Shabhaz Bhatti, a Christian, has spoken out against the death sentence issued for Asia Bibi, falsely convicted under Pakistan's blasphemy laws. He also condemned a Muslim cleric's offer of a reward to anyone who kills her in the event that she is acquitted or pardoned.
Those who demand Islam's dominance and the full implementation and enforcement of Sharia in Pakistan cannot bear the challenge of an uppity infidel in government, least of all when they cannot even abide the "threat" of Asia Bibi's unwillingness to renounce her faith for Islam. "Pakistan: Islamist terrorists issue death sentence for Christian government official," from Spero News, December 4:
The Islamic terrorist organization "Lashkar-e-Toiba", one of the largest in Southern Asia, and other Taliban groups have launched a "fatwa" (an official proclamation) against the Pakistani Minister for Religious Minorities, Shabhaz Bhatti - who happens to be a Catholic. Reliable sources in Pakistan confirmed that the minister is now being targeted by militants. He has become a "legitimate objective" and "may be killed for being an accomplice to the blasphemy." The proclamation is motivated by Bhatti's commitment to the revision of the Islamic blasphemy law. An international furor was unleashed when Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman, was condemned to death by an Islamic court for alleged blasphemy under Muslim religious law. Appeals from Pope Benedict XVI and various governments have yet to be heeded.
The Minister had already received warnings and threats. The radical organization "Majlis Ahrar-e-Islam", in recent days had told him to "keep your mouth shut and do not criticize the blasphemy law." Months ago, the religious leader Ahmed Mian Hammadi had accused him of blasphemy and threatened him with "decapitation". The position of the Minister in the case of Asia Bibi and his real effort to carry through a draft revision of the law have generated, in a growing climate of intolerance, the new "fatwa" by Taliban terrorist groups.
Mehdi Hasan, President of the "Commission for Human Rights in Pakistan" commented, "We condemn these irresponsible claims by extremist groups and express solidarity with Minister Bhatti. We are in a situation of increasing polarization and intolerance. But some political parties are trying to exploit the support of Islamic militant groups. It is the government's responsibility to stop terrorists, but even the government is under pressure."
"The social situation is taking a turn for the worse and tension is growing. Pressure from fundamentalist groups becomes stronger and manifestations follow one after another. We are concerned about possible violence on Christian leaders and places of worship," says a source in the Christian community.
"R-e-s-p-e-c-t": find out what it means to... "radical Islamic groups":
Radical Islamic groups protested yesterday in Quetta and Lahore, asking for "namuus-e-risalaat" (respect for the Prophet). Preacher Yousaf Qureshi, from the Masjid Mohabaat Khan Mosque in Peshawar, has offered a prize of 500 thousand rupees for the scalp of Asia Bibi, defying the Government to make any move to amend the blasphemy laws. Tomorrow, December 5, another demonstration will take place in Islamabad to put pressure on the political and judicial institutions. On 6 December, the Lahore High Court should rule on the petition that would prevent the President from granting a pardon, and announce the date of the first hearing for the appeal process of Asia Bibi.
Meanwhile, work on selection proceeds for the Commission, that, appointed by President Zardari and under the leadership of Minister Bhatti, will study appropriate amendments to the blasphemy law. The Commission will include political leaders, Muslim clerics and scholars, and representatives of civil society and will draft a proposal for revisions in order to prevent abuses.
The law is inherently abusive of freedom of speech and conscience. "Reforms" and lip service to preventing "abuse" of an abusive law are ultimately decorative, and will always leave waiting behind the veneer of due process and judicial review a ticking time bomb, as the notion of government intervention upon "insults" to Islam as an acceptable use of power remains intact.
"Preacher Yousaf Qureshi, from the Masjid Mohabaat Khan Mosque in Peshawar, has offered a prize of 500 thousand rupees for the scalp of Asia Bibi, defying the Government to make any move to amend the blasphemy laws." -- from the article.
The government should take Qureshi up on his challenge and arrest him for sedition. How about someone putting a price on Yousaf Qurashi's head, as well as EVERY Muslim cleric who issues death fatwas?
