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.  

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