Mob Rule in Pakistan
The Guardian reported recently that officials in the Foreign Office urged the Government not to grant Asia Bibi asylum in the UK.
If you ask me, it's shameful that more politicians in the UK with links to Pakistan have failed to speak out against the angry mobs demanding that a young Christian woman should be hanged.
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, spoke out to his credit, but I've heard nothing from Scottish politicians of Pakistani heritage such as Humza Yousaf or Anas Sarwar, for example.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/13/asia-bibi-foreign-office-accused-of-allowing-pakistan-mob-to-dictate-asia-bibi-asylum-case
Foreign Office 'allowed Pakistan mob to dictate Asia Bibi asylum case'
Home Office urged not to grant asylum out of fears for the safety of consular staff
Home Office urged not to grant asylum out of fears for the safety of consular staff
By Patrick Wintour - The Guardian
The Foreign Office has been accused of allowing government asylum policy to be dictated to by a Pakistan mob after it was confirmed it urged the Home Office not to grant Asia Bibi political asylum in the UK out of fear for the safety of UK consular staff.
Asia Bibi, a Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy, is seeking asylum after threats to her life in Pakistan. The former UK foreign secretary Boris Johnsonwas among many MPs calling for her and her family to be granted sanctuary in Britain.
The acquittal of the 53-year-old Catholic farmworker by Pakistan’s supreme court last month prompted demonstrations by hardline Islamist parties in Pakistan who had campaigned for her to be hanged.
She remains in protective custody in an undisclosed locationin Pakistan after the prime minister, Imran Khan, agreed to allow a petition against the court’s decision as part of a deal to halt the protests.
Her husband, Ashiq Masih, has appealed for help to Britain, Canada, Italy and the US but the UK high commissioner in Islamabad is reported to have warned he could not protect his staff if asylum was granted by the UK.
Tom Tugendhat, the foreign affairs select committee chair, asked the Foreign Office permanent secretary, Sir Simon McDonald, whether the episode “does not raise the question that either staff should be withdrawn or security increased or otherwise UK policy is effectively dictated to by a mob?”.
Asia Bibi, a Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy, is seeking asylum after threats to her life in Pakistan. The former UK foreign secretary Boris Johnsonwas among many MPs calling for her and her family to be granted sanctuary in Britain.
The acquittal of the 53-year-old Catholic farmworker by Pakistan’s supreme court last month prompted demonstrations by hardline Islamist parties in Pakistan who had campaigned for her to be hanged.
She remains in protective custody in an undisclosed locationin Pakistan after the prime minister, Imran Khan, agreed to allow a petition against the court’s decision as part of a deal to halt the protests.
Her husband, Ashiq Masih, has appealed for help to Britain, Canada, Italy and the US but the UK high commissioner in Islamabad is reported to have warned he could not protect his staff if asylum was granted by the UK.
Tom Tugendhat, the foreign affairs select committee chair, asked the Foreign Office permanent secretary, Sir Simon McDonald, whether the episode “does not raise the question that either staff should be withdrawn or security increased or otherwise UK policy is effectively dictated to by a mob?”.
Tugendhat took the committee into lengthy private session after McDonald said he did not wish to give evidence in public on a such a sensitive issue
McDonald defended Britain’s efforts to find a third country to take Bibi, saying this would allow UK policy objectives to be achieved without any risk to its staff.
Tugendhat said the episode represented “one of the clearest examples of free conscience being challenged today”.
Religion of Peace? (14/11/18)
Mobs of angry men in Pakistan demonstrate their support for a 'religion of peace' by calling for Asia Bibi to be hanged after the young Christian woman was acquitted of blasphemy by Pakistan's Supreme Court.
I had a look on Twitter the other day to see what prominent Scots with links to Pakistan had to say on the subject - results to follow soon.
If you ask me, the human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell made perfect sense with this Tweet which explains his appeal to Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, to speak out in support of Asia Bibi whose life is under threat from religious extremists in Pakistan.
There is no malice involved in appealing to a person's sense of humanity and solidarity against the stupidity of an angry mob.
We could do with leading Scots of Pakistani heritage speaking out as well.
