land would not be affected. Killed dozens of Christians as they were not warned of this Muslim.

"The death sentence of Asia Bibi is just the straw that broke the camel of the abuses in the name of blasphemy law committed in Pakistan for decades," said Nazir S. Bhatti, President of Pakistan Christian Congress Party (CCP). "In the past five years, we have documented at least 900 claims for this reason, all unfounded. But only a minority has been dismissed. And in the case of Asia Bibi I fear the worst, only a resounding international campaign can prevent it executed, "says Bhatti.

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