Pakistani woman charged with blasphemy after refusing Islam

In this photo, Muslims protest after hearing that Asia Bibi,
another Christian woman accused of blasphemy,
might be granted clemency. She was not.

A young mother who angered relatives when she refused to deny her Christian faith has been falsely accused of blaspheming Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, reports Compass Direct News.

Shamim Bibi, the 26-year-old mother of a five-month-old baby girl, was arrested by police in Khichiwala, Bahawalnagar district, in Punjab Province on February 28 after neighbours accused her of uttering remarks against Muhammad – an offence punishable by life imprisonment or death under Pakistan's blasphemy laws.

Shamim's brother and brother-in-law say she was wrongly accused because she had resisted pressure from her husband's sister as well as her nephew and niece to convert to Islam just four days before her arrest.

A local leader claimed that Shamim's neighbours told him and other Muslims that they had heard the Christian woman making derogatory remarks about Muhammad in her courtyard. Shamim's brother-in-law says after gathering information from an accuser and the neighbourhood, he found that neither accuser was even present at the time of the alleged remark. The Superintendent of Police Investigation also acknowledged that one of the two witnesses had admitted to not being present at the alleged "crime" scene.

You can help by praying!

• Please pray that the accusers will recant any untruth and that Shamim will be freed.
• Please pray that her infant daughter and her husband, Bashir Masih, will remain safe and will soon be reunited with Shamim.
• Pray that Shamim will keep her eyes on Jesus, persevere in her faith, and not grow weary or lose heart (Hebrews 10:32-39; Hebrews 12:1-3).

For more on the persecution of Pakistani Christians, go to the Pakistan Country Report.

Two imprisoned Christians in Pakistan released

(Sources: Asia News, Compass Direct News)

Blasphemy charges against a 74-year-old believer have been dropped while a Christian woman who was brutally beaten by police while pregnant has been released on bail due to lack of evidence.

The elderly believer arrested in June 2010 under Pakistan's contentious blasphemy law, which is often used to persecute Christians in the predominantly Muslim nation, was released after 18 months in prison. Rehmat Masih was charged shortly after he had engaged in a dispute with a local Muslim leader, Tahir Hameed, who wanted to lay claim to some plots of land that belonged to local Christians. Hameed's brother was the man who accused Rehmat of insulting Muhammad (for more information, click here). After months of investigation, the court ruled that statements of witnesses were filed too late and were full of contradictions.

Thirty-year-old Salma Emmanuel and her husband, 30-year-old Emmanuel Rasheed, were severely beaten for three days when they refused to confess to false allegations in November 2011 (for more information, click here). Salma was taken to a hospital in critical condition and the life of her unborn child was also threatened. Rasheed, who was freed on bail in November, lost his job as did his wife, who was falsely accused of theft by the woman who employed her as a maid. The couple is now struggling to support their three children. Salma was released on bail in December 2011 after police failed to produce evidence incriminating her.

Please join us in prayer!

• Praise God that these faithful believers have been freed! 
• Please pray that Salma and Emmanuel will find employment and will be able to provide for their family. 
• Pray that the lives of these believers will be an encouragement and will offer hope to other Christians imprisoned in Pakistan. 
• Please pray that other persecuted Christians in Pakistan will endure the trials before them by trusting in the Lord.

For more on the persecution of Pakistani Christians, go to the Pakistan Country Report.

An interview with Asia Bibi

(Source: The Voice of the Martyrs USA)

What do you do while imprisoned in solitary confinement for more than two years? The answer for one Pakistani Christian is “pray.”

Asia Bibi has spent almost three years in prison on charges that she blasphemed Islam’s prophet Muhammad. She was convicted and sentenced to death, and she now awaits the ruling on her appeal (for more, click here).

VOM has supported Asia’s family during her long imprisonment and has stayed in touch with Asia through her faithful husband, Ashiq. In January, a VOM staff member was able to visit Asia in prison for the first time since she received the death penalty. Ashiq and the VOM worker spent 25 minutes with Asia, but they were separated by a tight metal screen.

