I was distressed to read that a Pakistani high court upheld the death sentence of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was accused of blasphemy. Typical of Pakistan’s draconian blasphemy laws, the charges were flimsy, the punishment is wildly disproportionate, and the case has begotten further violence, in this case the murders of two politicians who came to her defense, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and Minority Affairs Ministry, Shahbaz Bhatti. Pakistan’s blasphemy laws arose during the 1980s in the wake of an Islamic resurgence. Bibi remains in solitary confinement as she awaits appeal.
By Daniel Philpott