Bishop Kevin would say something about this, but the “Muslim-Christian dialogue” meeting is tonight, and Imam Muhammad is such a nice guy — did you hear the one he tells about the priest, the rabbi and the imam who walk into a bar? — and the hummus is so good over at Masjid Ibn Taymiyya…And anyway, Imam Muhammad has assured the bishop that he condemns the persecution of Christians. What’s that? Did Bishop Kevin ask him what programs Masjid Ibn Taymiyya had to teach Muslims to reject the understanding of Islam that led to the persecution? Oh, come now. You wouldn’t have expected him to be rude when everyone was being so nice, now, would you? A man doesn’t get to be a Cardinal by asking that kind of question. And that hummus — it’s out of this world!
“Christian Professor Arrested for Blasphemy in Pakistan, Charged With Same Offense as Mother-of-Five Asia Bibi,” by Stoyan Zaimov, Christian Post, November 18, 2014:
A 40-year-old Christian man was arrested for blasphemy in Lahore, Pakistan, and has been charged with insulting the Prophet Mohammad, the same offense that Christian mother-of-five Asia Bibi is facing the death penalty for.
Qaiser Ayub, a computer science professor, had been a fugitive for close to three years, Fides News Agency reported. He was charged in 2011 of having written blasphemous comments on his blog, and has been avoiding police ever since.
BosNewsLife added that Ayub is currently being held at a police station in the town of Talagang in Punjab’s Chakwal District.
Sardar Mushtaq Gill, national director of advocacy group Legal Evangelical Association Development, revealed that despite the threat of arrest, the professor had been teaching recently at a school in Lahore, which triggered the police warrant.
“We also request prayer for him,” Gill said, noting that his group will be providing legal assistance.
Ayub’s alleged violation of Pakistan’s Penal Code mirrors that of Bibi, who has been in prison for five years and is facing execution, unless the country’s Supreme Court reverses the decision. Bibi was sentenced to death in 2010 for an incident where she was accused of blaspheming against Islam by a group of Muslim women.
A global campaign has rallied around the Christian mother, with the American Center for Law and Justice starting a petition asking the U.S. government to stop sending foreign aid to Pakistan.
“We must stop sending billions of our taxpayer dollars to nations that persecute Christians. It’s that simple. Not one more dime for persecution. Cut off American foreign aid to any country that persecutes Christians,” states the petition, addressing Congress and President Barack Obama.
“As a wave of persecution sweeps across the Middle East — and Christians flee for their lives — it’s time for the money to stop,” it adds. “Already there is growing support for basic human rights and basic common sense on Capitol Hill.”….