Ten Women Who Shook Pakistan Including Asia Bibi and Rimsha Masih

As you all know, we cover Christian persecution and the horrible things that happen to Christians all over the world.  In recent days we’ve covered numerous stories about women who have been persecuted in Pakistan, including Asia Bibi and Rimsha Masih.

Today there is a great article over at AFP.ForeignPolicy.com which highlights some of the horrific things that have happened in Pakistan.

Two of the women highlighted in their top ten list are Asia Bibi and Rimsha Masih.

Here’s what they say about Asia and Rimsha:

Ramsha Masi is a teenaged Pakistani Christian
girl, who according to some reports suffers from Down syndrome, and who was
detained by authorities in Islamabad on blasphemy charges in August 2012 for
allegedly burning pages of the Quran. She could face the death sentence if
charges against her are proven. Ramsha’s case spotlighted the vulnerability of
Pakistan’s religious minorities, who can easily be subjugated by Muslim
clergymen under the controversial blasphemy law. It turned out that a Muslim cleric
had actually planted evidence against the Christian girl but he was eventually granted bail by a court. Ramsha’s physical safety
still remains a major concern.

…

Asia Bibi is another Christian woman who became a victim of the
blasphemy law. In November 2010, a court in Punjab handed her a death sentence
for committing blasphemy against Islam. If the superior courts uphold the
judgment, she will become Pakistan’s first woman to be killed under the
blasphemy law.

Ms. Bibi’s case also indicates the improbability of
abolishing or reforming the blasphemy laws. For example, Salmaan Taseer, the Punjab governor, was shot dead
by his own security guard when he publicly spoke in support of Asia Bibi and
proposed a review of the draconian law. 
His killing was immediately followed by another high-profile murder of
the minister for minority affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti. The killings in the wake of Asia
Bibi case have nearly silenced the debate over scraping the discriminatory
blasphemy law.

You can read the full top ten list and the whole article here.

2012-10-19 17:22:33

Source: http://www.persecutionblog.com/2012/10/ten-women-who-shook-pakistan-including-asia-bibi-and-rimsha-masih.html