For those who might be interested, the masjid in question can be found using Google Earth by typing "Masjid Mahabat Khan, Pakistan" in the address bar. If the "Photos" check box in Goodle Earth is checked you can see what the place looks like. It appears to be located in an upscale area (by Pakistan standards), close to a jewelers' street, with the city medical center a few blocks to the west and Frontier Women University of Peshawar a few blocks to the north.
You can feel the peace and love of Islam in this fatwa once more!!!
Where are our PC MSM and Obama's deputy for good relations with Muslims, and the Muslim apologists and the the so called "moderate" Muslims in the West who always come on TV and try to separate themselves and their religion from these fatwa issuing imams and terrorists??? These guys have nothing to say about this fatwa and all other such fatwas which dime a dozen these days??? All of these people are such liars and hypocrites, always defending the ROP even though they know this evil religion is indefensible. These morons lie through their teeth and call those who tell the truth about as Islam as bigots, racists, and what not!! We know who are bigots and racists. Not us for sure!!!
Expose the evil religion of Islam and bury it with Mo/allah in Yathrib forever!!
Kudos on the Christian minister for Religious Minorities Mr. Shabhaz Bhatti. May God protect him and give him success in getting Asia Bibi out and away safely..
Such death fatwas demonstrates yet again Islam's tendency to turn its true believers into psychotic killers whenever they feel threaten with less control, like when there's a prominent non-believer among them criticizing them.
it is no wonder the muslim states are fighting like crazy to push for their anti freedom of speech against their cult. the thing they fail to realize their actions speak louder than their words, for when a muslim lies his lips move.
"where are our PCMSM and Obama's deputy ...?"
they are in the state of denial, wherever that is
they think SHARIA is just a cultural thing
they suggest that the faithful Christian is just stubborn. afterall one religion is just like another
they think the adherents of Muhammad are following reliable teachings
they lack the will to analyze the truth claims made by the mosque and are afraid. used to be they became skeptical when someone lied; now they lack any sense of truth
Note that even criticizing the blasphemy law is *considered blasphemous*.
From above:
Preacher Yousaf Qureshi, from the Masjid Mohabaat Khan Mosque in Peshawar, has offered a prize of 500 thousand rupees for the scalp of Asia Bibi, defying the Government to make any move to amend the blasphemy laws.
......................
Will there be any consequences for Qureshi for calling for *lynching*? I wouldn't count on it. Will there be any consequences for threatening the life of a Pakistani government minister? I wouldn't count on that, either.
Shabhaz Bhatti is a brave man. It would have been a lot safer for him to just let his office serve as a fig leaf for Zardari's regime, and he must have known it.
..work on selection proceeds for the Commission, that will study appropriate amendments to the blasphemy law.
The only appropriate amendment would be to strike it from the law completely.
Whatever else happens, the poor woman and her family of two daughters and husband should be discreetly airlifted out of that lunatic hellhole immediately. Beyond that the crazy cleric obviously should be arrested along with any islamic mobsters that object. Is army equipment just there for decoration, or does it have actual uses?
And no more aid thrown away on this no-hoper of a 'country'.
what about the idea of reverse fatwahs--they could issue one on Qureshi and do the world a favor. it's time the world stop taking this cult's "laws" seriously and did something about it.
what about the idea of reverse fatwahs--they could issue one on Qureshi and do the world a favor. it's time the world stop taking this cult's "laws" seriously and did something about it.
Ok, this is how works, the mosques receive large amount of money from the government in order to protect culture, religion and other institutions, then the mosques use that money to obtain demands from the government or to pay fatwa-rewards.
The question is "if the mosques control the population... -see google maps pakistan for mosque density"... why is there the need for the money? shouldn't the faithful kill the Christians by themselves and not being financially motivated??
The reason is quite simple, Islam is not about faith or inner struggle, it is about social submision... good Muslims who kill Christian blasphemers must prospere... if the murderers didn't get the money, it wouldn't be a fair islamic society.