Critics say I'm a racist for tagging @SadiqKhan in my tweet about #AsiaBibi. Sadiq is of Pakistani heritage and recently met leaders there. He has contacts and influence in Pakistan, so him speaking out could help save Asia's life. He’d be more effective than any white politician.
Asia Bibi is a young Christian woman who spent eight years on death row in Pakistan after being accused of blasphemy - her 'crime' was to drink from the same cup as a Muslim.
Pakistan's supreme court overturned the blasphemy charge and ordered Asia Bibi's release last week, a decision that was met with mass protests across the country led by far-right Islamists.
Pakistan's government has capitulated to the extremists by demanding a 're-trial' (which could take years) and by taking steps to prevent Asia Bibi and her family from leaving the country.
What do UK politicians have to say about Asia Bibi's barbaric treatment, especially those with connections to Pakistan?
Read The Guardian's coverage of the story via the link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/02/outrage-as-pakistani-government-vows-to-stop-asia-bibi-leaving
Pakistan works to stop Asia Bibi leaving after blasphemy protests
Administration accused of signing Bibi’s ‘death warrant’ in deal with hardliners
By Memphis Barker - The Guardian
Pakistan’s government has been accused of signing the “death warrant” of Asia Bibi after it said it would begin the process of preventing her leaving the country.
Bibi, a Christian farm labourer, was acquitted of blasphemy on Wednesday. She had spent eight years on death row after she drank from the same cup as a Muslim, prompting false allegations that she insulted the prophet Muhammad.
Bibi’s lawyer, Saif-ul-Mulook, has reportedly since fled the country amid fears for his life, telling AFP: “I need to stay alive as I still have to fight the legal battle for Asia Bibi.”
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) administration signed an agreement with the anti-blasphemy group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) on Friday night, giving in to many of its demands in the face of massive, countrywide protests calling for Bibi to be put to death.
In a document signed by the PTI’s religious affairs minister and the TLP’s second-in-command, Pir Afzal Qadri, the government promised not to oppose a court petition to reverse Bibi’s release. It also pledged to work in the meantime to put her name on the exit control list (ECL) which would prevent her leaving the country.
“Placing Asia Bibi on the ECL is like signing her death warrant,” said Wilson Chowdhry of the British Pakistani Christian Association. Bibi, a mother of five, remains in the same prison where last month two men tried to kill her, although she has been shifted out of her windowless cell.
The agreement was a “historic capitulation”, tweeted analyst Mosharraf Zaidi. On Wednesday night, the prime minister and leader of the PTI, Imran Khan, defended the verdict acquitting Bibi and suggested the government would clamp down on protesters it termed “enemies of the state”.
The TLP has agreed to call off its protests, which saw thousands of Islamists blockade the country’s major motorways, burning cars and lorries and chanting that they were ready to die to protect the honour of the prophet.
The BBC reports that the Glasgow Muslim preacher, Habib ur Rehman, who has been pilloried for expressing his support for a fanatical religious murderer is adding insult to injury by continuing to insist that his ill-judged comments were somehow 'misconstrued'.
Now the imam, a 'holy' man, has had time to reflect on what he said and to offer up sincere apologies for being so stupid, yet he continues to pretend that his comments were taken out of context, and that his support for a cowardly assassin could be compared to the French resistance fighting the Nazis in World War Two.
If you ask me, I can't see the good people of Glasgow, including sensible Muslims, putting up with this nonsense and the weasel words of someone who is supposed to be a mainstream religious leader and respected member of the wider community.
The point is not to charge him with a criminal offence, but to require the imam to explain himself publicly - and either defend or withdraw his insulting remarks
Extremism claim imam will not be charged
BBC Glasgow & West Scotland
Well Said, Peter Tatchell! (07/11/18)
If you ask me, the human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell made perfect sense with this Tweet which explains his appeal to Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, to speak out in support of Asia Bibi whose life is under threat from religious extremists in Pakistan.
There is no malice involved in appealing to a person's sense of humanity and solidarity against the stupidity of an angry mob.
We could do with leading Scots of Pakistani heritage speaking out as well.
