The legal profession this week lost one of our best and bravest. Pretending to be potential clients in a matrimonial case, two people entered the law firm of Rashid Rehman Khan and shot him to death. Rashid Rehman, a coordinator for the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), had faced death threats for years after he courageously represented a university professor accused of blasphemy. Unable to kill the accused, Islamic extremists appear to have now killed the lawyer. Rehman never flinched in his commitment to the rule of law and to this country.
Pakistan’s continued prosecution of people for expressing their views of faith remains one of the great outrages of our generation. Pakistan is one of our allies that has worked with the Obama Administration to create a new international blasphemy standard. The continued crackdown of anti-religious speech is part of its long-standing blasphemy abuses. For many years, I have been writing about the threat of an international blasphemy standard and the continuing rollback on free speech in the West. For recent columns, click here and here and here.
We have been following the rise of anti-blasphemy laws around the world, including the increase in prosecutions in the West and the support of the Obama Administration for the prosecution of some anti-religious speech under the controversial Brandenburg standard.
The case involving Rehman is typical and disgraceful. Junaid Hafeez, a lecturer at Multan’s Bahauddin Zakariya University was accused of defaming the prophet Mohammed on social media last year. No one would represent the professor until Rehman stepped forward. He was greeted at court with threats against his life. Three lawyers representing the complainant confronted him and reportedly one told him “You will not come to court next time because you will not exist anymore.” Notably, these threats were reportedly made in front of a judge who took no action against those making the threats — an outrageous violation of every principle under the rule of law.
Pakistan (one of our largest recipients of aid) continues to jail people who simply express their faith or views on religion.
There are at least 16 people in Pakistan are on death row for blasphemy and in 2012 the Center for Research and Security Studies found that more than 50 people accused of blasphemy have been lynched since 1990.
This brave lawyer is now dead and the judge who took no action on the threats continues to sit on cases and those lawyers who allegedly threatened him continue to practice law. Putting aside our earlier work on an international blasphemy standard, the question is why we continue to send billions to countries that aggressively fight the core civil liberties that defines not just this country but the rule of law. The death of this extraordinary man is a disgrace not just to Pakistan but those who dismiss blasphemy prosecutions as simply some local or domestic concern. It is not just the denial of due process but the denial of free speech and free exercise — rights that should be guaranteed to all as a basic matter of human rights.
Source: ABA Journal
From Wikipedia “Blasphemy” …
… Leviticus 24:13-16:
The Judeo-Christian religion the U.S.eh? was founded on what meme?
Scott, if it’s an insult in the general and not specific to one commenter, it’s allowable. I just got it clarified.
I think one of my comments was eaten by WordMess.
Karen S, I could not find the missing comment. Sorry.
Karen S: “I was obviously referring to aid and other support packages that we give to Pakistan, and other countries.”
I suppose you can show me a link to you complaining about this during the Bush administration, when we also gave billions to these countries?
“I support the current boycott of the Beverly Hills Hotel”
So do I, not that I could ever afford to stay there. I used to do shows there, and if I was still in the business, I would refuse a call to a show there.
“I want to get the US into a position where we do not have to buy anything from nations that support terrorism”
This is unrealistic. Oil is a worldwide fungible resource. There will always be Saudi Oil in the mix.
“That is a combination of domestic energy production, clean renewables, as well as partnering with more stable allies such as Canada.”
So, you voted for Obama because of his “all of the above” energy policy?
Yup there are a spate of venomous frothy trolls around lately.
Scott – and Joe Biden said Obama was, “”I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” Biden said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”
What’s your point? He showed what he really thought about African Americans, but he still has a job.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/31/biden.obama/
Paul Schulte
… that uppity thingie? And what does that have to do with Benghazi anyway?
====================
After Ben’s thingy got uppity it required a lot of gauzi, because it got whacked by Senator Widestance.
Ibn Gauzy is the Arab thriller novel Rep. Izza Gonna Shine is writing about it in crayon.
