Faith

No Quick Pardon for Condemned Pakistani Christian

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s president will not immediately pardon a Christian woman sentenced to die for insulting Islam but may do so later if an appeals court delays her case too long, an official said Thursday.

No Quick Pardon for Condemned Pakistani ChristianPope Benedict XVI has appealed for the release of Asia Bibi, a 45-year-old mother of five who has said she was wrongly accused by a group of Muslim women with a grudge against her.

The case has prompted outrage from international rights groups and inflamed religious passions at home. In recent days, demonstrations have been staged both by Pakistan’s Christian minority calling for her release and also by hard-line Muslims warning against any pardon for her and defending the country’s blasphemy law, which critics say is misused to settle personal scores and by extremists to persecute minorities.

Bibi, 45, is the first woman condemned to die under the blasphemy law. She has been jailed for 18 months and was sentenced Nov. 8 to hang.

Her lawyer has filed an appeal with the Lahore High Court, and President Asif Ali Zardari has decided to let the appeal process play out instead of immediately pardoning her, said Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti, who met with Zardari on Thursday.

Pardoning Bibi would carry political risk for Zardari, whose coalition government relies on an Islamic political party in Parliament.

However, Zardari agreed to pardon Bibi later if the appeal case is unduly delayed, Bhatti said. Zardari’s spokesman could not be reached Thursday.

Bhatti — who has said he believes Bibi is innocent — said Zardari did not specify any deadline but said he believes the president “will not wait months or weeks.”

Comments (23)

  • glenng2
    Posted on November 27, 2010 at 11:12pm

    Excuse me these are the people of the religion of peace ahem you know the ones that blow themselves up taking lot’s of inocent people with them. All in the persuit of being with Allah and their 72 virgins. What a joke!

    Report Post »  
  • rdk
    Posted on November 27, 2010 at 8:26pm

    ” …sentenced to die for insulting Islam”? That is kind of a tough penalty. Can we have that sort of law for people insulting the USA? … or apologizing for the USA?

    Report Post »  
  • ChinUpUSMom
    Posted on November 27, 2010 at 1:51pm

    This all started with Abraham fathering Ishmeal with Hagar, his wife Sarah’s egyptian maidservant. Isaac came from Sarah as a promise from God. Since both son‘s were from Abraham’s, seed, God said he would make the son born in the ordinary way (Ishmael) a great nation too. (Thanks) . Read Galations 4:21-31. Also, Genesis 21:8-13. Hagar stand for Mt Sinai in Arabia. The son born in the ordinary way will persecute the children born by the power of the spirit. God told Hagar, “Your son will grow up to be a wild donkey of a man. His hand will be against everyone, and everyones hand will be against him. He will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”Gen.16:11-12. Well, I never really read the Bible until these last few years and I can see the writing on the wall now!

    Report Post »  
  • momsense
    Posted on November 27, 2010 at 8:37am

    Pay attention America! You have a judge in Oklahoma poised to elevate Islamic murder, and International law above the American Constitution. This may be the fate that awaits you and especially all of your female citizens.

    Report Post »  
  • staythecourse
    Posted on November 27, 2010 at 1:25am

    To be honest, I’m beginning to question the whole history we have learned about the crusades being the cruel Christians unfairly attacking the Muslim world. Do you think maybe….just maybe something has been lost and maybe….just maybe there was a legitimate reason for the early Crusades? Just asking….

    Report Post »  
    • dps7215
      Posted on November 27, 2010 at 1:39pm

      It was because Islam had encroached so far into Christian lands, and they were killing Christians and “non-believers”. People woke up, and fought back. Simple as that. Of course, ‘ol Whitey (Crusaders at this time), has been pinned as the evil-doer, because apparently, he is the face of intolerance.
      People who point to the religious overtones, and how the Popes mandated these, I say this: Who else would have led? How else would you have rallied support against a common enemy?
      The only way that they will never be the enemy, is if we all become Muslim ourselves.
      Happy Holidays everyone. I mean, Merry Christmas everyone.

      Report Post »  
  • blacksmith
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 7:38pm

    What if it was not Gabriel that delivered the word of God to Mohhamed but one of the fallen angels that were cast out from Heaven with Lucifer. Then this would make islam a demonic cult/religion. I have not read the Satanic Verses by Rushdie but he did recieve a death sentence for the book.

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  • metalurgy
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 5:30pm

    I know how this woman feels, only I get it from my own (supposed) brothers in Christ.

    I’m Catholic, thus hated by many non-Catholics who call themselves Christians.
    Mormans have the same problem. (My next choice after Eastern Orthodox)

    Sick world. No wonder we are toast.

    Report Post » metalurgy  
    • wash1776
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 6:01pm

      I am truly sorry for all of the Catholics that are put down by other religions. The most important thing in any Christian religion is to love God above all others and our neighbor as ourself. Most of us cannot live up to either of these and for others to disparage other religions is sad. We can only try to do our best, but disparaging other religions that don’t tout violence is not Christian.. I sincerely apologize to all of you who have had to go through this. GOD BLESS!!!

      Report Post »  
    • Rock_Thrower
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 9:25pm

      The Catholics also have a sorted past. I was raised in the Catholic church and schools.
      Read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, you will read about how Catholics burned thousands at the stake for holding Bible studies or for not believing that the bread (host) is actually turned into Jesus’ flesh when eaten during communion.

      Mormons, while not guilty of killing nonbelievers are considered by many Christians as a cult. Why? To many reasons to list.

      However, all of the Catholics and Mormons I know today are kind and gentle people who do many good works for each other and their communities.