Critics say I'm a racist for tagging @SadiqKhan in my tweet about #AsiaBibi. Sadiq is of Pakistani heritage and recently met leaders there. He has contacts and influence in Pakistan, so him speaking out could help save Asia's life. He’d be more effective than any white politician.
Barbarism Rules in Pakistan (05/11/18)
Asia Bibi is a young Christian woman who spent eight years on death row in Pakistan after being accused of blasphemy - her 'crime' was to drink from the same cup as a Muslim.
Pakistan's supreme court overturned the blasphemy charge and ordered Asia Bibi's release last week, a decision that was met with mass protests across the country led by far-right Islamists.
Pakistan's government has capitulated to the extremists by demanding a 're-trial' (which could take years) and by taking steps to prevent Asia Bibi and her family from leaving the country.
What do UK politicians have to say about Asia Bibi's barbaric treatment, especially those with connections to Pakistan?
Read The Guardian's coverage of the story via the link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/02/outrage-as-pakistani-government-vows-to-stop-asia-bibi-leaving
Pakistan works to stop Asia Bibi leaving after blasphemy protests
Administration accused of signing Bibi’s ‘death warrant’ in deal with hardliners
By Memphis Barker - The Guardian
Pakistan’s government has been accused of signing the “death warrant” of Asia Bibi after it said it would begin the process of preventing her leaving the country.
Bibi, a Christian farm labourer, was acquitted of blasphemy on Wednesday. She had spent eight years on death row after she drank from the same cup as a Muslim, prompting false allegations that she insulted the prophet Muhammad.
Bibi’s lawyer, Saif-ul-Mulook, has reportedly since fled the country amid fears for his life, telling AFP: “I need to stay alive as I still have to fight the legal battle for Asia Bibi.”
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) administration signed an agreement with the anti-blasphemy group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) on Friday night, giving in to many of its demands in the face of massive, countrywide protests calling for Bibi to be put to death.
In a document signed by the PTI’s religious affairs minister and the TLP’s second-in-command, Pir Afzal Qadri, the government promised not to oppose a court petition to reverse Bibi’s release. It also pledged to work in the meantime to put her name on the exit control list (ECL) which would prevent her leaving the country.
“Placing Asia Bibi on the ECL is like signing her death warrant,” said Wilson Chowdhry of the British Pakistani Christian Association. Bibi, a mother of five, remains in the same prison where last month two men tried to kill her, although she has been shifted out of her windowless cell.
The agreement was a “historic capitulation”, tweeted analyst Mosharraf Zaidi. On Wednesday night, the prime minister and leader of the PTI, Imran Khan, defended the verdict acquitting Bibi and suggested the government would clamp down on protesters it termed “enemies of the state”.
The TLP has agreed to call off its protests, which saw thousands of Islamists blockade the country’s major motorways, burning cars and lorries and chanting that they were ready to die to protect the honour of the prophet.
Glasgow Imam (04/04/16)
The BBC reports that the Glasgow Muslim preacher, Habib ur Rehman, who has been pilloried for expressing his support for a fanatical religious murderer is adding insult to injury by continuing to insist that his ill-judged comments were somehow 'misconstrued'.
Now the imam, a 'holy' man, has had time to reflect on what he said and to offer up sincere apologies for being so stupid, yet he continues to pretend that his comments were taken out of context, and that his support for a cowardly assassin could be compared to the French resistance fighting the Nazis in World War Two.
If you ask me, I can't see the good people of Glasgow, including sensible Muslims, putting up with this nonsense and the weasel words of someone who is supposed to be a mainstream religious leader and respected member of the wider community.
The point is not to charge him with a criminal offence, but to require the imam to explain himself publicly - and either defend or withdraw his insulting remarks
Extremism claim imam will not be charged
BBC Glasgow & West Scotland
Image caption - Imam Maulana Habib Ur Rehman said he condemned "extrajudicial killing and anarchy"
The religious head of Scotland's largest mosque who praised an extremist executed for committing murder in Pakistan, will not face charges.
Imam Maulana Habib Ur Rehman of Glasgow Central Mosque used WhatsApp to show his support for Mumtaz Qadri.
Qadri was hanged in February after murdering a local politician who opposed strict blasphemy laws.
Police Scotland said it had reviewed the messages but said "no criminality has been established".
