Family waits to see if mother, accused of blasphemy, will be hanged

[Shevanel]

News story link.

Itan Wali, Pakistan (CNN) -- In this village in Pakistan's Punjab province a tearful 12-year-old girl ponders if the Pakistani government will soon hang her mother.
"Whenever I see her picture I cry," Isham Masih told CNN. "I want my mother back. That's what I'm praying for."
This month a Pakistani court sentenced Isham's mother, 45-year-old Asia Bibi, to death, not because she killed, injured or stole, but simply because she said something.
Prosecutors say Bibi, who is a Christian, broke Pakistan's strict blasphemy law by insulting Islam and the prophet Muhammad, a crime punishable by death or life imprisonment according to Pakistan's penal code.
The alleged incident happened in June 2009 when Bibi, a field worker, was picking fruit in a village two hours west of Lahore. Prosecutors say when Bibi dipped her cup into a bucket of drinking water during a lunch break, her co-workers complained the water had been contaminated by a non-Muslim.
Court records show the women got into a heated argument.
Mafia Satar said she was there and heard Bibi's insults.
"She said your Muhammad had worms in his mouth before he died," Satar told CNN, a crude way of saying Muhammad was no prophet.
The town cleric, Qari Muhammad Salim, reported the incident to police who arrested Bibi. After nearly 15 months in prison came her conviction and the death sentence.
"When I heard the decision my heart ached," Bibi's husband Ashiq Masih told CNN.
Masih denies his wife ever insulted Muhammad. He said death threats forced him and his daughters, one of them disabled, to flee their village.
Neither the Koran nor the prophet Muhammad's teachings in the Hadith call for the execution of blasphemers, but Islamic scholars and jurists from generations past included the death sentence when drafting Islamic law.
Human rights groups have long blamed Pakistan's blasphemy laws for persecution and violence against religious minorities like last year's attack on a Christian village in Punjab Province and recent bombings of minority Muslim mosques.
Activists say the government has refused to amend the law for fear of backlash from Islamist groups and their followers who deem scrapping the law as un-Islamic.
At the time this report was filed, Pakistan's law minister had not responded to CNN's request for an interview.
Bibi has appealed her death sentence and asked for bail, the chief prosecutor of Punjab province told CNN.
The prosecutor, Chaudhry Muhammad Jahangir, said the appeal will be heard by the Lahore High court and a decision could be months away.
Pakistan has never executed someone convicted of blasphemy but in Bibi's village public opinion was unanimous.
"Yes, she should be hanged," a group of villagers cried out.
The town cleric, who made the initial complaint against Bibi, called her death sentence one of the happiest moments of his life.
"Tears of joy poured from my eyes," Qari Salim told CNN.
The clerics tears are in stark contrast to those shed by Bibi's daughter Isham, who wants her mother to live.

I bolded the section that explains WHY she's received the death sentence.

So human rights peeps, whatdya think?

I can't wait till someone gets the balls to tell these countries that they won't let them do stuff like this.

[partietraumatic]

It's a sad indictment of the state of affairs in many countries of the world that nothing about this article surprised me.

I love how no one in Pakistan sees that hypocrisy.

Or should I say..no one in power.

[Connor22]

Hypocrisy? in the government? NEVER!

[booby]

im not sure .. i really dislike blasphemy of any kind and for that foul-mouthed lady to insult the Prophet (peace be upon him) i think it's incredibly rude of her

killing her would only give people the wrong idea about Islam

now i havent studied law but she deserves to to be punished .. maybe community service or an apology (im getting very mad every time i remember what she said , i dont blame the villagers for their reaction)

I thought she'd have been stoned by now.

[lostinthought9]

I recognize that there is a difference in cultures here, but I just can't understand how insulting someone's beliefs (or belief system) should result in a death sentence.

If this woman would have came up to me, insulting God, and saying every cuss word in the book, I would still not believe that is fair grounds for her to be hung.

This may sound like a stupid question but, is there anything that an international organization can do? I mean, am I the only one here that thinks this isn't right?

[Shevanel]

Originally Posted by lostinthought9

This may sound like a stupid question but, is there anything that an international organization can do? I mean, am I the only one here that thinks this isn't right?

Of course you aren't, Ron. The problem is no international organization is going to go into a country that is entirely run off of a religion's rules, to go against said rules, and get away with it without repercussions. They'd need something like the UN to back them. But if the UN won't do shit about genocides happening in front of their fucking noses, then why would they do something about one woman?

It's fucking sad. Shit needs to be changed.

[ANightDude]

Contaminated by a non-muslim... what would happen? They'll turn into a white person? Just because she had a difference in opinion doesn't mean she deserves any kind of punishment.

