The Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy is “a symbol, greater than herself.” A revision of the blasphemy law to halt abuses is urgent.
Sometimes “the idea overcomes reality”, one could say in completely opposition to the principles of the Evangelii gaudium, when the factual matter of a court case is overwhelmed by the strength of the symbol itself. Only this way one can understand the dramatic story of Asia Bibi, the 45 year old Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan, innocently jailed in Pakistani since 2009.
In a legal case that has gone on for the past eight years, Sebastian Shaw, a Catholic archbishop of Lahore, offers to Vatican Insider his interpretation: “The story of Asia Bibi has become a symbolic issue, which falls outside the factual reality of the case. A case much greater than a poor peasant from Punjab, risen to world celebrity,” he says. This has attracted speculators of all kinds: “Many organizations are concerned with the matter, however always functionally to their approach and to a political and economic gain. There have been strong pressures from both the political and religious world. In such a complex situation, it has become difficult for judges to judge calmly, “he notes.
“Many believers are praying for her salvation, while the Islamic radicals invoke the woman’s death. We only ask for justice, we know she is innocent. People like Shahbaz Bhatti and Salman Taseer died to defend her. Too much innocent blood has been shed, “says Shaw. The Christian woman is awaiting the final verdict of the Supreme Court. According to some sources, the hearing before the court could arrive by the end of March, but the woman’s lawyers consulted by Vatican Insider, do not confirm the rumors and say they are “waiting for a communication from the Registry.”
While in Pakistan the controversial law of blasphemy has returned topical, Asia’s case is paradigmatic: “Our aim, shared by civil society organizations and by many Muslim religious leaders, is to spare innocent of all religions. This is why we have been asking the government to take measures to prevent the abuse of the blasphemy law, “refers Shaw. “We hope that all the healthy forces of the country – he continues – join together towards this goal. It would be a win for everyone. “
The so-called “blasphemy law” consists of paragraphs “b” and “c” in Article 295 of the Penal Code, introduced in 1986 to punish by death or life imprisonment on insulting the Koran or the Prophet Muhammad. It is a legislative instrument brought up improperly in private disputes (it is estimated that this happens in 80% of cases) it has become a “sword of Damocles” hanging over the head of religious minorities, often the victims of this unjust mechanism.
Muslim senator Farhatullah Babar, Special Representative of the Commission on Human Rights of the Senate, has officially request the Parliament of Pakistan to find ways to stop the abuse of such law. Politicians and religious leaders have stood up in favor of the procedural changes but, on the other hand, there are radical groups who believe it untouchable. The debate is also open on the executive side: if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has recently expressed for respect for minority rights, the Minister for Religious Affairs, Sardar Muhammad Yousuf, denied that the government will suggest changes to legislation, while according to the interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan “It is not right to say that religious minorities are the most affected by the abuse of the blasphemy law.”
According to the data, in fact, Muslim citizens represent 70% of the accused for blasphemy. It must be said that, in a country where 95 per cent of the population is Muslim, Christians, who are only 1.5 per cent of the population, make up 26 per cent of victims of blasphemy, with a much higher proportionally ratio. What the minister forgets, though, is the practice of “collective punishment” on entire Christian neighborhoods, promoted in attacks as a direct result of alleged blasphemy accusations towards one Christian. Many of these cases have been historical examples of impunity guaranteed by the judicial system.
In Gojra, Punjab city, in 2009 eight Christians were burned alive (including a woman and a child) in a fire set on Christian neighborhood. And only thanks to a lucky alert - which allowed residents to escape - has avoided a similar tragedy in 2013 in Lahore. The Joseph Colony (neighborhood inhabited exclusively by Christians) was set on fire and 178 houses were razed to the ground, while Christian Sawan Masih was arrested for blasphemy. But while Masih was sentenced to death, there are culprits for the attack on the Joseph colony: a few days ago a court acquitted 115 Muslims accused of the assault, in what the Daily Times of Lahore has called “a parody of justice.
