Pakistan Sentences Muslim Woman to Death for Blasphemy

In the city of Rawalpindi, Pakistani Muslim woman Aneeqa Ateeq was sentenced to death for the crime of "blaspheming Islam."  In May of 2020, Aneeqa was officially charged with blasphemy by Pakistani courts.  The incident began when Aneeqa began communicating with a Muslim man by the name of Hasnat Farooq over WhatsApp.  The two met through a popular online game and began communicating with each other.  Hasnat accused Aneeqa of sending him offensive images of Muhammad over WhatsApp and went to the authorities and accused her of blasphemy.  According to Judge Adnan Mustaq, "The blasphemous material which was shared are totally unbearable and not tolerable for a Muslim.  


This is only the latest of many cases in which people are imprisoned, often for years on end, when accused of Blasphemy.  Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi spent over 8 years on death row when accused of this.  Only through International Pressure did the Pakistani Supreme Court overturn her conviction, and Asia was still forced to flee the nation along with her family.  In many instances, mobs choose to take matters in their own hands.  When one is accused of blasphemy, radicals whip up mobs to attack the accused, as well as their lawyers and families.  Even judges who are sympathetic to the accused are attacked.  In one of the most recent events, a Sri Lankan textile worker was beaten to death and burned by a mob after accused of blasphemy.  

Pakistan has some of the strictest blasphemy laws in the world, and many of the accused are murdered before they even get to trial.  Once on trial, the accused have great difficulty finding a lawyer to represent them as well as a judge willing to acquit them as all live in fear of violent reprisal if the accused is found innocent.  Such was the case in 2011 when Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was assassinated for speaking out on behalf of Asia Bibi. Instead of realizing their mistake and repealing these laws, the Pakistani government is cracking down even more.  In 2017, Taimoor Raza was the first Pakistani to be sentenced to death for posting blasphemous content on Social Media.  Others, like college student Mashal Khan, was lynched in April of 2017 for allegedly sharing "blasphemous content" on Social Media.  Right now, Pakistan is not being ruled by due process.  They're being ruled by a combination of Sharia Law and Mob Rule, and due process can never be achieved under either one, let alone both.  

Sources:

Hashim, Asad.  "Pakistani Court Sentences Woman to Death for WhatsApp 'Blasphemy.'"  AlJazeera.  Jan. 20, 2022.  Accessed from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/20/pakistan-rawalpindi-court-sentences-woman-death-whatsapp-blasphemy.

"Woman Sentenced to Death in Pakistan over 'Blasphemous' WhatsApp Activity."  The Guardian.  Jan. 19, 2022,  Accessed from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/19/pakistan-woman-aneeqa-ateeq-sentenced-to-death-blasphemous-whatsapp-messages.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Honor Killing in Chicago

Image
On Jan. 23rd, 2024, 63-year-old Palestinian-Muslim resident Maher Kassem was arrested by the police for murdering his wife Majeda Kassem as well as his three adult daughters.  Police report this to be a clear case of domestic violence while Maher is on record stating that he felt his family didn't appreciate him and treat him in the manner that he deserved to be treated.   "The defendant was recorded volunteering things about having just retired, and that 'She treats me like a [expletive] dog," said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Scott Clark. "'I worked 40 years.' and 'I worked all my life to give my family a better home, and they treat me like  [expletive].'"   A family member of Majeda Kassem said there was constant verbal abuse going on in the home - adding that Kassem's wife contemplated leaving, but stayed for the sake of her children. Maher Kassem Maher Kassem & His Three Daughters Muslim-American activists claim tha...
Read more

Apartheid in the Middle East

Image
THE MIDDLE EAST'S REAL APARTHEID By Efraim Karsh "Israel Apartheid Week his cities and campuses throughout the world.  This charge, of course, is not only completely false, but the inverse of the truth.  If apartheid is indeed a crime against humanity, Israel is actually the only apartheid-free state in the Middle East.  By contrast, apartheid has been an integral part of the Middle East for over a millennium, and the Arab Muslim nations continue to legally, politically, and socially enforce this discriminatory practice against their hapless minorities. Religious Intolerance:  Muslims historically viewed themselves as distinct from, and superior to, all non-Muslims.  Non-Muslims, known in history as "Dhimmis," never enjoyed equal rights under Islam.  Even non-ruling Muslim factions have been historically oppressed by their dominant co-religionists Ethnic inequality:  This legacy of intolerance extends beyond the religious sphere...
Read more

ISIS Terrorists Slaughter Christians in the Congo

Image
For years the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been a region of great instability & violence with a dozen armed groups and over 100 criminal gangs operating in the Eastern region of the DRC alone.  Among those groups is the Allied Democratic Forces, a Jihadists terrorist organization that pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2018.  During the month of June, the group claimed responsibility for attacks that killed over 150 Christian villagers, 38 killed on the 8th of June alone.  The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) recently released images posted by the Allied Democratic Forces on a Telegram account that detailed some of the recent horrific attacks.   Christian Villagers Slaughtered by the ADF Militants These Jihadists Militants, armed with guns & machetes, attacked soldiers and civilians alike.  Images revealed dozens of victims, some of whom were shot while others had their hands tied behind their backs & their throats slashed, clearl...
Read more