Pakistan: Ottawa may offer asylum to Pakistani woman acquitted of blasphemy
(Staff) A CHRISTIAN WOMAN who spent eight years on death row under Pakistan’s blasphemy law was acquitted and ordered released Oct. 31st by the country’s top court saying the case against her was based on flimsy evidence.
Asia Bibi’s acquittal, however, sparked violent protests by Muslim extremists who called not only for her death but also for the murder of the three judges who acquitted her. Bibi’s lawyer has fled to the Netherlands because he feared for his life
Thousands of supporters of the hardline Tehreek-e-Labbaik party (TLP), led by cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, took to the streets in protests, demanding Bibi’s public execution and that of the judges. For three days the protesters blocked major roads in Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, and the capital Islamabad.
Then on Nov. 2nd the TLP called off their protests after the government agreed to put Bibi on an “exit control list” barring her from leaving Pakistan and agreeing to open a review of the Supreme Court verdict, which could take several years.
Bibi’s husband, Ashiq Masih, has appealed to the United States, Britain and Canada for refuge for the whole family. France and Spain have offered asylum to the 54-year-old mother of five, who is a Roman Catholic.
The Canadian government has announced that it is engaged in “discreet and delicate discussions” to deal with the asylum request.
In 2009 Bibi was accused of blasphemy after she quarreled with two fellow female farm workers, who refused to drink from a cup she offered them because it had been used by a Christian and so was deemed unclean. A few days later, a mob accused her of insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, leading to her initial conviction in 2010.
Bibi’s family and her lawyer Saif al-Mulook said she never insulted the prophet. In previous hearings, Malook pointed to contradictions in testimony from witnesses. The two Muslim women who pressed charges against Bibi denied they quarreled with her, saying her outbursts against Islam were unprovoked despite several other witnesses who recalled the dispute.
The three judges upheld the blasphemy law itself, saying it was consistent with verses from the Qur’an.
But they said prosecutors had failed to prove that Bibi violated the law. The judges also referenced Shakespeare’s King Lear, saying Bibi was “more sinned against than sinning.”
The verdict suggested that officials could be open to demands from human rights groups for stricter punishments for false accusations.
“If our religion of Islam comes down heavily upon commission of blasphemy, then Islam is also very tough against those who level false allegations of a crime,” they wrote.
The October Supreme Court verdict was seen as a hopeful sign by Christians in Pakistan, where the mere rumour of blasphemy can spark lynchings. Pakistan — whose official name is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan — has about 2.5 million Christians within its total population of 208 million people. Along with Shiites, Ahmadis and other minorities, Christians have been targeted by religious extremists. The blasphemy law is often used to settle personal disputes and to pressure minorities.
Islam is the state religion of Pakistan, and about 95-98% of Pakistanis are Muslim. Pakistan has the second largest number of Muslims in the world after Indonesia. Religious extremists have made defending the blasphemy law a central rallying cry politically and have assassinated some of those who question it.
Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab province, was shot and killed by one of his guards in 2011 for defending Bibi and criticizing the misuse of the law. The assassin, Mumtaz Qadri, was hanged for the crime, but later was hailed by religious hardliners as a martyr, with millions visiting a shrine set up for him near Islamabad.
Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s minister for minorities, and the only Christian in the government, was killed later that year after demanding justice for Bibi.
Canada may help
On Nov. 5th, Liberal MP Andrew Leslie, who is the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that Canada is quietly looking to help Bibi and her family.
“With like-minded friends and allies, there are discreet and delicate discussions under way and I will not say anything further at this time,” he said.
Leslie added that Pakistan should reform its blasphemy laws.
“The right of freedom of religion or belief must and shall be protected,” Leslie said. “We urge the government of Pakistan to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of Asia Bibi and her family. We continue to urge the government and the people of Pakistan to reform the application of blasphemy laws to prevent the targeting of religious minorities.”
The Official Opposition in Ottawa is putting pressure on Canada to offer asylum to Bibi and her family.
“We are excited about her acquittal, but she and her family remain in grave danger,” Conservative MP Garnett Genuis said in the House of Commons. “Ministerial permits have been used in the past to help vulnerable victims of false blasphemy charges in Pakistan.” TAP
–Various sources
