Christian mother illegally detained over blasphemy charges

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Rahimyar Khan, Pakistan: May 1, 2012. (PCP) Pakistan’s blasphemy law continues to cause serious problems for the country’s Christians. Shamim Bibi, a 26-year-old mother, was accused by neighbors of speaking ill against the Prophet Muhammad in her village, Chak No 170/R Colony, in the Fort Abbas area of Bahawalpur district. She was charged under Section 295-C, which makes verbally insulting Prophet Muhammad punishable by life imprisonment or death. "Shamim has been implicated in a completely baseless case," her husband, Bashir Masih, told Compass Direct News. "I was present with her at the time of the alleged incident … nothing of the sort happened. The Muslims cooked up a false story, though it's still not clear who provoked them into leveling this accusation." CLAAS has visited Chak No 170 and spoken to villagers. They told us that the Christians living there are peace-loving but admitted to fears that local religious leaders are trying to promote hatred. Bashir told Compass that his wife was well in spite of her ordeal. "We are not sure when Shamim will be able to come back home, although our lawyer is quite hopeful of securing her release very soon,” he said. One Muslim told CLAAS of their own suspicions about the blasphemy charges leveled against Shamim. “According to my belief, Islam is a religion of peace and I believe that the blasphemy allegations are totally false and according to the injunctions of Islam one witness is not sufficient to accuse a person of blasphemy,” the source said. CLAAS is following the case closely and is offering its full support to Shamim’s family.

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"Trial of Pakistani Christian Nation" By Nazir S Bhatti

On demand of our readers, I have decided to release E-Book version of "Trial of Pakistani Christian Nation" on website of PCP which can also be viewed on website of Pakistan Christian Congress www.pakistanchristiancongress.org . You can read chapter wise by clicking tab on left handside of PDF format of E-Book.

nazirbhattipcc@aol.com , pakistanchristianpost@yahoo.com