{"id":1122,"date":"2014-10-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-10-31T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.britishasianchristians.org\/full-previous-archive\/2014\/10\/31\/2000-people-gathered-in-paris-calling-for-freedom-for-asia-bibi\/"},"modified":"2023-04-30T07:38:42","modified_gmt":"2023-04-30T06:38:42","slug":"2000-people-gathered-in-paris-calling-for-freedom-for-asia-bibi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.britishasianchristians.org\/full-previous-archive\/2000-people-gathered-in-paris-calling-for-freedom-for-asia-bibi\/","title":{"rendered":"2000 people gathered in Paris calling for freedom for Asia Bibi!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Christianophobie Hebdo held a 2000 strong protest in Paris, France for victim Asia Bibi:
\n<\/em>
\nA story in french can be viewed (click here)<\/a>  and (click here)<\/a><\/p>\n

They interviewed Our Chairman Wilson Chowdhry for the forth coming weekly edition of Christianophobie Hebdo:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n1. In
\nyour capacity as Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association how do
\nyou react upon the decision of the High Court of Lahore upholding the death
\nsentence for Asia Bibi<\/a> ?<\/span><\/u1:p><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

With
\nfrustration and sadness, but no especial surprise.  It is normal for
\nChristian blasphemy<\/a> victims to be convicted at a lower level when huge pressure
\nfrom Islamic clerics and extremists are brought to bear on local judges, and
\nthen for the sentences to be overturned at a higher court.  However, what
\nis significant is that reports from Christian lawyers at the court reported
\nthat the same Islamicist mob, including a group of Islamist lawyers who
\nroutinely try and prevent justice in blasphemy cases against Christians, were
\nthere in force, and putting great pressure on the judge.  Pakistani
\nsociety is getting more and more radicalized and extremist; it’s like a tide
\nthat keeps getting higher and higher.  The level of pressure that could be
\nexerted on lower judges is starting to be applied to higher courts also.  <\/u1:p><\/em><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

2. Are
\nyou supportive of global and peaceful christian street demonstrations aimed at
\nfreeing Asia Bibi or are you considering that they might be
\ncounterproductive ?<\/u1:p><\/span><\/strong><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

We
\nhave been doing our own protests, both in the past, and now.  I don’t
\nthink they are counterproductive per se.  They send a message, but the
\nmore people involved, the greater the weight.  I think they are necessary,
\nbut aren’t enough.  The issue is finding the right balance of resources
\nand effort.  Remaining silent is not an option, but speaking effectively
\nis a balancing act.  What I think might be counterproductive is the focus
\non Asia Bibi to the neglect of many other victims of blasphemy laws.  There
\nare a number on death row, and many more in prison or awaiting trial – not to
\nmention those acquitted or otherwise not in jail but living in fear of their
\nlives, having to live in hiding, on the run, rootless and restless.  The
\ndanger is that if she gets out alive, or wins the appeal, people in the West
\nwill feel good about themselves because the case that caught the international
\nmedia attention has been ‘solved’, and will drift off while the fundamental
\nproblems remain.  Maybe another case might make headlines again, but maybe
\nnot.  And in the meantime, many others will fall prey to the extremists
\nand the blasphemy laws.  <\/span><\/em><\/u1:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

3.
\nSome reckon that only governments and diplomatic pressures might get some kind
\nof Presidential clemency for Asia Bibi. What’s your feeling ?<\/u1:p><\/span><\/strong><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Well,
\nfor a start, extremists have already worked hard several years ago to block
\nthat route.  The prosecution lawyers got the High Court to block a
\npresidential pardon.  Yes, government and diplomatic pressure are vital,
\nbut remember that the internal pressure in the opposite direction is incredibly
\nstrong.  Partly this is an honour thing.  For the extremists, those
\nwho support blasphemy laws and death in such cases – and that is a very large
\nportion of the Pakistani population, if you look at the polls and surveys that
\nare quite regularly done – will be determined that international pressure from
\nthe infidels will not get in the way of Sharia law and the ‘honour’ of Islam
\nand it’s prophet.  This will be especially the case after Rimsha. 
\nOne got away, so there is a greater determination not to ‘lose’ this one. 
\nFor that reason, if she is set free, then like Rimsha Masih, it will be vital
\nto get her and her family out of Pakistan, before they get murdered or
\nlynched.   You can guarantee that many clerics and groups would call
\nupon their listeners to kill them.  Indeed that has already been
\nhappening.  <\/span><\/em><\/u1:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

4. Is
\nthere a reasonable hope that the Pakistan’s Supreme Court could overturn the
\ndeath sentence as it did in the case of Rimsha Masih ? And how long could
\nit take?<\/span><\/strong><\/u1:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Define reasonable hope!  In a reasonable world, she
\nwould never even have been brought to court, let alone been sentenced to
\ndeath.  I think there is a reasonable hope, but then, there was a
\nreasonable hope that the appeal would have won at the last level, but it didn’t
\nhappen.  The Supreme Court did rule in Rimsha’s favour, and I don’t know
\nwhat level of politics was involved in what happened there.  As to how
\nlong, I really don’t know.  The last appeal was postponed many
\ntimes.  The Pakistani justice system is notoriously slow, for the most
\npart.  It could go fast, particularly if there was a perceived need to get
\nthe case out of the international public eye, as seems very much to have been
\nthe case with Rimsha, or if there is an assessment that a long time period
\nwould let her case drop off the international radar then it could be dragged
\nout and dragged out to try and let that happen.   Rimsha was such a
\nfirestorm because of her age and apparent learning difficulties.  Asia
\ndoes not have that, but there is the inherent injustice and the children – but
\nthen these are also usually factors in the other blasphemy victims that
\nlanguish in effective anonymity.  
\n\"\"
\n<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/u1:p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christianophobie Hebdo held a 2000 strong protest in Paris, France for victim Asia Bibi: A story in french can be viewed (click here)  and (click here) They interviewed Our Chairman Wilson Chowdhry for the forth coming weekly edition of Christianophobie Hebdo: 1. In your capacity as Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association how do […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"yoast_head":"\n2000 people gathered in Paris calling for freedom for Asia Bibi! - BACA Full Previous Archive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.britishasianchristians.org\/full-previous-archive\/2000-people-gathered-in-paris-calling-for-freedom-for-asia-bibi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2000 people gathered in Paris calling for freedom for Asia Bibi! - BACA Full Previous Archive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Christianophobie Hebdo held a 2000 strong protest in Paris, France for victim Asia Bibi: A story in french can be viewed (click here)  and (click here) They interviewed Our Chairman Wilson Chowdhry for the forth coming weekly edition of Christianophobie Hebdo: 1. 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