Pakistan: Woman to be ‘hanged by her neck till she is dead’ for Muhammad images on WhatsApp

26-year-old Aneeqa Ateeq’s crime was depicting images of Muhammad for her WhatsApp status. In Pakistan, any potential insult, perceived insult, or even the vengeful conjuring up of an accusation about insulting Muhammad is harshly punished, in keeping with Islamic law. (See Abu Dawud Book 38 no 4348.) Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan seeks to export Islamic blasphemy laws globally. The West won’t look like Pakistan any time soon, but insidiously and persistently attacking free speech that offends Islam is an effective first step, hence the “Islamophobia” canard being imposed upon the West at every turn.

“Muslim Woman In Pakistan Sentenced To Death For ‘Blasphemous’ Text Messages,” Radio Free Europe, January 20, 2022:

A Pakistani court has sentenced a Muslim woman to death after convicting her of sending a blasphemous text message and caricatures of Prophet Muhammad to a friend.

The court in the city of Rawalpindi on January 19 ordered Aneeqa Ateeq, 26, to be “hanged by her neck till she is dead.” She was also given a long-term prison sentence.

Ateeq was arrested in May 2020 and charged with posting “blasphemous material” as her WhatsApp status, according to a summary issued by the court.

It said that when a friend urged her to change it, she instead forwarded the material to him.

Images depicting Prophet Muhammad are deemed blasphemous by many Muslims.

Blasphemy is an explosive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where laws prohibiting it can carry a potential death sentence — although it has never been enforced for the crime.

According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, up to 80 people are known to be imprisoned in the country on blasphemy charges, half of whom face life in prison or the death penalty.

Critics say Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are unevenly applied and frequently abused to settle personal disputes.

Even unproven allegations of blasphemy can stir up violence and large protests in the country….