Ashiq, Asia Bibi’s husband

“She had a smiley face full of joy and thanksgiving,” said the VOM worker. Asia said she was thankful for the visit and that she was happy and fine. She reported that jail officials were taking good care of her and that the superintendent, sympathetic to her extreme loneliness, promised to bring her any books she wanted. A female guard is with her at all times.

Asia told the VOM worker about another way she has been blessed. “There is a beautiful thing that happens every day in my cell. Two days after they announced my death penalty, I was brought into the death cell [death row]. Every morning around 3:30 or 4, a brown bird with a long beak appears and sits on the boundary wall. This bird also comes every evening around 5. He sits there for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening. Later on he became my friend. I talk to him and he also talks to me.

“As I watched this bird every day, I tried to understand the meaning of him coming day after day. I think this is a messenger from God giving me his message. When the bird comes, I feel encouraged and peaceful. I feel comforted after his visit. I think this is very significant sign from God.”

Asia is allowed to walk in the courtyard every day for a few minutes, but she is always accompanied by guards. Other prisoners attend religious services in the jail every week, but Asia is not allowed to attend. So in her loneliness, she prays.

“I am praying every day,” she said. “I am strong in my faith. I know that this is a test of my faith and I know to make gold, it must be purified; it has to be put in the fire.

“I am not worried about myself, but I am worried about the VOM workers who are helping me, which is very dangerous. I pray for them every day.

“I don’t know the names, but I know the people from USA are helping me; I pray for them also. I pray for the people around the world who are praying for me.” Asia also prays for the families of two men, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, both of whom were killed for their support of Asia.

“I am very thankful to them that they sacrificed their lives for me,” Asia said. She is also thankful for the financial support provided to her family. “I know you are the people helping me and my family and fighting my case in the court. I am very thankful to Lord for this.”

Ashiq and daughters

Asia asked how her two young daughters are doing. She wanted to make sure they are going to school and church, concerned they might stray from what she wants for them. Ashiq assured her that the girls are attending school and church. “I am thankful they are doing this,” she said.

Asia, Ashiq and the VOM worker finished their time together with prayer. They prayed for the court, the judge, the attorneys and the jail’s staff. And Asia prayed that God would bless her and make her life an example to the other prisoners.

She ended with, “I pray that God will forgive the people who blamed me. … I know God helps his people and he will release me. I want to appeal to the world to pray for a miracle to release me from jail and that I stand strong in my faith.”

Please join Asia in her appeal for release by signing the petition at www.CallForMercy.com.

And above all, pray.

Book review: Silenced by Paul Marshall and Nina Shea

Review by Riley K. Smith

Silenced: How Apostasy and Blasphemy Codes Are Choking Freedom Worldwide
By Paul Marshall & Nina Shea

It is unquestionable that the death sentence given to Christian Asia Bibi of Pakistan has resonated with people around the world. To think that a young mother could die for challenging her Muslim co-workers in an issue related to Islam—and (ironically) after they had taunted her Christian faith—is frightening.

Her case has stirred up all kinds of unsettling questions. What kind of law would impose a death sentence for allegedly offending someone from another religion? And do Westerners need to be concerned about such blasphemy codes becoming law in their countries?

Paul Marshall and Nina Shea address the blasphemy and apostasy laws in their recently released book entitled Silenced. The authors clearly state what the book is not: “a work on Islamic law or history,” nor an analysis of “the development of apostasy and blasphemy concepts.” Their intent is “to survey the contemporary use and effects of such accusations and threats.” In a globalized economy with products being exchanged between countries, are religious defamation laws a “commodity” that Westerners wish to see imported into their countries? I think not.

Marshall and Shea invited three Muslims to contribute their evaluation of blasphemy and apostasy laws. One asserts that such laws are used purposefully to thwart reform of Muslim societies, and another argues that current human rights dialogue is not exclusively a Western conviction but is supported by many Muslims. Sandwiched between the contributors are chapters focusing on a number of Muslim-majority countries. These chapters explain recent blasphemy and apostasy cases against not just Christians, but also Hindus, Ahmadis, Baha’is, Jews, as well as accusations among Muslim sects. Four chapters are then dedicated to show how blasphemy laws are affecting Western countries, such as Australia and Canada.

