Archive for 'Pakistan'
Standing up against clerical fascism at home and abroad
This is a guest post from Howie’s corner
At the weekend millions of ordinary Pakistani men and women defied the threats of the Taliban and went to the polls to cast their vote. A small number paid for that right with their lives. They are not alone:
In Bangladesh thousands of supporters of [...]
Posted: May 14th, 2013 under Academia, Galloway, Pakistan.
Easter in Egypt
Although it is unclear exactly how many Copts have left Egypt in the wake of a string of violent incidents and many deaths, it is hardly surprising that a good number of those who are able to move – generally the wealthier and more educated – are choosing to do so.
Coptic Christians celebrated Easter yesterday, [...]
Posted: May 6th, 2013 under Ahmadiyya, Egypt, Pakistan, The persecuted church.
Ahmadi Muslims targeted again in Pakistan
A few days ago over 100 Ahmadiyya graves were desecrated in Lahore by a gang of men who overpowered and beat up a security guard and undertaker before vandalizing the site. This is just the latest incident in a pattern of persecution in Pakistan, where the Ahmadi are the victims of systematic discrimination and demonisation.
The [...]
Posted: December 5th, 2012 under Pakistan.
When Even Shooting 14 Year Old Girls In the Face Attracts Outrage
In a country where 14 year old girls can be shot in the face for challenging medievalist thugs’ vulnerable ideas of manhood, even writing a negative piece in a national daily can attract similar threats from medievalist thugs smarting from the outraged coverage of their shooting 14 year old girls in the face.
At first glance, [...]
Posted: October 20th, 2012 under Pakistan, Talebanophobia.
Death to the Taliban
If ever anyone was deserving of a drone strike, it is the bastards who did this:
Gunmen have wounded a 14-year-old rights activist who has campaigned for girls’ education in the Swat Valley in north-west Pakistan.
Malala Yousafzai was attacked on her way home from school in Mingora, the region’s main town.
She came to public attention in [...]
Posted: October 9th, 2012 under Pakistan, Utter Scumbags, Women's Rights.
Pakistani trade unionists protest factory fires that killed hundreds
While some people attacked US embassies because of an obscure and stupid film, Pakistani trade unionists took to the streets to express outrage over something much more urgent and close to home: the deaths of more than 300 workers in factory fires on September 11.
Various reports indicate that workers could not escape the fire because [...]
Posted: September 13th, 2012 under Pakistan, Trade Unions.
Lord Ahmed: challenging Pakistan on Blasphemy is “kicking friends when they’re down”
In the House of Lords back in November, Lord Alton of Liverpool called upon the House to:
“ask Her Majesty’s Government what advocacy the Foreign Office is undertaking on behalf of persecuted religious minorities in Pakistan”
Justifying his question to Minister of State Lord Howell of Guildford of the FCO, Lord Alton explained:
“[W]hat does the abject failure [...]
Posted: April 23rd, 2012 under Pakistan, The persecuted church.
Border closing ceremony: India and Pakistan
I began to wonder whether this was a joke. But it seems not. As I watched I was reminded of Andre Maurois’ children’s book Fattypuffs and Thinifers. Thanks to Sarka for drawing it to my attention!
Posted: March 4th, 2012 under India, Pakistan.
The London-based campaign to hang a Pakistani Christian
Meet Akber Choudhry.
Choudhry is a former Ahmadi, who left the movement in order to become a counter-Ahmadi spokesperson, working with Khatam-e-Nabuwwat, based in Forest Gate in East London.
Channel 4 confronted Khatam-e-Nabuwwat in 2010, identifying them as extremists, following an anti-Ahmadi hate campaign. Channel 4 carries an interview with Akber Choudhry at the end of the clip, [...]
Posted: February 22nd, 2012 under Islamism, Pakistan, The persecuted church.
Asia Bibi: a UK connection
As most HP readers will know, Asia Bibi, a Christian, is facing the death sentence for blasphemy in Pakistan. The governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, was assassinated because he expressed support for her. It now seems as though the prosecution of Bibi is being urged on (and funded) by UK based individuals:
Qari, according to some [...]