Wazirabad blasphemy case.

Here is a belated story from a month or so ago, from the facebook page of the group 'Vop Christians Christians'
(Edit : We present the story as we initially found it.  However, other accounts place a different NGO at the forefront - namely WVIP.  Also see here.)

A Christian named Tariq Yousaf son of Yousaf Masih aged 24-25 has been falsely implicated in a blasphemy at Thatha Faqeer Ullah, a Christian Colony , Wazirabad city, District Gujranwala, about 112 kilometer from Lahore.
Dr. Arif informed CLAAS that there is an application for the registration of a blasphemy case FIR in the Saddar Police Station Wazirabad through a local Muslim (not confirmed who) against Tariq Yousaf and asked for the legal and moral support in this case.
Dr. Arif informed that it was broadcasted by the loud speakers of the local mosques and also there is a call to the students of the colleges to come out on the roads for the protest demonstration for the registration of the case FIR and for the possible arrest of the accused in this case.
Tariq is escaped from the scene but the concerned police have taken his two brother Arif Yousaf aged 27 and Waris Yousaf aged 22 in custody.
According to the first information, Tariq Yousaf is a player of fireworks and has a private business to make fire stuff at home and supply among the people around to use in marriages. He has become famous in this art and has very good business to earn handsome income.
There was a marriage ceremony going on in the last week, Tariq provided fire stuff, after using the material they found that the paper which Tariq used it was from an Arabic book. Therefore they alleged him for blasphemy, blaming that he used the pages of Quran.

Edit : We present the story as we initially found it.  However, other accounts place a different NGO at the forefront - namely WVIP.  Also see here.  

Donations to the BPCA pay for the Annual Fees for 6 Students



Jonathan Sohail (Father), has suffered injuries that prevent him earning enough to support his children through school. Our donations will pay the school fees of Ashban Sohail his son who is a student of F.S.C. in Edward College. 

The BPCA has paid the annual School fees for six victims of the Peshawer bomb attack.  The recipients were unable to cover these expenses due to death or injury to the main bread winner in their respective households.  This work is addition to the numerous medical fees, food supplements and restorative aids we have provided to other victims.  Some of which are detailed in the links below:

http://britishpakistanichristian.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/our-relief-aid-work-in-peshawar.html

http://britishpakistanichristian.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/peshawar-victims-continue-to-receive.html

These victims are now being ignored despite the evident desperate need and we continue to assist where we can, but with over 200 families affected, it is extremely hard to match the devastation caused by the bomb attack - one of the worst incendiary-device related human loss incidents in Pakistan's gruesome history.

The BPCA will be continuing its relief fund to help this beleaguered community. Donations will pay towards false limbs, Food parcels, Medical costs, School fees for victims no longer able to afford them, support for orphaned children and counselling for families grieving for the bereaved and injured.

If you would like to donate to our relief work our bank details are as follows:

Sort Code: 20-67-90

Account number: 63468976

Bank: Barclays

Ref:  Peshawar Bomb Blast

Alternatively if you would like to send a one of donation please use the pay-pal facility on the top right hand corner of our blog, or simply send a cheque made payable to the  BPCA  to our address;  57 Green Lane, Ilford, Essex, IG1 1XG.

With your support we hope to change the lives of millions of Christians in Pakistan.

We have paid  the school fees for Sehrish Nasim daughter of Nasim Samuel, whose parents were killed. She is a &th Year  student.

We have also paid for medical care for the brother of Sehrish Nasim who is a B.A student.

We have paid  student fees for Joshawa Danish Son of Danish in year 3.  We have also paid the fees for Joshawa's sister  Alexendra who is in nursery.  The father is seriously injured after the attack.

We have paid the school fees for Mishma daughter of Father Khalid who was killed in the attack. She is a 10th year student. 

Kainat Inshtiaq Daughter of Ishtiaq. She is a B.A student.

Mandela Memories and Asia’s Apparition of Apartheid

Over the last week or so, the media and political leaders have waxed lyrical about the recently departed anti-apartheid icon, Nelson Mandela, and musicians have got in on the act too, reprising campaign songs that called for his release from prison in South Africa, notably the song ‘FreeNelson Mandela’.  But the world is silent about the near-apartheid conditions in Pakistan – not an apartheid of race, but an apartheid of religion.   Christians are all to often treated as second class citizens, as defiled, unclean, as subhuman.  Mandela may be the icon of the struggle against apartheid, but Pakistan’s Christian community has its icons too, one of the most prominent being an agricultural labourer and mother of five called Asia Bibi, who has been sentenced to death for ‘blasphemy’.  The incident that led to her death sentence started with hostile Muslim co-workers refusing to drink the water she had carried to them because her touch had rendered it ‘impure’ and ‘defiled.’  Mandela had been arrested after coming back from military training, and served 27 years of a life sentence.  Asia Bibi is in a far worse position, for she did nothing at all to warrant the harsher sentence of death – she has been condemned simply for being a Christian and for defending her faith.  So, while you remember Mandela, also remember the ongoing apartheid that condemns an innocent women to death, and listen to another Freedom song – not from and about the past, but about a present reality – ‘Free Asia Bibi’.  

