Blasphemy

the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

137 pages

English language

Published Nov. 17, 2012 by Virago.

ISBN:
978-1-84408-888-1
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OCLC Number:
794296702

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5 stars (1 review)

Punjab, Pakistan, June 2009. The temperature is 45 degrees and Asia has been out picking fruit for several hours. It's exhausting, sweaty work, but Asia and her husband have five children to feed. At midday she goes to the nearest well, picks up a cup and takes a long drink of cool water. She refills the cup, drinks some more and then offers it to another woman. Suddenly one of her fellow workers cries out that the water belongs to the Muslim women and that with her actions, Asia, who is Christian, has contaminated it. An argument ignites and in an instant, with one word, Asia's fate is sealed. 'Blasphemy!' someone shouts. In Pakistan this is a charge punishable by death. First attacked by a mob, Asia was soon after thrown into prison and then sentenced to be hanged. Since then she has been kept in a windowless cell. Her …

4 editions

Review of 'Blasphemy' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This is not a review on the literary value of the book but on the urgence of the cause it represents and informs about. Asia Bibi is a Christian martyr of our time, for years subjected to solitary prison, humiliation and constant danger. All this because once she dared to drink from a glass reserved to Muslims and refused to convert as an apology. Sentenced to death she's still in prison waiting for the result of her last appeal. It's urgent to learn and spread the word about this woman and the inhumane blasphemy law from Pakistan.

Subjects

  • Blasphemy (Islam)
  • Religious discrimination
  • Death row inmates
  • Women death row inmates
  • Christian women
  • Todesurteil
  • Christian biography
  • Gotteslästerung
  • History
  • Verurteilung
  • Biography
  • Islam

Places

  • Pakistan