Asia Bibi in good spirits despite prison ordeal

The Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan says she is praying for her accusers and her country.

Asia Bibi has been in prison since the sentence was passed last November and is still awaiting the outcome of her appeal.

A team from the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) visited Bibi on Christmas Eve over concern for her wellbeing after media reports said she had been tortured.

She told the team that she had been mistreated in October by a female prison guard who had been appointed to protect her. The guard had attempted to enter her prison cell by force but other prison guards intervened when they heard the commotion. The guard has since been suspended from her duties for misconduct.

The CLAAS team said Bibi was in good physical and mental health, but finding the separation from her husband and three young children difficult.

She said she had been saddened by the murders of Governor Salman Taseer and Minority Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, who defended her and supported reform of the blasphemy laws.

Bibi also voiced discontent over the handling of her case and the failure of investigating officers to ask for her account of the blasphemy charge levelled against her.

“I am suffering because of false allegations of blasphemy and being falsely blamed for disrespecting the Holy Prophet,” she told the CLAAS team.

“I never spoke a single word against the dignity of Islam. Nor can I think about insulting the honour of the Holy Prophet.

“The blasphemy allegations are totally baseless.”

In spite of her ordeal, Bibi remains strong in faith.

“The grace of God is with me and I am happy in God and always will be happy in God,” she said.

“I am daily praying for my country and praying to God that the Lord may protect Pakistan from all harm.

“I am especially praying for those who are giving a bad image of Pakistan in the world and am also praying for those who falsely implicate me, that the Lord gives them wisdom so that they may not implicate the innocents in such cases.”

She expressed her gratitude for the prayers of Christians around the world and asked that they continue to pray for her.

“I need your prayers,” she said. “By the grace of God I am alright and praying for my safe exit from the false blasphemy charges.”

Christians face lengthy prison sentences or even execution if they are accused of insulting Islam, the Prophet Muhammad or desecrating the Koran.

Even those found innocent must often go into hiding because of the risk that they will be killed by extremists determined to take the law into their own hands.

Salman Taseer was killed by his own bodyguard, leaving many Christians feeling even more vulnerable and insecure.

CLAAS called upon the Pakistani government to take steps to end the misuse of the blasphemy law.

Its UK coordinator, Nasir Saeed asked Christians to pray for Bibi and other believers in prison for blasphemy.

“Asia Bibi continues to demonstrate remarkable strength of spirit despite the challenges she faces in overturning the death sentence handed to her for blasphemy,” he said.

“We see in her plight the very real suffering that the unjust application of the law is causing for Pakistan’s Christians.

“What 2012 holds for Asia is difficult to say at this point. We continue to pray for a miracle for her and all other blasphemy prisoners.

“In the long-term, however, the only way to secure real and lasting change for Christians is reform of the blasphemy law and we will be campaigning hard for this throughout the year.”