Sharia Court of Pakistan Calls for end to Life sentence leniency in favour of death sentences for all blasphemers!

 

ISLAMABAD: After 23 years, the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) has issued orders to remove the provision of life-imprisonment from the blasphemy law, stating that only death is punishment for blasphemy and sought a report from the government for implementation of the order within a couple of months.

A five-judge larger bench, headed by Justice Fida Hussain, heard a contempt of court petition on Wednesday, filed by Advocate Hashmat Habib.

Issuing its verdict, the court noted that in its ruling of 1990, the FSC had clarified that the mention of life imprisonment with death sentence should be removed from the blasphemy law, as humiliation of any prophet was intolerable and the one doing so should be given only death sentence.

According to the petition, the verdict of the Shariat Court, dated 1990, could not be implemented until now and, therefore, its implementation should be asked for immediately and the contempt proceedings be started against those failing to abide by this provision of the law.

Lee Rigby Memorial Painting

An image of the Lee Rigby memorial board to be placed around local parks in Ilford.

The British Pakistani Christian Association has commissioned the artwork above, working in conjunction with the East Ilford Betterment Partnership.  

The project involved holding a series of spray art workshops with children and young people in which they heard messages of hope and peace, given by leaders of all the local major faiths and various statutory agencies.  The final design is a combination of all the elements children wanted to see in a memorial to the unfortunate soldier who was killed on home soil, in an unprovoked extremist attack.

The artwork contains an image of Lee Rigby with a Union flag behind him, the words "This only unites us" is underscored by motifs of all the major faiths residing in Britain.  Children felt these images helped people to reflect on the callous incident and to gain hope from the unnecessary waste of life.  They also felt the image illustrated that Britain has a strong cohesive society in which people of all faiths, contribute to the betterment of society together.

The image will be placed on Ilford's South Park, then Loxford Park, for a period of 3 months each. It is hoped the board will later be accepted as a gift from the children of Ilford, to the military barracks where Lee Rigby was serving. 

Wilson Chowdhry Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association, said;

"The attack on Lee Rigby shocked me to the core.  A innocent man lost his life to murderers bent on causing alienation and conflict, fuelled with twisted and inconsistent extremist ideologies.  The pain they have caused to the friends and family of Lee Rigby and witnesses to the incident is immense.  We hope that justice prevails in the current old Bailey court proceeding against the perpetrators of this heinous crime."

He added;  "We have launched our project this week to remind people engrossed with the current court proceedings, that this attack was undertaken by extremists and not any particular faith group.  We call for tolerance and peace and for people of all diversities to stand together against fundamentalism of any type."

We are hoping to install a permanent memorial for Lee Rigby at the Military Barracks and are seeking permission for this.   Local Artist Madhumita Bose who married and lived in Woolwich for 20 years, before moving to Lewisham, has proposed a painted iron structure.  This would include a Diversity Tree that would stem from a drum, which will be embossed with an image of Lee Rigby and the emblem of his unit.  The tree branches will contain various national flags and images that reflect our themes of Peace, Hope and Unity. These images produced by children from Ilford and Greenwich could include cultural or religious motifs, animals or other symbolic items as well as words of peace.

Here is an example of a smaller Diversity Tree produced by Madhumita.

If you would like to donate to our Lee Rigby Memorial our bank details are as follows:

Sort Code: 20-67-90

Account number: 63468976

Bank: Barclays

Ref:  Lee Rigby Memorial

Alternatively, please use the pay-pal facility on the top right hand corner of our blog, or simply send a cheque made payable to the  BPCA  to our address;  57 Green Lane, Ilford, Essex, IG1 1XG.

With your support we hope to bring peace to the communities of Britain.

Ooberfuse hold benefit gig for Phillipines flood victims!

Ooberfuse held a benefit gig for victims of the Phillipines flood on Saturday 3oth November 2013.  Wilson Chowdhry form the BPCA was invited to be compere for the event.

Nathanael Lewis (BPCA Researcher), John Sweeney (BBC News Presenter), Wilson Chowdhry (CHair BPCA)

John Sweeney BBC Presenter.

Ooberfuse.

£100's of pounds were raised!