Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

Appalling: Mentally Disabled Pakistani Man Sentenced to Life For ‘Blasphemy’

Photo by Syed Zargham/Getty Images
Photo by Syed Zargham/Getty Images
Share Tweet
By Will Maule
Author

October 26, 2018

As the world awaits the final decision as to whether or not Christian mother Asia Bibi will be put to death for an alleged “blasphemy” offense, one mentally disabled man has been sentenced to life for the same crime.

Stunning Painting of Christ Survives Fierce Blaze at Massachusetts Church

According to International Christian Concern (ICC), on Sep. 28, Yaqoob Bashir was sentenced to life in prison by the Session and District Court of Mirpurkhas for allegedly committing the crime of blasphemy against state-religion of Islam. The unbelievable sentence was handed down to the 25-year-old over three years after the offense was alleged to have taken place.

In June 2015, Bashir was accused of burning a booklet that contained Quranic verses in the Pakistani city of Mirpurkhas. However, prior to the accusation, Bashir was reportedly receiving treatment at a mental health facility in Hyderabad. That fact did not, however, affect prosecutors from hauling him before the courts under the infamous Section 295-B and C of Pakistan’s Penal Code — the same law that has kept Asia Bibi behind bars for almost a decade.

According to the Penal Code itself, 295-B refers to the prohibiting of “Defiling, etc., of Holy Qur’an,” and 295-C is in reference to the “use of derogatory remarks, etc., in respect of the Holy Prophet.” Other non-Islamic-specific violations contained in the law include “trespassing on burial places” and “disturbing religious assembly.”

As part of Bashir’s protracted legal process, almost 100 hearings were held. Incarcerated, the mentally unwell man was attacked by fellow inmates on several occasions. According to ICC, in June 2018 the committed Christian was brutally beaten by fellow inmates for praying in their shared jail cell. He sustained multiple injuries as a result of the brutal attack, and was continually denied bail despite being in a dire physical and mental state.

To make matters worse, during Bashir’s trial and imprisonment, his family has been subject to dreadful harassment at the hands of various Islamic extremist groups who desired to see the harshest possible sentence imposed. “It’s unbearable and unjust,” Kasur Bibi, Bashir’s mother, told ICC. “My son is innocent. He did not insult or do blasphemy. He does not care much of these issues as his mind works differently than that of a normal person’s.”

Bashir’s legal defense team is set to file an appeal against his astonishing sentence at Hyderabad High Court this month.

“The blasphemy laws need reform,” said Imtiaz Amanat, Legal Aid Coordinator at Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace. “There are a number of case studies where these laws have been misused against the most vulnerable segments of the society. Yet, these laws are mute about mentally disabled persons, children, and intention. Because of this, these laws have created an atmosphere of fear in Pakistan.”

“Keeping mentally disabled persons in mind, the government should introduce amendments to these laws and extend relief to innocent citizens,” Amanat added.

Though she admits to being illiterate and uneducated on legal matters, Bashir’s mother said she will do whatever it takes to get her son back.

“I just want justice for my son and to see him at home as soon as possible,” she said.

In for the blasphemy case of Asia Bibi, Pakistan’s Supreme Court has reportedly decided the fate of the 45-year-old Christian mother, though it is keeping the decision secret at this time. Bibi was arrested after supposedly entering into an argument with a group of women about a source of drinking water. The Islamist women accused Bibi of drinking from the same tap as them, to which Bibi allegedly responded, “Jesus Christ died for my sins. What did the prophet Muhammad do for you?” a remark which they believed offended their revered religious figure.

In response to the supreme court’s most recent statement, the radical Muslim political party “Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan” (TLP), announced that the justices in the case would meet a “horrible” end should they choose to acquit Bibi. The mother-of-five was sentenced to hanging back in 2010.

If Bibi’s final appeal is rejected, she will be left with only one last option –  a mercy petition to the president.

However, as has been made clear by the radical Islamists, even if she attains freedom, the Christian woman will be at grave risk of being executed by vigilantes. Last week, in Pakistan’s second-largest city of Lahore, hundreds of protesters gathered together and chanted “Hang infidel Asia.” Sickeningly, the hashtag #HangAsiaDefend295C was trending among the religious extremists on Twitter.

Do continue to pray for Asia, Bashir, and all those who find themselves being persecuted for their faith around the world.

(H/T: International Christian Concern)

Latest

  • Faith

    Florida Pastor, Father of Five Deported After Two Decades in the US

  • News

    Did the IRS Just Hand Churches a Major Victory? Trump’s Pledge Could Now Come to Fruition

  • Faith

    Candace Cameron Bure Reveals Marriage Struggles, How Son’s Gospel-Centered Confrontation Saved Them

  • Faith

    Texas Flood Hero, Camp Mystic Director Makes Ultimate Sacrifice: ‘Just Who He Was’

  • Faith

    ‘Billboard Chris’ Wins After Australia Tried Globally Silencing Him: ‘My Mission Is … Truth’


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Recent Posts

  • Florida Pastor, Father of Five Deported After Two Decades in the US
  • Did the IRS Just Hand Churches a Major Victory? Trump’s Pledge Could Now Come to Fruition
  • Candace Cameron Bure Reveals Marriage Struggles, How Son’s Gospel-Centered Confrontation Saved Them
  • Texas Flood Hero, Camp Mystic Director Makes Ultimate Sacrifice: ‘Just Who He Was’
  • ‘Billboard Chris’ Wins After Australia Tried Globally Silencing Him: ‘My Mission Is … Truth’

Archives

  • July 2025
  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • culture
  • Culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Roe
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.