Do you guys realize how many girls are kidnapped, sold into slavery, raped, mutilated, and forced into prostitution every year?
If only we saw this kind of response for those millions of girls. Many of them right here in our country.
Instead, we are laying off public sector workers who investigate, track down, arrest, try, and imprison those people.
If people want to throw money at the problem of kidnapped girls sold into slavery, I suggest we start right here at home.
Scott S – Bill Ayers claims he wrote Obama’s book. Believing his claim, or not, has nothing to do with racist.
Scott – if we bought them back, with Navy Seals waiting in the bush, I’m pretty sure they could discourage further kidnappings. Because, you’re right, simply ransoming them off creates a hostage market. I just want them back.
It’s just come out that the IRS also audited those who donated to conservative 501c3s. The odds of an average American getting audited: 1%. The odds of a conservative donor to the Tea Party: 10%.
So Obama might be a really excellent public speaker, very moving, but the track record of his administration is not so hot. The AP has labeled him the least transparent president in history.
If only Hillary had put these obvious terrorists on the international terrorist list this may not have happened. She was urged to by many people but for reasons known only to her, refused to do so. Maybe she should have “Stayed home and baked cookies.”
Nick Spinelli: “Paul, Attorneys in this country are afraid to take a stand against the Constitutional abuses of this Administration for fear of not getting invited to a cocktail party.”
Citation?
I read all kinds of legal blogs that have all kinds of attorneys posting, left and right, challenging the constitutional abuses of this administration. This is generally true of all administrations’ abuses.
This blog, by supposed leftist Turley, is one of them.
I also read a lot of attorneys who realize that the Bush administration’s abuses were much more heinous.
“And, never feel obligated to respond to a venomous troll, no matter how much they froth.”
And yet I can’t stop responding to your blatant violations of the civility rule…
John – yes, get them back by any means possible. It’s been so long, those poor girls. And what will happen to them, in Nigeria, as rape victims? I worry about those girls – what they are going through now and what they will face in the future. I hope we can help.
Just because anyone who buys any product or service for which oil is a component of its manufacture or transportation technically buys products from countries that support terrorism and Sharia law does not mean that we should gift them with billions more dollars in support.
John
“SS,
Neither? THREE HUNDRED LITTLE GIRLS?
Holy geez! I thought I was callous.”
No money and no bullets. I suggest we try other things, like pressuring and helping the Nigerian government to bring those criminals to justice.
If that involves bullets, then so be it. But the real callousness is not realizing that paying for them would just encourage them to kidnap more.
Scott S:
I was obviously referring to aid and other support packages that we give to Pakistan, and other countries.
The very argument for domestic energy development is to stop funding oil nations under Sharia law and/or support terrorists. I support the current boycott of the Beverly Hills Hotel, because its owner, the Sultan of Brunei, just imposed Sharia law. It includes a punishment for gays of death by stoning, as well as the punishment of rape victims for adultery.
I want to get the US into a position where we do not have to buy anything from nations that support terrorism. That is a combination of domestic energy production, clean renewables, as well as partnering with more stable allies such as Canada. Unfortunately, the oil-rich Crimean Peninsula was just stolen from Ukraine by Russia, so that’s one less source.
Proof that Schulte doesn’t read the comments he replies to:
“Supak – could you send us a link on that uppity thingie?”
I already provided a link to it.
And we were talking about racism. You suggested, as you have before, that it doesn’t exist. Or, at least, not in the Republican party.
And Paul, you WTF comment offline was perfect. A blitzkrieg is underway.
Paul, Attorneys in this country are afraid to take a stand against the Constitutional abuses of this Administration for fear of not getting invited to a cocktail party. And, never feel obligated to respond to a venomous troll, no matter how much they froth.
Just found this.
http://dailycaller.com/2014/05/07/ted-cruz-releases-definitive-list-of-76-lawless-obama-actions/