Farzana Hassan
Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian woman accused of blasphemy against Islam by a group of Muslim women, was acquitted by the Supreme court of Pakistan a couple of weeks ago. However, she is still hiding in an undisclosed place and has been barred from leaving the country.
The demonstrations after her acquittal prove how toxic the religious environment is for vulnerable religious groups in Pakistan. Even when members of minority groups such as Christians, Hindus, Sikhs or Ahmedis are circumspect about expressing any opinion about Islam that may be misconstrued, personal vendettas mean they can easily fall foul of blasphemy laws. Just accuse your adversary of blasphemy and let rumour and the unjust laws take their course.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in talks with the Pakistani government to grant asylum to Bibi. Our PM says the situation in Pakistan is far too “delicate” for any open discussion on the matter but he has assured caring Canadians that Canada is a welcoming place.
I wrote about this issue a couple of weeks ago, stating that, while Bibi’s acquittal may have been a partial victory for her, there are many unseen victims who continue to live under the shadow of Pakistan’s blasphemy law and see no reprieve in sight unless they are also taken by enlightened countries as refugees.
Such is the plight for over a thousand Pakistani Christians stranded in Thailand. They fled Pakistan for fear of being caught as Bibi was, but Thailand has not welcomed them. Their refugee claims are often ignored and many have been imprisoned for overstaying their tourist visas. Many lose hope of being released, as inefficient processes prevent such ready administration of justice. Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention and ignores the rights of these stranded Christian refugees. They languish in Bangkok with support only from committed humanitarian groups like Christian Freedom International.
Even the daily lives of those not in detention are miserable. The Pakistani Christians, not being legal migrants are, of course, denied the opportunity to work. They do not receive proper health care and their children cannot attend school. Sometimes whole families remain indoors for fear of being discovered.So far there seems to be no end in sight to their applications being processed as these stranded Pakistani Christians wait for religious asylum elsewhere. According to the UN, it can take years before it can process a refugee claim and even then the Thai authorities may not recognize it.There have been calls to relocate these stranded Pakistanis to European countries, notably the United Kingdom, or to the United States. There can be a happy ending to the struggles of these families if small groups of these communities are taken in by some Western nations. Trudeau has welcomed other persecuted Christians into the country, and he should consider this group.
Some Pakistanis who have faced hardship in Thailand have had to return to Pakistan, only to face precarious lives under a perpetual threat of brutality. Pakistan is ranked the fifth most dangerous country in the world for religious minorities and that fact is only confirmed by the spate of mob violence over perceived insults to Islam.
The Canadian government and governments of other Western nations need to work swiftly to address the dire human rights conditions that these oppressed families face.
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