One would think that Aasia Bibi, the young Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy in a Nankana Sahib village in late 2010, had suffered quite enough. For over a year, she has been kept in a ‘special’ cell at the Sheikhupura jail — separated from her husband and young children who remain in hiding. Her family has denied she committed any wrong, and alleges the charges against her stem from her using a cup to drink water also used by fellow Muslim labourer. Her husband lives in fear of death by extremists and there has been concern that Aasia herself will be murdered in prison — as others accused of blasphemy before her, have also met the same fate.
As if all this was not enough, we now hear Aasia has been subjected to ‘torture’ within jail, by a female warden who claims she found ‘illicit’ items in her cell. Few details are available on this matter, but it seems other staffers did little to stop the violation of jail rules that occurred. The abuse or manhandling of a detainee is, of course, prohibited. The guilty warden has since been suspended — but even this action seems to have come rather late in the day, and perhaps many people will support what the warden did (just like how many support what Mumtaz Qadri has done). Torture, of course, is endemic in our jails; no one should suffer it — but the string of miseries imposed on Aasia Bibi seem never to end. There is a possibility that she is being victimised for being a ‘blasphemy accused’ individual. This, too, has happened before.
We appear to be moving steadily, further and further away from the course of justice. We must ask ourselves in all earnestness what this says about the nature of our society. There is a real need to rediscover the compassion and the humanity we have lost. Until we do so, we cannot claim to count ourselves among the civilised nations of the world. Doing more to end the suffering of Aasia Bibi would, at least, help us look in the right direction and perhaps reach out towards the goal we have lost sight of.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 13th, 2011.
COMMENTS (10)
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See, it's stupidity like this that demands that ALL religion should be banned.
More people have been harmed by anally retentive god-botherers who live their life in delusion, than by any other cause or belief known to man.
This woman's crime is that she drank from a CUP after someone else?
This is a very thin coverup for sadism on behalf of those gangsters posing as holy men who wield power over poor unfortunates.
There is no god you delusional self-serving tyrants. You twist fairytales and fantasies to serve your twisted taste for watching others in torment and legitimize the atrocities in the name of an absolute nothing.
@Word Life wrote: The law should take its course and she should be given the punishment she has been convicted of (by a competent Court of Law)
The law should take its course and he (Qadri) should be given the punishment he has been convicted to (by a competetnt Court of Law)
feudal lords in Pakistan keep people uneducated so they don't even know what is justice....court of law in Pakistan Funny....!
hang her or free her ..... why torture in this way????
My Prophet was and is One who after being tortured by the Taif people prayed for them and never said to Angel to destroy them as Angel asked my Prophet (P.B.U.H) to destroy those. So i dont know what kind of Islam these extrimists are promoting, instead of promoting there religion these guys are distorting the image of islam. I can only pray to God , O my God show them right path and exploit their energy in benifit of Islam and Pakistan. Ameen.
"We appear to be moving steadily, further and further away from the course of justice"
The law should take its course and she should be given the punishment she has been convicted of (by a competent Court of Law)
It hurts me to read such inhuman treatment given to likes of Aasia bibi, as if to be imprisoned is not enough punishment, away from her family and friends and waiting in the cell for the last call. Lately I have given all hope to justify improvement for such cases on religious grounds, as some keep on repeating. Now i believe whatever the continuing role of religion today, in philanthropy, in education, in ceremonial, in music, in personal comfort and hope, there is no obligation to believe. We can value things without God to tell us what is valuable. We know, without faith, that love is better than war, helping others is better than ignoring the needy' If Muslims can criticize others, let others also do the same. Biggest evil is fear; fear to express your views, fear to keep silent when a wrong occurs, just because someone will take law in his hands, or what others might think. .
I can see the grin on Qadri's face.
I think we need to stop pitying this poor innocent woman -the torrents which has been inflicted upon her are infact beyond our imagination and perhaps mere words can't even express them -
We need to come up with a decisive solution for her and her family's protection -I request this from all Human Rights Activists and Organizations to please orchestrate a course of line for this purpose -Send her out of the country along with her family, forever -In Pakistan her and her family's survival is prone to countless threats which perhaps no one can fight-
Lets stop the worse consequences from taking place -please lets be practical - Pakistan can't bear no more such secular losses!
Thank you for writing about AsiaBiBi.She must be a strong woman and we hope that God will give her strenght 2 continue her struggle. We hope that 1 day justice will come !