[Shevanel]

Originally Posted by ANightDude

Contaminated by a non-muslim... what would happen? They'll turn into a white person? Just because she had a difference in opinion doesn't mean she deserves any kind of punishment.

No such thing as free speech

[RedState]

Originally Posted by lostinthought9

I recognize that there is a difference in cultures here, but I just can't understand how insulting someone's beliefs (or belief system) should result in a death sentence.

If this woman would have came up to me, insulting God, and saying every cuss word in the book, I would still not believe that is fair grounds for her to be hung.

This may sound like a stupid question but, is there anything that an international organization can do? I mean, am I the only one here that thinks this isn't right?

They will only offer lip service...the UN is worthless and are ball-less cowards to boot. It would be too politically incorrect to dare say anything negative about Sharia Law.

I'm sorry but this has to be said: These radical Islamist kooks that want to hang women for crap like this or want to blow up a cartoonist's house for drawing a picture of Muhammed are savages and are an insult to the human race. The fact that the entire world is outraged that the US would dare submit some scum radical Muslim terrorist to...gasp...waterboarding and yet remain silent on half the shit this crowd pulls is simply beyond me.
Yes, I know that it is not a reflection on the entire 1.1 Billion Muslims out there, blah blah. But this is getting to be a very bad trend. it is estimated that close to 10% are radicalized...that means there are approx 100 million nut jobs out there that want us to conform to their warped nutsy view of the world...or kill us. Gee, nice bunch of folks....remind me to invite them over for my next cookout.

[Frer3]

Screw Sharia Law. Screw the UN. This is the reason the US has separated Church from State. So nothing stupid would happen just because some idiot had an iffy moment.

[Trystan]

She was actually insulted. In return, she insulted what they believe.
I'm not saying either direction of insult was right, but surely insulting a FELLOW HUMAN is far worse than insulting what someone believes. (And don't get the idea that I'm saying beliefs are worthless; I myself am christian.)

She should never, never, be punished for this - what she said was essentially wrong, but think about this: the muslims can brush off what she said without a second thought. But what do you think is now going through her mind? She probably now feels rejected, angry and hurt, possibly by people she was friends, or at least friendly, with.

And let's be honest, she only said what she believes as well. She's a christian. She would say that muhammad wasn't a prophet.

[peaceandlies]

If there were ever a time for the UN to interfere, this and case like this one should it. If peaceful means don't work, then they should send in an army. And I'm not just talking about one person.

The family of some friends of mine live in Pakistan. They're christians. This could be them. I care.

[RaRa]

Originally Posted by Frer3

Screw Sharia Law. Screw the UN. This is the reason the US has separated Church from State. So nothing stupid would happen just because some idiot had an iffy moment.

The US has separation of church and state what?!?!

[Pseudojim]

Originally Posted by RaRa

The US has separation of church and state what?!?!

in god we trust ... one nation under god ... etc

the separation seemed to start coming to an end about 60 years ago. Before that even, i suppose... There are bible verses etched in stone all over the federal buildings and monuments in Washington, D.C

but yes, regarding the issue at hand, this is to be expected in poor, nigh-on totalitarian nations.

Every country should be modeled after France's policy on seperation of church and state.

Every French foreign exchange student and student teacher (we have at least one or another every year) is absolutely surprised that we say the pledge in school. At least, the "Under God" part.

[Pseudojim]

Originally Posted by Steven

Every French foreign exchange student and student teacher (we have at least one or another every year) is absolutely surprised that we say the pledge in school. At least, the "Under God" part.

not just french people either, it AMAZED me when i found out

[RedState]

What's wrong with saying the pledge in the classroom?
I see nothing wrong with it or saying "Under God"
Every day both The House and The Senate open with a prayer by each Chamber's respective Chaplin.

Originally Posted by bamaboy

What's wrong with saying the pledge in the classroom?
I see nothing wrong with it or saying "Under God"
Every day both The House and The Senate open with a prayer by each Chamber's respective Chaplin.

Er... Really? Is that because you happen to be Christian?
Would you feel as conformable if they mandated the five prayers a day as in Islam for the House and the Senate? Or what about if they required E-meter readings for all the elected officials? Or how about that each piece of legislation passed must be followed by a reading from a Hindu holy book?
The problem with a state supported religion is that it can quickly become a state enforced religion. Like in these Islamic nations where we hear about these nonsensical blasphemy laws.

The USA is not a nation under god, no matter what god you happen to believe in. Not only is it forbidden in the constitution, but you know... that would require a god to actually exist. But I suppose that is another argument entirely.

The laws to separate the church and state are meant to protect the government and the church from interfering with each other. The government is kept safe from silly superstitions and the church is protected from state sanctioned persecution.