Pakistan's Feminists fight Blasphemy cases

Pakistani feminists say they're decided to combat blasphemy costs filed in mid-April by way of militant Islamic organizations adverse to their foreign girls's Day rallies held on March eight. 

They rejected as "completely false" blasphemy allegations based on the social media postings of their rallies.  

"we have considered a weaponization of blasphemy raise," observed Farieha Aziz of the Karachi-based ladies's motion forum. "there's a pattern in view that 2017 of the use of it against dissidents in selected." 

until recently, Aziz talked about, social dissidents had been labeled "anti-state" and "anti-Islamic," with the blasphemy costs taking opposition to an entire new stage. 

right-wing place 

Nasir Minhas, an activist and lawyer with the a long way-correct political birthday party Tehrik-i-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), informed VOA he would pursue his blasphemy petition in the high court docket of Islamabad after it changed into rejected by means of a reduce court. 

"These ladies had raised objectionable slogans which have been anti-Pakistan and anti-Islam, and they held banners which symbolically insulted the Prophet of Islam," Minhas spoke of. 

FILE - Activists of the Aurat March lift placards as they march right through a rally to mark overseas girls's Day in Lahore, March 8, 2021.

Pakistan's legal guidelines carry the loss of life penalty for those charged with blasphemy, and some of the accused were killed even earlier than their instances reached courtroom. 

Aziz observed the allegations have had a "chilling impact." 

"There are people who proceed to communicate up, and should," she observed, adding the costs have organizers concerned concerning the impact on the women's flow.  

govt's place  

Bilalwal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan americans's birthday party chairman and opposition chief, opposed the "misuse" of the blasphemy can charge, and the PPP has stopped police from registering circumstances in opposition t women.  

however Firdous Naqvi, a parliamentarian from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ruling celebration, informed VOA his birthday celebration can not help the girls for elevating "Westernized slogans" akin to "My body. My option." 

"Islam clearly lays down the guidelines for ladies's dress and their code of habits," he pointed out.  

In video clips posted on social media, some ladies are wearing jeans and several others are devoid of the dupatta, a traditional unfastened material masking. 

One younger feminine organizer, who requested anonymity for her safeguard, pointed out she believes Pakistani girls's "focus" has progressed more than the state. 

"younger women who've studied overseas and have entry to social media know the way different our lives are in Pakistan compared to girls the world over," she stated. 

'Doctored movies' 

Rally organizers pointed out their slogans had been misinterpreted and their movies were doctored to force them into silence.  

They claim once they shouted "mullahs" (Islamic clerics), the sound changed into doctored to sound like "Allah." And "Fazlo" (Islamic party chief Fazlur-Rehman) changed into altered to sound like "Rasool" (prophet). 

Latif Afridi, president of the Supreme courtroom Bar association of Pakistan whose prison team is working to quash the blasphemy situations within the Peshawar high courtroom, referred to as the manipulation of social media content material a "very bad vogue."  

"If nowadays they use the movies against expert women, day after today they will use it in opposition t political workers. It makes us ask yourself the place this country is headed," he advised VOA. 

thousands had considered women's rallies on fb and Twitter, after which the doctored videos looked. because the two facets traded barbs, Pakistan's Ministry for non secular Affairs talked about it will probe the matter. 

PTI lawmaker Naqvi spoke of the video clips would not be used in investigations but "in some situations, the girls appear to have crossed the line." 

"Their instances can be sent to the Islamic Shariat court, the place we should wait to peer (the) consequences," he pointed out. 

Civil society participation 

The left-leaning girls's Freedom March in Islamabad, with its inclusion of young, grassroots feminine activists, is the basic focal point of the Peshawar investigations, organizers say.  

After the Islamabad rally, Islamabad's pink Mosque petitioned the excessive courtroom to ban such rallies sooner or later for his or her "un-Islamic" and "unconstitutional" nature. 

FILE - Activists of the Aurat March have a good time as they acquire all the way through a rally to mark international ladies's Day in Karachi, March 8, 2021.

Ismat Shahjehan, a socialist feminist with the ladies Democratic entrance, is among the organizers accused of blasphemy through the red Mosque's Shuhada foundation. 

She instructed VOA the group's demand for the rights of Baloch and Sindhis reverberated nationwide and triggered the blasphemy instances. 

protection analyst Brig Tipu Sultan rejected prices that the state used accusations of blasphemy to crush social dissent.

"It (the can charge) is whatever thing this is yellow journalism. it's some thing that represents intellectual corruption, nothing more," he told VOA. 

He claimed the West is using the blasphemy legislations against Pakistan. 

final week, the PTI govt said it would now not compromise on its blasphemy legislations, even though it hurts its alternate alternatives. 

It became responding to the eu Parliament's citing of an "alarming" enhance of abuse in Pakistan's blasphemy legislations, followed by using a resolution to revoke the country's preferential exchange popularity. 

'Intimidation strategies' 

Organizers say their rallies have inspired women to talk on previously taboo subjects corresponding to sexuality and violence. 

"The women's march is a extremely large and turning out to be move that become held in 17 cities this year," said Arfana Mallah, a Sindh school professor. 

The Jamiat-i-Ulema and Sunni Tehrik centered her ultimate year after her tweet within the Sindhi language criticized the blasphemy legislation as a "colonial-period decree used to target opponents." 

Mounting demise threats forced her to briefly flee the nation, retract her statement and say sorry in a YouTube video. 

The TLP, now the third-greatest political party within the Punjab, said such women are "Western funded," who don't signify the mainstream. 

"spiritual events' interpretation of Islam revolves around girls's bodies and now, seeing women get up. they're using blasphemy legal guidelines as a tactic to frighten them," Mallah mentioned.