Women rights activist intimidated in Pakistan

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Pakistan has not protected and will not protect anyone who offends Islam. In fact, its Prime Minister Imran Khan has been influential at the UN in attempting to spread the “Islamophobia” subterfuge around the world. Writes Christine Douglass-Williams

“Politicians and rights activists say organizers of Pakistan’s Women’s March are being threatened with dangerous blasphemy accusations by religious conservatives.”

Pakistani lawmakers claimed that the women’s march was anti-Islam. This means that the activists are now under the threat of death, since after all, women are not equal in Islam, and how dare they try to be.

Pakistan has not protected and will not protect anyone who offends Islam. In fact, its Prime Minister Imran Khan has been influential at the UN in attempting to spread the “Islamophobia” subterfuge around the world.

Pakistan is adept at playing a double game. It is no secret that Pakistan leads the charge on Islamic blasphemy laws worldwide. It is interesting to note the contrast between the women’s march in Washington DC, with its stark display of a mutated brand of vulgar feminism (“pussy hats” flaunted, with accusations about Trump’s “toxic masculinity”), with the feminist march in Pakistan, which only seeks human rights for all, and equal rights for women.

It’s past due that the willfully blind, egocentric woke movement in the West wakes up and realizes that anything that offends Islam is deemed to be “blasphemous.” Imagine what would happen if the DC women’s march were transported to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or Iran.

“Blasphemy” in Islam encompasses an ideology far beyond the emotions of “offense” taken. Sharia blasphemy principles seek to preserve Islamic supremacism and expansionism.

According to DW news network:

While organizers of Pakistan’s Women’s March have long been the subject of threats and criticism, allegations of blasphemy could put women’s rights activists in a new kind of danger.

Blasphemy accusations have resulted in killings in the past, and human rights activists believe that these allegations have created a widespread climate of fear, especially for women’s rights advocates.

“Pakistan is not a democratic state but a religious state where clerics wield a lot of influence,” Mehdi Hassan, a former chairperson of Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission, told DW.

“Hurling allegations of blasphemy amounts to jeopardizing the lives of people here. We fear that the lives of women activists are in danger because there are so many extremists out there in the streets who could target them at any time.”

“At least seven people have been killed just because of blasphemy allegations. Therefore, it is important that the government provides them [the activists] with protection.”

Who is threatening activists in Pakistan?

At least two local courts — one in the northwestern city of Peshawar and another in the southern port city of Karachi — have asked police to register cases against organizers of the march, alleging violations of blasphemy and other laws. A petition seeking to ban the annual gathering has also been lodged with the Islamabad High Court.

Lahore-based activist Shazia Khan said friends and relatives have pressured them to maintain a low profile following the accusations and legal cases.

“Hatemongers and misogynistic media personalities have been spewing venom against us, jeopardizing the lives of women in a country where people are killed merely due to false accusations of blasphemy,” said Khan.

Khan believes it is difficult to say who is behind these threats and litigation.

“However, the individuals and organizations that are issuing threats or registering cases are believed to have worked for the intelligence agencies in the past, or to have their support.”

“All the videos and posters have been fabricated or doctored. There is no truth to these accusations,” prominent activist Farzana Bari told DW.

Organizers of the march have also written an open letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan in order to draw his attention to the threats.

Why is Women’s March targeted?

Some prominent right-wing TV anchors and media personalities have also spoken out against the leaders of the march, accusing them of spreading Western culture.

“Blasphemous slogans were used during the Women’s March,” Ibrar Hussain, who filed a case against the activists, with a local court in Peshawar, told DW.

“I went to a police station to register a case, but my application was rejected, so I approached the court and now the court has ordered the police to register a blasphemy case,” said Hussain.

Meanwhile, Hafiz Ihtisham, who is associated with Islamabad’s “Red Mosque,” told DW that “blasphemy” was committed against “holy personalities.”

“Religious personalities were also insulted,” he said. “I approached the court, seeking an action against the organizers of the march, and a permanent ban on the event. I have also requested that the court probe the funding sources of the NGOs that hold the event,” he added.

Although Women’s Day is celebrated in Pakistan on March 8 every year, it has assumed a greater significance since the Women’s March was launched in 2018 by the Women Democratic Front and the left-wing Awami Workers Party.

The event has triggered a debate over women’s rights in Pakistan, where thousands of cases of honor killings, domestic violence, sexual assaults and harassment against women are reported each year.

Women are also widely discriminated against in workplaces, political institutions and social gatherings. In particular, the march’s slogan, “my body, my control”  earned the ire of conservative elements of society.

Taliban issues threats

This year, even the terrorist outfit Tehreek Taliban Pakistan publicly threatened the organizers on Twitter, much to the alarm of women’s rights activists.

The tweet said, “Fix your ways. There are still many young Muslims here who know how to protect Islam and the boundaries set by Allah.”

Yasmin Lehri, a female politician and leader of the National Party, believes that women could also be harmed while attending court hearings. Lehri said that the government should provide full protection to women’s rights activists and look into the accusations before registering the cases, due to the dangers posed to those attending the hearings.

However, despite the dangers, government officials have said the march organizers should face the charges.

“This is really very disturbing … All possible methods should be employed to probe these accusations,” said Lehri. “And if the videos and posters turn out to be fake, then those who leveled the accusations must be brought to justice.”

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