The imam said the series of messages about Qadri, in which he reportedly called the killer a "true Muslim", had been "taken out of context" and were about his opposition to Qadri's hanging and the Pakistani justice system.
The religious head of Scotland's largest mosque who praised an extremist executed for committing murder in Pakistan, will not face charges.
Imam Maulana Habib Ur Rehman of Glasgow Central Mosque used WhatsApp to show his support for Mumtaz Qadri.
Qadri was hanged in February after murdering a local politician who opposed strict blasphemy laws.
Police Scotland said it had reviewed the messages but said "no criminality has been established".
The imam said the series of messages about Qadri, in which he reportedly called the killer a "true Muslim", had been "taken out of context" and were about his opposition to Qadri's hanging and the Pakistani justice system.
Image caption - Imam Maulana Habib Ur Rehman is the most senior imam at Glasgow Central Mosque
Speaking at a conference in Glasgow on Thursday representing differing strands of Muslim faith, imam Habib Ur Rehman repeated that his comments were "misconstrued" and said the situation had added to his "sense of tragedy" following recent terror attacks.
He said: "I condemn extrajudicial killing and anarchy. The spirit of Islam is a spirit of peace."
Police Scotland Superintendent Jim Baird said: "Officers have reviewed all comments as reported to Police Scotland and, whilst it is appreciated that individuals raise issues that concern them, on this occasion no criminality has been established.
"Police Scotland thank the members of the public who raised this issue with us.
"Each person who reported their concerns to the police, and who were not anonymous, was responded to individually. This assisted us in directly answering the specific points they raised."
Now as any reasonable person would observe the French resistance were fighting for freedom and against tyranny, whereas Mumtaz Qadri murdered the governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, whose only 'crime' was to defend the rights of Christians being persecuted under Pakistan's notorious blasphemy laws.
Now this is taking place right in my own back yard and I feel the need to do and say something about these outrageous comments, so I think I will be contacting my local MP and MSP as well as writing directly to the Glasgow Central Mosque.
But well done to David Leask The Herald newspaper because no one reading about this kind of behaviour should just shrug their shoulders and walk on by.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14383412.Imam_at_Scotland_s_biggest_mosque_praises_Islamist_assassin/
Imam at Scotland's biggest mosque praises Islamist assassin
Spirital eader of Scotland's biggest mosque praises Islamist assassin as concerns of radicalism rise
Speaking at a conference in Glasgow on Thursday representing differing strands of Muslim faith, imam Habib Ur Rehman repeated that his comments were "misconstrued" and said the situation had added to his "sense of tragedy" following recent terror attacks.
He said: "I condemn extrajudicial killing and anarchy. The spirit of Islam is a spirit of peace."
Police Scotland Superintendent Jim Baird said: "Officers have reviewed all comments as reported to Police Scotland and, whilst it is appreciated that individuals raise issues that concern them, on this occasion no criminality has been established.
"Police Scotland thank the members of the public who raised this issue with us.
"Each person who reported their concerns to the police, and who were not anonymous, was responded to individually. This assisted us in directly answering the specific points they raised."
Religion of Peace? (25/03/16)
"How can Islam be described as a 'religion of peace' when its mainstream spiritual leaders praise the actions of fanatical Muslim murderers?"
Now that's the question that jumped into my head when I read the following report from The Herald newspaper regarding the words of the imam of Glasgow Central Mosque, Habib ur Rehman, who compared the cowardly behaviour of an assassin with the heroic fight of the French resistance in World War Two.
Now that's the question that jumped into my head when I read the following report from The Herald newspaper regarding the words of the imam of Glasgow Central Mosque, Habib ur Rehman, who compared the cowardly behaviour of an assassin with the heroic fight of the French resistance in World War Two.
Now as any reasonable person would observe the French resistance were fighting for freedom and against tyranny, whereas Mumtaz Qadri murdered the governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, whose only 'crime' was to defend the rights of Christians being persecuted under Pakistan's notorious blasphemy laws.
Now this is taking place right in my own back yard and I feel the need to do and say something about these outrageous comments, so I think I will be contacting my local MP and MSP as well as writing directly to the Glasgow Central Mosque.
