While the United Kingdom allegedly refused to give asylum to Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Catholic woman whose release from prison precipitated thousands of Muslims to demand her head, Italy’s government has stated it will accept the woman who had been imprisoned on death row for nine years for blasphemy.
The U.K. feared “unrest among certain sections of the community” if it accepted Bibi, according to the Huffington Post. Wilson Chowdhry, chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association, said two countries had offered asylum, but the U.K. did not. He stated, “I’ve been led to believe that the U.K. government had concerns that her moving to the U.K. would cause security concerns and unrest among certain sections of the community and would also be a security threat to British embassies abroad which might be targeted by Islamist terrorists.”
According to Cruxnow, Bibi’s daughter Eisham released a video through the papal charity Aid to the Church in Need. On Tuesday, Italy’s Foreign Minister Matteo Salvini said that he’d do “everything humanly possible” to resettle Bibi in Italy, adding that Italy is working “discreetly” with other Western governments.
Meanwhile, British Home Office sources said that the rumors that Bibi had not been offered asylum owing to security fears were false.
Boris Johnson, the former foreign secretary of the U.K., wrote a letter to the U.K. Home Secretary stating, “I am well aware, as a former foreign secretary, of the constant threat to our overseas missions but we cannot allow the threat of violence to deter us from doing the right thing. I do not think it is a dignified position for the UK, given our historic links with Pakistan and the extent of our influence there, to look to others to do what we are allegedly nervous to do ourselves.”
The Church of England’s spokesman for international affairs stated, “In common with Christians around the world, the Church of England has been deeply distressed by the case of Asia Bibi. We call on the government of Pakistan to ensure that the decision of the nation’s supreme court is upheld. It is important she is offered every protection as she and her family seek to rebuild their lives.”
The most populous Pakistani community in the EU resides in the U.K. — over one million people.
CruxNow reported, “Reports from people on the ground say the Christian community in Pakistan in general remained indoors for the first four days after the decision was announced, as a result of violent protests led by Islamic religious hardliners.”
Bibi’s lawyer, Saif Mulook, fled to the Netherlands from Pakistan over the weekend and is currently in the Netherlands. He said Bibi had shared a dream she had, saying, “From my dream I’m very, very certain that my will is going to be accepted and I’m going to be freed. I have such faith in God that I have a strong feeling that nobody can hurt me.” Mulook added, “She’s been behind bars for 9 years, leaving behind two daughters, and she’s still so strong. I would have been broken in six months.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that the Canadian government was communicating with the government of Pakistan, saying, “There is a delicate domestic context that we respect which is why I don’t want to say any more about that, but I will remind people Canada is a welcoming country.”