Pakistan: Women Sentenced to Death Over Blasphemy Murder

Facts

• A court in Pakistan has sentenced two women in their 20s to death and a minor girl to life imprisonment for murdering their local religious teacher over 'blasphemy allegations' in 2022.¹
• The three Jamia Islamia Falahul Binaat seminary students — Umra Aman, Razia Hanfi, and Ayesha Naumani — had killed Safoora Bibi in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.²
• The trio first thrashed Bibi with sticks at the seminary's gate before slitting her throat after their 13-year-old relative claimed to have seen the teacher committing blasphemy against Prophet Muhammed in her dreams.³
• While Aman was 24 at the time of the crime, Hanifi was 21, Naumani 17, and the victim, Bibi, was 18. They reportedly belonged to the Mehsud tribe of Pakistan's South Waziristan province.⁴
• Additional Sessions Court II Judge Muhammad Jameel also fined Aman and Hanifi PKR2M ($7.2K) each and Naumani PKR1M ($3.6K).⁵
• Though death sentences are often handed out in Pakistan — which has witnessed several cases involving blasphemy in recent weeks — no one has been executed since 2020.⁶

Sources: ¹Free Malaysia Today, ²Arab News PK, ³La Prensa Latina Media, ⁴DAWN.COM, ⁵The Express Tribune and ⁶Al Jazeera.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by New York Times. When a nation's institutions themselves treat blasphemy as a crime punishable by death, it's not surprising that a mob sometimes takes over the job of meting out such punishment. After all, the reigning law itself legitimizes this outrage. Moreover, religion is often one of society's most influential pillars, particularly in a country like Pakistan, which was founded on the idea of a religious identity.
• Right narrative, as provided by Associated Press of Pakistan. Pakistan's blasphemy law has been instrumental in keeping peace and stability in the country. A few stray incidents shouldn't be considered the benchmark for judging the law. Judicious and responsible use of this instrument will help combat human rights violations and also protect the nation's honor. The sanctity of religion can't be compromised.

Predictions