March 2, 2018
Farahnaz Ispahani delivers a keynote address on Pakistan’s treatment of religious minorities at the Under Caesar’s Sword project symposium “What is to be Done? Responding to the Persecution of Christians,” April, 20, 2017. Photo: Nathan Mitchell Photography
In this opinion piece for CNN, RFI Senior Fellow and former member of Pakistan’s parliament Farahnaz Ispahani highlights how Pakistan’s abusive blasphemy laws disproportionately harm the most vulnerable in society. These include Asia Bibi, a Christian woman still languishing in prison after being sentenced to be hanged for a blasphemy accusation arising from her drinking water from a well and cup allegedly belonging to Muslims.
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, and the death sentences by which they can be enforced, provide extremists and other accusers a powerful weapon against the weak and—like murdered human rights lawyer Rashid Rehman—against the advocates who stand up for them.
As Ispahani notes, according to a 2016 Amnesty International report, once individuals are accused of blasphemy “they become ensnared in a system that offers them few protections, presumes them guilty, and fails to safeguard them against people willing to use violence.”
Following a dispute over a water cup, Asia Bibi, a Christian woman and mother of five, was charged with blasphemy and in 2010 was sentenced to death. Appeals are still on-going in her case and she remains in prison. Photo: CNN/Supplied
Read Ms. Ispahani’s full CNN piece here: Pakistan’s blasphemy laws persecute the weakest of the weak
THE RFI BLOG
Nov. 01, 2024
Two Books Opposed by Religious Parents Removed from Montgomery County’s Mandatory “Inclusive” Reading List for Elementary Schools
Oct. 30, 2024
UK’s Lord Jackson of Peterborough Addresses Religious Freedom Concerns in India, Pays Tribute to RFI
Oct. 18, 2024
RFI Conference Confronts Intolerance of Traditional Religious Faith in the West
Oct. 11, 2024
RFI’s Miles Windsor Appointed to Serve as Strategic Advisor to Czech Republic’s Freedom of Religion or Belief Ambassador
Oct. 10, 2024
RFI Joins Religious Freedom Experts to Warn of Growing Intolerance Towards Traditional Religious Beliefs in the West
CORNERSTONE FORUM
Nov. 04, 2024
Bridging the Gap Between International Efforts and Local Realities: Advancing Religious Freedom in the MENA Region
Jun. 26, 2024
Challenges to Religious Freedom in Iraq and the Critical Need for Action
May. 05, 2023
Public Bioethics & the Failure of Expressive Individualism
Apr. 28, 2023
Religious Liberty in American Higher Education
Mar. 03, 2023