An Islamist filmed a message making the rounds on the Internet this week saying he is in Canada to slay Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi, who was recently released from prison in Pakistan after spending nearly a decade on death row over false blasphemy allegations.
“This message is for all the enemies of Islam and to the Jew government who helped her get out of Pakistan,” the unidentified man declared, according to a translation provided by the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA).
“To give Asia Bibi a terrible death and to send her to hell I also reached Canada last night,” he said, adding, “I am ready to die for the respect of Prophet Mohammed, and I will show that.”
The man also sings an Islamic chant honoring Muhammad and pledging to kill Bibi.
He sings, “The enthusiasm to die for the Prophet Mohammad will stay alive forever.”
Pakistan held Bibi for months after the highest court in the country cleared her in late October 2018. Authorities kept her in a secret location until last week when she was allowed to leave Pakistan and reunite with her family in Canada.
Angered by her acquittal, members of the anti-blasphemy Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) political party and other Islamists have threatened to kill Bibi, her family, and the judges and lawyers who helped her.
Citing the video on Tuesday, Wilson Chowdhry, the BPCA chairman who advocated for Bibi’s release, said his organization had shared its concerns about the Christian mother’s safety with American, British, Canadian, and Pakistani authorities.
Chowdhry declared:
Pakistan has been relatively silent since the release of Asia Bibi, but international security agencies must not get complacent. Her release is a real bone of contention with the millions of radicalized Muslims across the globe who are waiting for an opportunity to assassinate Asia Bibi, or a mass terrorist strike in revenge for what they see as a perceived blasphemy.
It is not known whether the threat made by the man in the video is genuine or not. However, the fact that the video exists is a chilling concern.
In the video, a man is heard making threats against “blasphemer Asia Bibi.”
“I will make sure to bring a terrible end to the blasphemer Asia Bibi,” the man proclaimed.
BPCA has reportedly learned of threats against Pakistani churches in the wake of Bibi’s release.
On Tuesday, the organization noted:
A number of churches in Pakistan have informed BPCA that they are receiving threats from local militants and have been warned that the growth of IS [Islamic State] in Pakistan is imminent. …Security around churches in Pakistan has been stepped up significantly since the release of Asia Bibi and teams of security officials can be seen at churches up and down the country.
Islamabad has reportedly threatened to close churches unable to provide for their own security.
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