A Christian woman has been sentenced to hang in Pakistan after being convicted of defaming the Prophet Mohammed.<\/p>\n
The court heard she had been working as a farmhand in fields with other women, when she was asked to fetch drinking water.<\/p>\n
Some of the other women \u2013 all Muslims \u2013 refused to drink the water as it had been brought by a Christian and was therefore “unclean”, according to Mrs Bibi’s evidence, sparking a row.<\/p>\n
The incident was forgotten until a few days later when Mrs Bibi said she was set upon by a mob.<\/p>\n
The police were called and took her to a police station for her own safety.<\/p>\n
Shahzad Kamran, of the Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan, said: “The police were under pressure from this Muslim mob, including clerics, asking for Asia to be killed because she had spoken ill of the Prophet Mohammed.<\/p>\n
“So after the police saved her life they then registered a blasphemy case against her.” He added that she had been held in isolation for more than a year before being sentenced to death on Monday. . . .<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The Christian woman, Asia Bibi, a 45-year-old mother-of-five, denies blasphemy and told investigators that she was being persecuted for her faith in a country where Christians face routine harassment and discrimination.<\/p>\n
Ali Hasan Dayan, of Human Rights Watch, said the blasphemy laws were out of step with rights guaranteed under Pakistan’s constitution and should be repealed.<\/p>\n
“It’s an obscene law,” he said. “Essentially the blasphemy law is used as a tool of persecution and to settle other scores that are nothing to do with religion.<\/p>\n
“It makes religious minorities particularly vulnerable because it’s often used against them.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Article in the telegraph.co.uk,\u00a0Christian woman sentenced to death in Pakistan ‘for\u00a0 blasphemy’ <\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n
Please pray for Asia Bibi’s release, for blasphemy laws to be abolished\u00a0and for religious persecution to stop.<\/p>\n
I oppose blasphemy and religious vilification\u00a0laws;\u00a0 I agree with Irish atheists …<\/a>\u00a0 see article, Crime of blasphemy<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Christian woman has been sentenced to hang in Pakistan after being convicted of defaming the Prophet Mohammed. The court heard she had been working as a farmhand in fields with other women, when she was asked to fetch drinking … Continue reading