But well done to David Leask The Herald newspaper because no one reading about this kind of behaviour should just shrug their shoulders and walk on by.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14383412.Imam_at_Scotland_s_biggest_mosque_praises_Islamist_assassin/
Imam at Scotland's biggest mosque praises Islamist assassin
Spirital eader of Scotland's biggest mosque praises Islamist assassin as concerns of radicalism rise
By David Leask - The Herald
The spiritual leader of Scotland's biggest mosque has praised an Islamist assassin amid fresh concerns about the threat of radicalism at the Muslim centre of worship.
Habib ur Rehman, the imam of Glasgow Central Mosque, said extremist Mumtaz Qadri was a "true Muslim" and equated his actions with the French resistance against the Nazis during World War Two.
He made his remarks last month as he protested the execution of Qadri for the 2011 murder of Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab who had championed the rights of Christians being persecuted under blasphemy laws.
We all have a problem on our hands, including sensible Muslims, when religious leaders use 'weasel words' in a desperate effort to cover up their intolerance.
The 'imam' of Glasgow Central Mosque, Habib ur Rehman, says he is being 'misunderstood' and that he merely wished to convey his opposition to a murderer's hanging by the Pakistan Government.
I'm with the imam on that score, as an opponent of capital punishment myself, but these were the words that were actually used by Mr Rehman:
"A true Muslim was punished for doing (that) which the collective will of the nation failed to carry out.
"According to some he was a murderer but according to many others he did what was the collective will of the umma (Muslim community).
"Just when France was occupied by the Nazis, French did all they had to do to protect their nation. They were national heroes."
Now these are vile and incendiary things to say - and they are a million miles away from simply opposing the death penalty, so well done to the Glasgow lawyer, Aamer Anwar, for calling a spade a spade with the following comments:
"Many within the community are horrified and scared that such views will filter down the Muslim community and radicalise our children. To describer a convicted terrorist as a 'true Muslim' or draw parallels with the 'French resistance fighting the Nazis' is grotesque.
"There can be no moral or religious justification for remarks which glorify murder."
But rather than simply driving the imam out of his current lofty position, surely this is an opportunity to debate the issues involved and emphasise the values that underpin democracy including freedom of expression, non-discriminatory laws, tolerance and respect for minorities.
The spiritual leader of Scotland's biggest mosque has praised an Islamist assassin amid fresh concerns about the threat of radicalism at the Muslim centre of worship.
Habib ur Rehman, the imam of Glasgow Central Mosque, said extremist Mumtaz Qadri was a "true Muslim" and equated his actions with the French resistance against the Nazis during World War Two.
He made his remarks last month as he protested the execution of Qadri for the 2011 murder of Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab who had championed the rights of Christians being persecuted under blasphemy laws.
Religion of Peace? (27/03/16)
We all have a problem on our hands, including sensible Muslims, when religious leaders use 'weasel words' in a desperate effort to cover up their intolerance.
The 'imam' of Glasgow Central Mosque, Habib ur Rehman, says he is being 'misunderstood' and that he merely wished to convey his opposition to a murderer's hanging by the Pakistan Government.
I'm with the imam on that score, as an opponent of capital punishment myself, but these were the words that were actually used by Mr Rehman:
"A true Muslim was punished for doing (that) which the collective will of the nation failed to carry out.
"According to some he was a murderer but according to many others he did what was the collective will of the umma (Muslim community).
"Just when France was occupied by the Nazis, French did all they had to do to protect their nation. They were national heroes."
Now these are vile and incendiary things to say - and they are a million miles away from simply opposing the death penalty, so well done to the Glasgow lawyer, Aamer Anwar, for calling a spade a spade with the following comments:
"Many within the community are horrified and scared that such views will filter down the Muslim community and radicalise our children. To describer a convicted terrorist as a 'true Muslim' or draw parallels with the 'French resistance fighting the Nazis' is grotesque.
"There can be no moral or religious justification for remarks which glorify murder."
But rather than simply driving the imam out of his current lofty position, surely this is an opportunity to debate the issues involved and emphasise the values that underpin democracy including freedom of expression, non-discriminatory laws, tolerance and respect for minorities.