This book is recommended for those wishing to broaden their understanding of the scope of blasphemy and apostasy laws in Muslim-majority countries beyond how it has affected Christians like Asia Bibi. In addition, it equips the Western reader to discern potential laws that may sound good on the surface with their intention to create a harmonious society, but have tragic legal consequences that silence society.

As followers of Christ, we know that the purposes of God will proceed regardless of such laws being imposed. But as citizens of two kingdoms—our earthly kingdom and heavenly kingdom—it is our responsibility to be good stewards of the society the Lord has allowed us to inhabit, while diligently praying for and acting on behalf of our persecuted family who are affected by such laws.

Riley K. Smith is the author of four Restricted Nations books available through The Voice of the Martyrs.

Man accused of blasphemy dies in prison in Pakistan

Another Christian has died in a Pakistani prison,
raising concern for the safety of Asia Bibi.

Concerns for Asia Bibi, a Christian woman in prison on charges of blasphemy, have grown since the death of another Pakistani Christian prisoner, reports International Christian Concern.

On September 9, Aslam Masih died of the Dengue virus, a treatable disease. It is believed that officials denied him proper medical treatment. The Christian man was arrested in 2010 when an Islamic missionary group falsely accused him of blasphemy. Aslam was initially released due to a lack of evidence but pressure from radical Muslims led to his re-arrest.

This is only the most recent instance in a string of similar cases. In March, Pakistani official reported that a Qamar David, a Christian man also accused of blasphemy, died of a heart attack. His lawyer insisted he was murdered. In 2009, Falish Masih was found dead in his cell. He had wounds all over his body, but police say he committed suicide.

The recent death of Aslam Masih and these other examples make the Christian community wary about Asia Bibi’s safety in prison. You can help by signing a petition on behalf of Asia Bibi at www.CallforMercy.com.

To read the full report, click here.

Police admit extremist group behind Shahbaz Bhatti’s murder

Police admit the assassination
of Pakistan’s Minister of Minority Affairs
was an act of terrorism by the Taliban.

Last month, we reported that Christian leaders in Punjab province, Pakistan, rejected claims by investigators that the murder of Pakistan’s Minister of Minority Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, was in relation to a land dispute with family.

Pakistan’s The Express Tribune reports that Islamabad’s senior police officer, Bani Amin Khan, has admitted that Bhatti was assassinated by Islamic extremist group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Khan told the Senate standing committee that the TTP is indeed responsible for the “act of terrorism.”

Bhatti had criticized the country’s controversial blasphemy laws in relation to many cases of Christians being falsely accused of blaspheming Muhammad or the Qur’an, including the highly publicized case of Asia Bibi. Under the law, blasphemy is punishable with death.

Bhatti had received various threats from al-Qaida and the Taliban, but said in a video shortly before he died that he would continue standing up for the minorities.

“I’m ready to die for a cause. I’m living for my community and suffering people and I will die to defend their rights. These threats and these warnings cannot change my opinion and principles,” said Bhatti.

At the scene of his murder, pamphlets were found attributing the murder to the Pakistani Taliban. They warned of the same fate for others opposing the blasphemy laws.

Protests and appeals by Christian leaders in Pakistan are seeing fruit as the police change directions and are now turning their attention to seek out the real culprits.

Read The Express Tribune’s full article here. You can hear Bhatti’s comments regarding the threats he received here.

The Voice of the Martyrs launches petition for Asia Bibi

The Voice of the Martyrs USA has launched a web campaign calling for the release of Asia Bibi.

Asia Bibi, a Pakistani woman, was arrested in June 2009 on charges of blasphemy. After a lengthy trial, Asia was sentenced to death. The ruling has been appealed, but she remains in prison.

Visit the Call for Mercy website to fill in the petition. VOM-USA will deliver the petition and the list of signers to the Pakistani Embassy in Washington DC.

