Prayers For Pardon
Posted by Rebecca Teti in News on Tuesday, November 30, 2010 2:00 PM
Christians living in majority Muslim countries always need our prayer, but here are a brother and sister who need intercession urgently.
Asia Bibi is a Christian and mother of five sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy.
Asia News has the best ongoing coverage of the case. Essentially she defended her faith when pressed by several women in her village to convert to Islam—and they hauled her up on charges.
Her case is complicated because the government of Pakistan would like to release her. As recently as a week ago, CNN reported the president of Pakistan would pardon her:
“What basically he’s made it clear is that she’s not going to be a victim of this law,” Gov. [of Punjab] Salman Taseer told CNN International’s “Connect the World” program.
“I mean, he’s a liberal, modern-minded president and he’s not going to see a poor woman like this targeted and executed. ... It’s just not going to happen,” Taseer said.
Public opinion in the state is wildly against any pardon, however, and the government fears riots.
Today Pakistan’s Supreme Court enjoined any pardon until it has heard her appeal.
Let’s pray for her swift release and for peace in the region! Asia News is gathering signatures worldwide for a petition in support of her release.
Also in need of prayer is Said Musa, in prison in Kabul, Afghanistan, for the crime of converting from Islam to Christianity.
He was recently able to have a letter from him to President Obama smuggled out of prison, appealing to the President to intervene on his behalf.
(You might recall that in a similar case during the Bush presidency, US intervention won the release of convert Abdul Rahman.)
Read more about his case here.
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