The husband of a Pakistani Christian woman acquitted on charges of blasphemy has begged Theresa May to grant his wife and their family asylum in the UK.
In a video message seen by the Observer, Asia Bibi’s husband, Ashiq Masih called on the British prime minister to “help us exit from Pakistan” where thousands of people have protested against the supreme court’s ruling and demanded that she be punished.
Having finally come to the correct decision, the Pakistani regime is wavering in the face of threats and intimidation from the Islamists. So, yes, we should grant her asylum because she meets the criteria – she is under threat of death merely because she is a Christian. The charges were trumped-up nonsense and the subsequent behaviour of her accusers and the Islamists demonstrates that Pakistan is still labouring somewhere in the middle ages. Besides, the very existence of blasphemy laws is an abhorrence that no civilised society should tolerate.
Also, granting her asylum would be a wonderful statement to the Islamists. A two-finger “up yours”. Too delicious by half. Won’t happen though. We are run by dhimmis who would happily let her remain in prison or be lynched by the mob.
No, we should NOT grant her asylum in the UK. She has no cultural or legal ties to the UK.
India has a Christian community which as the country, region and people are far more like her and her family then that is the appropriate and natural country she should apply to for asylum.
She will be unlikely to have the language ability or any worthwhile skills to contribute to her upkeep and will be a burden on the UK.
Let her be with a similar community much nearer Pakistan.
I’m sorry but this crap about the nearest country is just that…crap. How safe would you feel in say Northern Ireland if the PIRA had put a bounty upon your head in the Republic of Ireland? Or Belgium from France? Canada from the USA? Frankly the death threat would make you want to be the other side of the world and that’s not unreasonable.
@Tony, one can easily be not found in a country (India) with over 1 Billion population.
If we’re talking about you living in the most loyalist part of Northern Ireland it’s marginally less dangerous than living on the Creggan estate. The locals would protect you, but you’d be in extreme danger.
Belgium from France? No chance.
Canada from the United States would not be that dangerous. You could hide there.
@Paul
Paul K**k?
India is literally next door too.
The real problem I have with these emotional cases is that we’d get immgration en masse if we did this, and a lot of them wouldn’t be Christians but would be Muslims disguising themselves as Christians.
We already have immigration en masse. The point I’m raising is that here is a rare case of genuine need.
@LR
Yes, agree on asylum. But, not UK – nearest country where Christians safe is correct and climate, lifestyle etc will be similar. UK/EU/USA plea makes her economic migrant and devalues assylum claim.
.
This is What an Asylum Seeker Does Not Look Like
The [UN] Global Compact for Migration will damage Western Civilisation
I had not heard of this before; you?
Not happy knowing SJW May will sign-up
Yes.
On UN:
Reply from my brother:
A “Yes” reply? Care to expand? Agree with UN Global Compact for Migration?
I don’t. Well done Austria
EU Slams Austrian Exit From UN Migration Pact as Czech Republic Prepares to Bail Next
Yes, I knew about it. Not that I agree with it.
This is not what genuine asylum seekers look like:
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/peter-dutton-calls-refugees-who-rejected-us-offer-not-genuine/news-story/050e3fa332a5193864535ab3e9ac4d75
The international convention on asylum requires that asylum seekers do so in the first safe haven that they reach. If Asia Bibi were to travel by land, then, yes, India would be the obvious place. However, if she was to fly and land at Heathrow, then the UK would qualify. All other considerations pale when compared to saving life. I mention this case because, unlike many of those seeking to come here, she really is in danger of death – if not from the incompetent legal system, then from the mob.
And, frankly, even though India is a large country with a large population, I would take the same approach as Tony – the further away, the better.
There are a lot of South American and Caribbean countries with Muslim populations less than 0.1%.
Indeed. Unfortunately, where there are Muslims, there will be the risk of one of them fulfilling a fatwah. She’s in the same situation as Salman Rushdie. Her face is well known and every Islamic nutcase out there will be after the chance of glory.
In which case there’s not much point in her coming here!
Touche. However, it is likely that the UK is still a safer bet than India at the moment.
UK Virgin Islands
There are nearly 200 million Muslims in India.
She needs to be away from Pakistan, away from Muslims in general.
Is anywhere safe now.
Ironic how we have no trouble repatriating cutthroats of no use to man nor beast who went to join up with the isis, but we can’t manage our secret services together with our US friends to spirit this poor family away to some sort of sanctuary.
Doesn’t have to be publicised or destination known, no one outside the secret services need know the desitination, just a simple statement by the head of the free world, ie one Donald Trump whom we do trust to tell the truth (one could not trust our UK leader), that this poor woman and her family are now safe, and no more questions will be answered.
I agree with LR, and it is the decent thing to do to offer the poor lass asylum.
Whether she’ll actually be any safer here I’ve no idea.
Aid to Pakistan must be cut, and made conditional on eliminating these vile practices, and ideally we must find a way to kick the rotheram taxi drivers out.