Catholic woman escapes death sentence in Pakistan, veiled Muslim woman inches towards US Congress

Pakistan’s Supreme Court on October 31 repealed a death sentence and ordered the release of a Christian woman, Asia Bibi who was convicted in 2010 of blasphemy after a quarrel with a Muslim woman who accused her of insulting Prophet Mohammad. The verdict sparked mixed reactions. While Bibi’s lawyer described the verdict as great news for the country, Amnesty International deputy director for South Asia said it was a historic event. The verdict he said, sends a message that anti-blasphemy laws will no longer be used to persecute oppressed minorities. On the other hand, the radical Muslim political party, ‘Tehreek e Labaik Pakistan’ gave its religious ruling to kill three prominent judges of the supreme court after they chose to acquit Bibi. Thousands also took to the streets in protest of the ruling and closed roads in main cities as well as schools. Meanwhile, after Rashida Tlaib reached very close to become the first Muslim woman in the US Congress (https://goo.gl/3PbCVL), Al Mustaqbal newspaper reported on Friday that Ilhan Omar, Somali immigrant, 36-year old veiled Muslim, is another projected congressional candidate for the November 6 midterm elections. Recalling, that Omar fled Somalia when she was 8 before she emigrated to the US with her parents. In 2016, she won a parliamentary seat for Minnesota where a large Somali community lives. (Al Hayat, Al Mustaqbal, November 1, 2, 2018)

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