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    • Jezreel
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 10:50pm

      It is not the people, it is the doctrine that is false that should be abhorred. All denominations are like cults anyway. God’s people are scattered throughout the whole religeous system but the Lord says, “come out of her my people”. All of us have had to lay aside mans doctrines and wrong teachings no matter what denomination or religeon you are in, that is, if you follow Christ. God is not a respector of persons and he requires and wills it that all would come to repentance. There is one Lord, one faith and one baptism and one God and Father that is above all, in all and through all. The Lord is that spirit and where the Lord is there is LIBERTY. Any religeon that brings you into bondage to get approval of man or have to work your way to heaven is a false image of God. Remember, when Moses was up in the mountain when God was giving him the commandments, the people had Aaron build the golden calf. The golden calf is a false image of God that people worship today that is deceptive and man pleasing. Any religeon that glorifies man, is antiChrist.

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    • Elle
      Posted on November 27, 2010 at 2:05am

      @Rock_Thrower: Mormon’s have killed innocents in an act of terrorism. America’s first 9/11 victims were in the September 11, 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre. Over 100 unarmed children, women and men were executed in just around three minutes in response to the murder of a polygamist mormon who married another man’s wife. Check out one site: http://1857massacre.com/

      A side note, the Crusades were in response to Muslims conquering and either converting or killing those of non-muslim faith throughout the middle east. The Muslims captured Jerusalem (the Dome of the Rock is their testament to this event) and so those of Christian faith fought with those of Islamic faith for the next 200 years.

      The word “Christian” has been used to cover a number of faiths in error. Mormons are Mormons, Catholics are Catholics.

      Report Post » Elle  
    • lildrummerboy
      Posted on November 27, 2010 at 7:04pm

      I don’t think non Catholics “hate” Catholics, I think they are sick of all the sin that seems to manifest itself within the Catholic church and say all Catholics are like these people that show up in the media for molestation or some other sin.. However, that is the same mentality of saying all Muslims are terrorists. It’s painting a very broad stroke. It is not fair in that sense. As far as the Mormons go, people are always afraid of what they don’t understand. Mormonism has different ideas or philosophies that don’t line up with the everyday Christian. Someone may have made a statement to these people sometime in their life about Mormons and instead of them doing their own homework to find out for themselves, they adapted and held fast to that seed. Again i don’t think people generally hate Mormons or Catholics.

      Report Post » lildrummerboy  
  • Bernard
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 4:46pm

    How wickedly ironic. There in Pakistan a Christian is sentenced to death for insulting Islam and here a girl is arrested for burning a page from the Koran, again because of insulting Islam.
    One should give credit where credit is due and Islam has managed to twist the arms of other nations and faiths to follow their Sharia laws even when it is not in our legal system.
    I say “keep it up” for most of us may have been naive but we are not stupid. With each and every act of hypocrisy and duplicity that emanates from Islam and all those who are willing to support this double standard will only increase the clout of a backlash against these Muslim wannabe’s and Islam itself. This is already taking root in Europe where in one incident a letter with a burnt page of the Koran was sent to a local Mosque with the warning “leave while you still have the time”. Across Europe laws are being passed that support the European culture and the Christian faith against the intrusion of Islam, a faith still stuck in the medieval ages.

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  • CaptC
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 3:51pm

    Well she has a bit of a chance, just think of the hundreds of Christians who have been Murdered while sitting in their pews in the few Christian Churches allowed in Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Gaza and Indonesia in these past few years. Not that non-Islamic faiths have ever been tolerated for long under Islam. Read The Koran, it is very clear on how Christians and Jews are to be treated under Islam. And just read a history book anywhere in an Islamic country, they brag about the millions they have Murdered in the name of Islam. And don’t kid yourself that Islam plans to reform, or in anyway change, it hasn’t in the past 1400 years, they aren’t going to start now.

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  • Parkeralan
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 3:37pm

    “Slay the unbelievers wherever you find them.” Qur’an 2:191

    Report Post » Parkeralan  
    • thimble
      Posted on November 27, 2010 at 7:38am

      Yes, and what most Muslims have never read for themselves is that an Unbeliever is NOT everyone who is NOT a Muslim. An Unbeliever is someone who does not believe in God and the Hereafter. A Believer is someone who believes in God and the Hereafter. This is stated over and over in the Koran. Unfortunately Muslims have been taught to accept what they are told. Those that do question and find the contradictions are ostracized.

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    • dps7215
      Posted on November 27, 2010 at 1:35pm

      There are plenty of people who don’t believe in God either. Guess that makes us Christians the defender of not only our own views, but the unbelievers’ views as well. Again, your right to believe what you want is not possible under Muslim rule. And if you really think that the Coptic Christians, or the Iraqi Christians are truly free…. Why don’t you spend some time in their shoes?

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  • Lucy Larue
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 2:44pm

    Repeat after me everyone…,Islam is a religion of PEACE, Islam is a religion of PEACE,…….,yadda,yadda.

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  • PJL
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 1:24pm

    Well they didn’t wast any time arresting her and sentencing her to death, but hey that was a happy thing in their view. But a pardon. I hope the pope helps to get her out of the country with her family or she’ll end up dead anyway.

    Report Post » PJL  
  • wash1776
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 1:20pm

    This should surprise no one. It is a violent, unforgiving attitude that tries to pass for RELIGION!

    Report Post »  
    • chazman
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 2:57pm

      ISLAM is not a religion, it is a cult!! Offended yet, ISLAM? KISS MY UNGRATEFUL A$$! I CONDEMN ISLAM TO HELL!

      Report Post »  
    • MGB-CPA
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 4:52pm

      Islam is the foundation for the counties’ government and their laws. I believe it is more of a political idiology than a religion and should be treated as such, especially in this country. Really they are barbaric heathens.

      Now, the way to win the war in Afganistan …. you manufacture all bullets used in afganistan to contain a tiny capsule of swine (pigs) blood. War over.

      Report Post » MGB-CPA  

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