Perth Rally In Support Of Asia Bibi. By Augusto Zimmermann.

You may have heard about the terrible plight of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death and put on death row for the last eight years. Her crime: a Christian drinking a cup of water from a communal well in Islamic Pakistan. After Mrs Bibi was finally found innocent of blasphemy, she has been detained by the government to appease the Islamic religious zealots who are demanding her death. Now she can’t find asylum, even if she does get released.

Asia Bibi

The reality is that many Muslims accept the idea that “blasphemers” of their religion deserve to suffer punishment. These are not a fringe group but represent the mainstream of contemporary Islam. According to Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, “there is unanimity among the lawyers that anyone who blasphemes against Muhammad is to be put to death, although how the execution is to be carried out varies from one person to another.” …

In “The Price of Freedom Denied”, Brian J. Grim and Roger Finke  [find] “religious persecution is not only more prevalent in Muslim-majority countries, but it also generally occurs at a more severe level.” …

For example, a Christian caught practicing his or her faith in Saudi Arabia is likely to be beheaded in public; a half-million Christians have fled Iraq; and Islamists regularly attack and kill Christian Copts in Egypt and burn down their churches. In Pakistan, any comment deemed unfavorable of the official religion is a crime of apostasy and severely punished, often by death.

In Pakistan

Also in Pakistan, accusations of blasphemy or insulting the “prophet” are used systematically to send individuals to jail or to bring about intimidation through threats, beatings and killings. Of course, no civilized country would ever conceive the existence of laws that punish a person for the mere criticism of religion.

Rally:

Saturday 1 December at 1.30pm, outside the Pakistan consul’s office at 23 Ventnor Avenue, West Perth, corner of Ord Street.

hat-tip Stephen Neil