{"id":348,"date":"2018-10-30T12:55:51","date_gmt":"2018-10-30T16:55:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/?p=348"},"modified":"2018-10-30T12:55:51","modified_gmt":"2018-10-30T16:55:51","slug":"shes-imprisoned-shes-christian-european-parliament-president-argues-asia-bibis-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/2018\/10\/shes-imprisoned-shes-christian-european-parliament-president-argues-asia-bibis-release.html","title":{"rendered":"\u201cShe\u2019s Imprisoned Because She\u2019s Christian\u201d: European Parliament President Argues For Asia Bibi\u2019s Release"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Wikimedia
Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The case of Aasiya Noreen, better known as Asia Bibi, has attracted global attention over the past several years. Now, she is back in the spotlight as she awaits the verdict on her appeal. Should the appeal be denied, the Christian mother of five will be hanged. Her execution would make her the first woman to be lawfully executed in Pakistan for blasphemy.<\/p>\n

The controversy surrounding blasphemy laws shoved Asia Bibi\u2019s case into the spotlight years ago, but with her potential execution date inching closer, calls for her freedom have taken on a new urgency. The President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, called for Pakistan to release Asia Bibi. \u201cWe need to save Asia Bibi,\u201d Tajani said. \u201cShe is in prison only because she is Christian. This is a big mistake, it is against human rights. We want to defend human rights everywhere. For this, we need to save Asia Bibi.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asia Bibi has spent the last decade in prison after she was accused of insulting Islam by a neighbor who had been involved in a running feud with the Noreen family over property damage. The confrontation began when Asia Bibi took a drink from a metal cup while fetching water from a nearby well for herself and other farmhands. The neighbor who later accused Noreen of blasphemy said it was forbidden for a Christian to drink from a Muslim\u2019s cup as Christians are considered to be unclean. The two argued, and the neighbor made various derogatory remarks about Christianity. Noreen claims she responded, \u201cI believe in my religion and in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for the sins of mankind. What did your Prophet Mohammad ever do to save mankind?\u201d The neighbor and other workers later claimed that Noreen had deeply insulted Muhammad and made derogatory remarks.<\/p>\n

Noreen was arrested after an angry mob broke into her home and attacked her and her family. She was imprisoned for more than a year before she was ever charged with a crime. Asia Bibi maintains that she is innocent and that she was accused by her neighbor as an act of revenge. The case has been wildly controversial even within Pakistan. Two government officials, Shahbaz Bhatti and Salmaan Taseer, were assassinated for advocating on Asia Bibi\u2019s behalf, and the Noreen family has been driven into hiding due to a deluge of death threats. Still, people are hopeful that Asia Bibi\u2019s original conviction will be overturned. It may seem mad to hope for justice after Asia Bibi has spent more than 10 years in prison, but international pressure helped suspend her original death sentence, so there is hope. Christians across the globe are praying for their imprisoned sister, and hundreds of thousands of people are advocating on Asia Bibi\u2019s behalf. One can only hope that justice will prevail for her before it is too late.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The case of Aasiya Noreen, better known as Asia Bibi, has attracted global attention over the past several years. Now, she is back in the spotlight as she awaits the verdict on her appeal. Should the appeal be denied, the Christian mother of five will be hanged. Her execution would make her the first woman…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":616,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[137,220],"tags":[31,223,138,221,224],"class_list":["post-348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian-persecution","category-middle-east","tag-anti-christian","tag-asia-bibi","tag-christian-persecution","tag-middle-east","tag-middle-eastern-christianity"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cShe\u2019s Imprisoned Because She\u2019s Christian\u201d: European Parliament President Argues For Asia Bibi\u2019s Release<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"European Parliament President Antonio Tajani spoke out recently against the imprisonment and possible execution of Asia Bibi for her Christian faith.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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