The petition reads, “I, the undersigned, respectfully request the immediate release of Asia Bibi from prison in Pakistan and the dismissal of her blasphemy conviction and death sentence. We ask that you have mercy on our Christian sister. Please allow this wife and mother to be set free and to be reunited with her husband and children.”

As of July 25, 2011 there were over 186,500 signatures on the petition.

Since her arrest, VOM has supported Asia and her family. Join with us by signing and sharing the petition at www.CallForMercy.com!

Blasphemy laws threaten North African Christians

Amid the political shifts in the North African countries of Egypt and Sudan, the laws against defaming Islam continue to threaten Christians in the countries, reported Compass Direct News.

Article 98(f) of Egyptian law, known to attorneys as the "contempt of religion" charge, is not officially an anti-blasphemy law. It is meant to discourage people from offending others' religious sensitivities. In reality, however, it is reportedly used to stifle free speech and punish and intimidate those who do not subscribe to the standard, orthodox version of Sunni Islam practiced by most in Egypt.

Violating this statute is known as having "defamed a heavenly religion." Others have been charged under the statute with "insulting Islam." By comparison, no convert from Christianity to Islam has ever been charged with Article 98(f) for defiling Christianity.

In Sudan, where the non-Islamic south is set to split from the Islamic north on July 9, as the result of the referendum earlier this year, Christians in the north remain vulnerable to baseless accusations of defaming Islam. Apostasy (leaving Islam) is punishable by death.

Violation of Section 125 of the Sudanese Criminal Act, which prohibits "insulting religion, inciting hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs," is punishable by imprisonment of one year, a fine and 40 lashes.

While convictions are reportedly rare, Christian converts from Islam continue to be victims of Sudan's blasphemy law.

Pray the Lord will equip faithful leaders who are willing to speak up for human rights and religious freedom in Egypt and Sudan. Ask the Lord to strengthen and protect His often-embattled Church in these countries. Pray that Christ's Body throughout North Africa will continue to be a bold testimony of His love and grace.

Algerian Christians arrested for proselytizing and blasphemy

Two Algerian Christian men are scheduled to appear in court on charges of proselytizing and blasphemy, reported International Christian Concern.

Sofiane and Krimo were arrested in Oran on April 14 after sharing their Christian faith with their neighbours. Sofiane was released a day after their arrest, while Krimo was imprisoned for three days.

After the arrest, Algerian police searched Krimo's home for Bibles and other Christian material. Krimo was known to hold weekly prayer services at his home, which local Christians suspect were being closely monitored by the police.

A court hearing, initially scheduled for April 27, was postponed to a later date.

Algerian Christians are fearful that a law introduced in 2006—requiring religious services to obtain a government permit to worship—will be applied, which may result in a five-year imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 Algerian dinars ($1,337 CAD). Church leadership has expressed frustration over the government's negligence to lay out a set procedure to register a church or to approve a permit quickly.

Please pray for a favourable outcome for Sofiane and Krimo at the next court hearing. Pray the Lord will use this case and their testimony to encourage the faith of other believers in Algeria. Pray those in authority will recognize the lack of religious freedoms in the country and make changes accordingly.

Death threats issued against Christian leaders in Pakistan

Joseph Francis and Naveed Walter
Photo from ASSIST News Service

A leading human rights campaigner in Pakistan has urged the government to provide "full-fledged security" for Joseph Francis, Director of CLAAS (Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement), after Francis received death threats for his work on repealing of the country's controversial blasphemy laws, reported ASSIST News Service.

Naveed Walter, President of Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), told ASSIST News that he is concerned for the safety of Francis and other Christian leaders who are receiving disturbing threats.

Walter said, "CLAAS, under the leadership of Mr. Joseph Francis, provides the legal aid assistance to people who are persecuted because of their religion. It is an organization that is working to unite Christian lawyers on a platform to assist in cases that relate to the blasphemy laws in specific. Before 1992, Christian lawyers were afraid to take these kinds of cases."

He went on to say, "After the assassination of Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti, the Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs, Mr. Francis could be a next target of the Taliban and extremists. The Government must ensure his security."

