[QUOTE]Islambad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari will pardon a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy, the governor of Punjab state told CNN Tuesday.
"What basically he's made it clear is that she's not going to be a victim of this law," Gov. 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.
Asia Bibi, who has been jailed for nearly 15 months, was convicted in a Pakistani court earlier this month of breaking the country's controversial blasphemy law by insulting Islam's Prophet Mohammed, a crime punishable with death or life imprisonment, according to Pakistan's penal code. She was sentenced to death.
She has filed a petition for mercy with the High Court, Taseer said.
"If the High Court suspends the sentence and gives her bail then that is fine. We'll see that, and if that doesn't happen, then the president will pardon her," he said.
A preliminary investigation showed Bibi was falsely accused, a government official said Monday.
"The president asked me to investigate her case and my preliminary findings show she is innocent and the charges against her are baseless," Pakistani Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti told CNN.
Bhatti emphasized Monday that he has reached only preliminary conclusions and will submit a final report Wednesday to Zardari's office.
Prosecutors say Bibi, a 45-year-old field worker, insulted the Prophet Mohammed after she got into a heated argument with Muslim co-workers who refused to drink from a bucket of water she had touched.
In a brief news conference at the prison where she's being held, Bibi said Saturday that the allegations against her are lies fabricated by a group of women who don't like her.
"We had some differences and this was their way of taking revenge," she said.
Bibi's death sentence sparked outrage among human rights groups, who condemned Pakistan's blasphemy law as a source of violence and persecution against religious minorities.[/QUOTE]
Source: [url]http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/23/pakistan.christian/index.html[/url]
Well that's nice of him
[quote]Prosecutors say Bibi, a 45-year-old field worker, insulted the Prophet Mohammed after she got into a heated argument with Muslim co-workers who [b]refused to drink from a bucket of water she had touched.[/b]
[/quote]
Good to know there are plenty of rational and forward-thinking people living in Pakistan.
One step foward.
I find it barbaric that you can even get arrested and executed for blasphemy.
At least the president has common sense.
[QUOTE=Habsburg;26255605]Well that's nice of him[/QUOTE]
It's the little things that make a difference
The best thing to do would be to alter the law itself so this doesn't happen again.
[quote]"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.[/quote]
fucking socialist pinko commie fascist nazi bleeding heart liberal
[editline]23rd November 2010[/editline]
[QUOTE=Habsburg;26256297]The best thing to do would be to alter the law itself so this doesn't happen again.[/QUOTE]
I agree, we should make it so the president can't pardon blasphemers. Such acts of heresy cannot be tolerated today
[QUOTE=Jiyoon;26258069]fucking socialist pinko commie fascist nazi bleeding heart liberal
[editline]23rd November 2010[/editline]
I agree, we should make it so the president can't pardon blasphemers. Such acts of heresy cannot be tolerated today[/QUOTE]
you, get out now
Wow, lern2sarcasm, seriously
[QUOTE=Jiyoon;26258069]I agree, we should make it so the president can't pardon blasphemers. Such acts of heresy cannot be tolerated today[/QUOTE]
I think you misunderstood me
[editline]23rd November 2010[/editline]
UNFUNNY SARCASM GET OUT
a
Religion really needs to be abolished.
Religion works great as a guideline for how we should all treat each other. Forgiveness and Tolerance are the keys to most religions, where as others use neither and stone people to death over trivial things.
[QUOTE=BANNED USER;26259088]Religion works great as a guideline for how we should all treat each other. [b]Forgiveness and Tolerance are the keys to most religions[/b], where as others use neither and stone people to death over trivial things.[/QUOTE]
Which ones were you referring to?
[QUOTE=BANNED USER;26259088]Religion works great as a guideline for how we should all treat each other. Forgiveness and Tolerance are the keys to most religions, where as others use neither and stone people to death over trivial things.[/QUOTE]
You're going to force you to tolerate religions whether you like it or not. My god said so, thus you can forgive me afterward. Or else.
While it's very small, this is still progress.
[QUOTE=Cuntsman;26258721]Religion really needs to be abolished.[/QUOTE]
And Pakistan is obviously the first place to push for this
[QUOTE=Cuntsman;26258721]Religion really needs to be abolished.[/QUOTE]
Organized religion does.
[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;26260082]Organized religion does.[/QUOTE]
Tax-exempt status for it does, but removing people's right to free assembly is a rather dumb idea. (Although perfectly in line with the average Facepuncher's world views)
[QUOTE=Cuntsman;26258721]Religion really needs to be abolished.[/QUOTE]
And so should freedom of speech and thinking.
Seriously, why can't people believe what they want, this is just a bad example of religion as it is being utilized in the incorrect way, in this case government.
[QUOTE=ZekeTwo;26260095]Tax-exempt status for it does, but removing people's right to free assembly is a rather dumb idea. (Although perfectly in line with the average Facepuncher's world views)[/QUOTE]
I agree, however I think people need to take a grain of salt with their organized religion's teachings.
People think creationism is on equal scientific ground with the theory of evolution, which is simply untrue.
[QUOTE=Rubs10;26259469]Which ones were you referring to?[/QUOTE]
Bhuddhism, Hinduism, Sihkism, the like.
India is awesome that way.
While I hate...hate, hate, HATE the views of a lot of religious people, namely the bastards who likely aren't right even in the eyes of the God they supposedly worship, the problem here is one of Theocracy.
Theocracies simply shouldn't exist. This is an entire nation forced to adhere strictly to the rules of a religion, verbatim. Typically, winning hearts and minds is a slow and steady progressive process, but you can't change the people when they have to live by these laws. The oppression doesn't allow for the citizens to question morality. The ones you DO win over usually leave the country because of it, which doesn't really help things.
I hear enough Christians bitch about how they don't like the separation of church and state. Freedom includes freedom of religion, but under no circumstances should a state favor any one religion. Religions almost by definition are devoid of logic and reason, which are imperative to maintaining a free nation.
Laws need purpose. Laws need to make sense.
[QUOTE=ZekeTwo;26260095]Tax-exempt status for it does, but removing people's right to free assembly is a rather dumb idea. (Although perfectly in line with the average Facepuncher's world views)[/QUOTE]
Damn right.
[QUOTE=J-Dude;26262424]While I hate...hate, hate, HATE the views of a lot of religious people, namely the bastards who likely aren't right even in the eyes of the God they supposedly worship, the problem here is one of Theocracy.
Theocracies simply shouldn't exist. This is an entire nation forced to adhere strictly to the rules of a religion, verbatim. Typically, winning hearts and minds is a slow and steady progressive process, but you can't change the people when they have to live by these laws. The oppression doesn't allow for the citizens to question morality. The ones you DO win over usually leave the country because of it, which doesn't really help things.
I hear enough Christians bitch about how they don't like the separation of church and state. Freedom includes freedom of religion, but under no circumstances should a state favor any one religion. Religions almost by definition are devoid of logic and reason, which are imperative to maintaining a free nation.
Laws need purpose. Laws need to make sense.[/QUOTE]
Never understood people disliking the separation of church and state. Sure thing, I believe in God, but uniting state and church is the terriblest idea ever.
uh just bloody ban everything
[QUOTE=thisispain;26264628]uh just bloody ban everything[/QUOTE]
Move down under then mate
[QUOTE=thisispain;26264628]uh just bloody ban everything[/QUOTE]
Even the passenger gets censored.
This should not have happened in the first place.
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