The forthcoming final appeal of a Christian woman on death row for blasphemy in Pakistan has prompted a 24/7 prayer movement petitioning for her release.
Asia Bibi was sentenced to execution in 2009 after being accused by her former colleagues of blaspheming against the Prophet Mohammad – a charge she denies.
She was last year reportedly put in solitary confinement in her prison in Multan, eastern Pakistan, over fears she may be attacked by vigilantes. Persecution charity Release International has warned that one Muslim cleric has offered 500,000 rupees – about £4,000 – to anyone who manages to kill her.
Pakistan's Supreme Court will next week hear her final appeal. Religious freedom charity Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is therefore asking supporters to join in a 24-hour prayer movement on October 12 to pray for her aquittal.
"She needs our prayers now more than ever," CSW said.
It has urged believers to pray:
- That Asia would be acquitted
- For her strength and restoration during and after the hearing
- For wisdom and protection for Saiful Malook, her lawyer; and for the judges hearing her case
- For the wider Christian community who may face a backlash whatever the outcome of the appeal
- For an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Pakistan, to maintain calm in the country.
- For justice for others accused of blasphemy, and that the government would urgently amend the blasphemy laws
At least 95 per cent of the Pakistani population is Muslim, and Islam is enshrined in the constitution as the state religion. The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) last year said the country represented "one of the worst situations in the world for religious freedom" and accused the Pakistani government of failing to provide adequate protections for faiths other than Islam. It argued that repressive blasphemy laws in particular are used to target religious minorities.
These laws prescribe life imprisonment for the desecration of the Qur'an and the death sentence for "defiling" the Prophet Mohammad, and accusations of incidents have often prompted mob violence. According to the Centre for Research and Security Studies in Pakistan, more than 62 people have been killed in such incidents since 1990. More than 40 people are currently on death row for blasphemy, the majority of whom are members of religious minorities.
Sign up to pray for Bibi here.