Please pray for the protection of Joseph Francis, Naveed Walter and all those willing to stand up for the rights of the Christian minority in Pakistan. Thank the Lord for the way He has equipped them to do this good work. Pray He will give them favour and, through them and others like them, bring about great change in this nation for religious freedom.

Government of Pakistan will not amend blasphemy law

Pakistan's prime minister
said Wednesday the
government will not
amend the blasphemy law.

Christians in Pakistan received a blow yesterday. The government of Pakistan will not be amending the country’s controversial blasphemy law, reported ASSIST News Service.

This decision followed on the heels of massive countrywide protests against the government by Islamic and mainstream opposition parties who had taken to the streets to demand that there be no amendments to the blasphemy law that has been widely criticized around the world.

The protestors demanded that the Pakistani government make clear its stance over the issue of blasphemy law, which uses its Penal Code to prohibit and punish blasphemy against Islam.

The Criminal Code provides penalties for blasphemy ranging from a fine to death. An accusation of blasphemy commonly subjects the accused, police, lawyers and judges to harassment, threats and attacks. An accusation is sometimes the prelude to vigilantism and rioting.

The prime minister told parliament in a speech before the National Assembly in Islamabad, on Wednesday that his government would not touch the legislation, which human rights groups say is routinely abused to persecute minorities and settle personal scores.

The prime minister called upon parliamentarians, media and Islamic scholars to come forward and help the government of Pakistan to introduce a mechanism to stop the misuse of the blasphemy law. He also urged people protesting against the amendments to now “stop their protests as the government has made it clear that there will be no change in the Pakistan Penal Code Section 295 B & C.”

Most recently, the blasphemy law was used against Asia Bibi, a Christian mother, who was found guilty of the alleged crime and sentenced to death by hanging. Her case is currently being appealed.

You can read the full report here.

Asia Bibi facing threat of suicide attack

Officials are concerned there may
be a suicide attack on the prison
where Asia Bibi is being held.

Asia Bibi, the Christian woman who triggered a blasphemy furor in Pakistan and in whose defence Punjab province Governor Salman Taseer lost his life, is facing a threat of a suicide attack inside a jail, where she is currently lodged, reported ASSIST News Service on Tuesday.

According to a story by Z News, a militant organization known as the “Moaviya group” plans to mount a suicide attack on Sheikhupura district jail, where Asia is being held. An intelligence report issued last week has corroborated threat to her life.

Punjab police and jail authorities have reportedly beefed up security due to the intelligence report and the assassination of Taseer.

The Z News story said that 131 people are being held in jails across Punjab on blasphemy charges. Eleven of them have been sentenced to death, including Asia, who is the first woman to be given the penalty.

“Though no one has been executed after being convicted under the controversial law, 35 people, including Taseer, who were accused of committing blasphemy or defending those charged with blasphemy have been killed between 1990 and 2011,” said Z News. “They were either victims of extra-judicial killings or found dead in prison in suspicious circumstances.”

Last week, we told you that Asia’s family has been receiving threats from anonymous callers. Her husband Ashiq Masih insists that his wife is innocent and will be freed, but he worries about what will happen if she is released. "When she comes out, how she can live safely?" he asks. "No one will let her live. The mullahs are saying they will kill her when she comes out."

Please pray the Lord will protect and provide for Ashiq Masih and his children. May the entire family know the Lord's strengthening presence. Pray the Lord will use Asia's situation to bring about change in Pakistan for His glory. Pray for her release.

Governor of Pakistan’s Punjab province assassinated

CNN is reporting the governor of Pakistan's Punjab province, Salman Taseer, was assassinated by his own security guard Tuesday, according to Interior Minister Rehman Malik, apparently because he spoke out against the country's controversial blasphemy law.

You can read the full report here.

Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws have again catapulted into the international spotlight following the arrest of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman. She was sentenced to death under the blasphemy laws on November 8, and she is awaiting an appeals court hearing, which has not yet been set.

