By Douglas V. Gibbs
The Christian mother was sentenced to death for blasphemy. Minority affairs minister Shahbaz Bhatti has presented a clemency plea to the government on the grounds that the case against Bibi was based only on personal enmity. In addition to Bhatti's plea for a pardon, Pope Benedict XVI has also called for Bibi's release and said Christians in Pakistan were "often victims of violence and discrimination". Most of those convicted of blasphemy in Pakistan have their sentences overturned or commuted on appeal through the courts. The non-Muslim population in Pakistan is only around 3%, and this is the first time a woman has been sentenced to be executed for blasphemy.
Aasia Bibi, a mother of five children, was arrested in June 2009 after Muslim women laborers refused to drink from a bowl of water she was asked to fetch while out working in the fields. Days later, the women complained that she made derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed. Bibi was set upon by a mob, arrested by police and sentenced on November 8.
The very possibility of Bibi being pardoned has brought hundreds of Pakistani Muslims to the streets, threatening anarchy if the government pardons the woman. The crowd called for "Jihad" and pledged to sacrifice their lives to protect the honor of the Prophet Mohammad.
The fear by many government officials is that a pardon would indeed lead to anarchy, leading the government to lean in the direction of following the demands of the mob whose members are angry over a mere verbal accusation. However, doing so also gives more voice and power to the Taliban militants the government has been fighting with government troops in parts of northwest Pakistan.
Pakistan has yet to execute anyone for blasphemy, but the demands by the Muslim public exposes the mood of the population in regards to the Islamic Jihad, and to meet such demands would encourage Islamism to take on more radical activities in a nation already wracked by Taliban attacks.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Pakistan Muslims warn of anarchy over Christian - AFP
No comments:
Post a Comment