Asia has received many death threats since her arrest and sentence, and protesters against amendments to the law recently held a 24-hour strike on December 31. One Muslim cleric was quoted as saying, “Pakistan’s blasphemy law will change over our dead bodies.”

Please pray for the nation of Pakistan and its believers. Pray they would not be fearful but rather filled with peace. Pray for their safety and well-being. Pray God would do a work in the hearts of the officials in charge of Asia’s case.

Pakistan's blasphemy law will change 'over our dead bodies,' say Muslim cleric

Protesters held a 24-hour strike in Pakistan on Friday against amendments to the country's blasphemy law, reports Mission Network News and BBC News.

The strike resulted in the transportation shut down of two cities, Karachi and Quetta, and a partial shutdown of Islamabad. Demonstrators blocked traffic, and bus owners were reportedly nervous that their vehicles would be set on fire if they tried to drive them.

Currently, the blasphemy law mandates that any person to insult Islam must be put to death. Although no one has ever been executed under the law, over 30 people convicted have been murdered by mobs. Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, was sentenced to death on November 8, 2010, under the blasphemy law and is currently awaiting an appeals court hearing, which the High Court has yet to set.

Muslim clerics went ahead with the strike despite the claim of the religious affairs minister on Thursday that Pakistan "has no intention to repeal the blasphemy law."

You can read the full report here.

Pray that believers would be kept safe amidst the conflict. Pray that the blasphemy law would indeed be repealed, and that if it is, Christians would be protected, as one Sunni cleric warned that any changes to the blasphemy law would happen "over our dead bodies."

Pakistan’s government refuses to review blasphemy laws

Pakistan's government is refusing to
review blasphemy laws like the one
under which Asia Bibi has been
sentenced to death.

The government of Pakistan has backed out its commitment to review the country’s controversial Islamic blasphemy laws, reported ASSIST News yesterday.

The government’s move is to appease Islamic religious groups who have announced that they will shutter their businesses on New Year’s Eve to protest against any move to amend the laws.

On Thursday, the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Syed Khursheed Shah, requested that merchants and those in favour of the blasphemy laws call off their nationwide, December 31 shutdown of businesses, because the government has no intention of changing or repealing these laws.

One week ago, the Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, declared that despite various pressures the government would definitely review the laws.

In the 1980s, the late General Zia-ul-Haq introduced Islamic laws against the “blasphemy” of Islam, Muhammad, the Qur’an and Islamic personalities. The laws have widely been misused against Christians, Ahmadis, Hindus and liberal Muslims. Christians and human rights groups have been demanding for the total repeal of the laws.

On Wednesday, the government in the National Assembly categorically denied any move to amend or repeal the blasphemy laws.

“The government considers that its prime responsibility is to protect this law, and it will never support any private members’ bill even from the treasury benches in this regard,” said the federal minister in a policy statement.

You can read the full report here.

Conflicting reports about Asia Bibi

Asia Bibi's husband and daughters

By now you may have heard conflicting reports regarding the release of Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian woman who was recently sentenced to death for blasphemy.

ASSIST News Service reports that several sources inside Pakistan claim that Asia, also known as Asia Noreen, who has spent the last year and a half in prison, was set free yesterday (November 22), after being pardoned by Pakistani President, Asif Ali Zardari.

Other sources are saying that this claim is premature.

A respected source close to the case said that according to their latest information, Asia has not been pardoned and that her mercy plea was sent to the Punjab Home Department, which will forward it to the Interior Ministry for onward submission to the Presidency.

The source also said that the presidential spokesperson made a statement that President Zardari had not “received any such plea” but that he may consider it on the “advice of the prime minister.”

It is also believed that, if and when Asia receives a possible presidential pardon, a strike is being called for Wednesday and threats of violence could erupt if Asia is released.

Nasir Saeed, coordinator of CLAAS in the UK, told ASSIST News: “The ordeal faced by Asia and her family is unimaginable to most people outside of Pakistan who are largely unaware of the abuse and discrimination faced by the tiny Christian minority there."

VOM will to keep you posted on Asia’s case. Please continue to pray for her release and for the safety of her and her family.

Read ASSIST News Service's full report here.