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
Dredd
“One nation the wrong-wing of America has not gotten to is the Vatican State.”
= = =
They’re here…
(no video as this time)
Pakistani Lawyers Protest Murder of Rashid Rehman
http://www.voanews.com/content/gunmen-kill-pakistani-lawyer-involved-in-blasphemy-case/1910493.html
May 08, 2014 12:05 PM
“You might think he is trying to drown most of the black folk in town.”
And you just thought that was hilarious.
Karen S.,
Regarding your remark concerning Biden’s “faux pas” in referring to Obama as a neat, well-spoken black man, it was the political equivalent of a defense lawyer asking his client on the stand, sometimes accusingly, if he committed the crime for which he’s being tried. It’s a preemptive way of confronting the charge and managing the message.
In Biden’s case, preemptively pointing to the elephant in the room drained much of the power away from the question of Obama’s race. Reaction to Biden’s comment was predictably negative, but it was nothing he couldn’t deal with. However, it did set a tone throughout the campaign where nobody wanted to appear to be making race an issue.
It was no coincidence that he was picked to be Vice-President. Everyone mocks his outspokeness, but he’s as shrewd a politician as there’s ever been.
The Pope doesn’t just recite platitudes. They will turn on him in time for blaspheming against the God of Money and Greed.
Platitudes are inaulting and demeaning. They are a way of escaping the realities of poor families with insincere words. Those who are ensconced in their safe neighborhoods, far removed from the inner cities haven’t got a clue.
The great Mike Royko wrote back in the 1960’s when Daley was building swimming pools by the dozens on the south and west sides of Chicago, “You might think he is trying to drown most of the black folk in town.”
MonaLeeza
Black voters aren’t the only ones who are still fighting the war on poverty. Poor people are more than aware of who will keep them in poverty on minimum wages. They know who would deny them food assistance, they know who would deny them unemployment, health care, they know who wants to limit their numbers at the polls on election day, they know who would make back alley abortions no longer a thing of the past. Oh yes, they know who to vote for and it won’t be Republicans.
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So … Mona … they might ask you … “which part is the blasphemy-philosophy, blasphemy-law, or blasphemy-civics reference to JT’s post?” … if so … just answer: “that the Pope is enlightening capitalists is not blasphemy doods” …
You said you want to not buy stuff from terror countries. I told you it wasn’t realistic. Then I told you what I want. You called me a child.
But you go on!
“chop up birds”
I asked you if you knew how many birds are killed by cats every year? You ignored me.
“Solar farms roast birds”
I had this debate recently. I’ll give you a hint, the person taking your side gave up. Show my HOW MANY birds are roasted by solar plants. I’ll give you another hint. It’s not many.
Now, I’ll ask again: do you know how many birds are killed by cats every year? How about buildings?
“panels are often made of toxic materials like cadmium”
Computers are made from lots of toxic materials too. We sure transition quickly.
“great many solar companies here in the US went bankrupt”
A great many more didn’t.
You then proceed to tell me things I already know, but thanks for the condescension.
“we have not solved the problems stated above”
You mean all those problems that I just answered? Why do I feel you will ignore those points again.
“Yes, we all want perfectly clean, green, renewable energy independence.”
You sound like a child.
“unless you want to walk everywhere”
My next car will be a Tesla. Most of my electricity comes from Niagra.
“grow your own food with seeds you foraged yourself”
I already do a lot of this.
“so they don’t have to be shipped to you”
They can be shipped efficiently.
“raise sheep, shear them, card the wool, spin it into yarn/thread and then knit or weave your own clothes”
My neighbors do that. We buy some of their stuff.
“what exactly do you propose we do to “transition to renewables now?”
Do you know what transition means? I propose we do that. Now. Start the transition. In fact, we already have. About 99% of all new electric capacity is from renewables these days.
“You can’t just hope that “something would work out.””
I don’t. I vote for people that will make it happen faster. You don’t.
“Were you around for the OPEC oil embargo in the 70′s”
Yes, and?
“It would be the same if Thomas Edison invented the light bulb prototype, and then decreed that all other sources of light would be extinguished that night. ”
No it wouldn’t.
“Obama and Clinton can go head to head with Nixon”
No they can’t. The fact that you would say that shows not only how partisan you are, but how ignorant you are of what went on in the Nixon White House.
“people actually died in Benghazi”
4 people. Do you know how many people died because of Dick Nixon’s policies? Illegal bombing of Cambodia. Coup in Argentina. I could go on all day, but you wouldn’t care.
“Joe Biden made a statement that showed that he was surprised”
He did not show surprise. He was simply stating what he saw as a fact. But let me get this straight… Your argument is that it’s OK to call Obama uppity because Biden said something that wasn’t as bad?
I’ll ask again: do you know what word usually followed uppity?
“you think that’s fine because he did not use the “N” word?”
Where did I say it was fine? Honestly, the propensity to put words in people’s mouths is quite strong with conservatives these days. It’s downright uncivil.
“He thinks less of African Americans than he does of Caucasians.”
I don’t think so. We all make stupid statements. As Dredd has shown, we all have some racism. We all must deal with it. The best way to deal with it is to move forward. Calling a black person “uppity” is moving backwards.
“It was an undisguisedly [sic] racist comment.”
No it wasn’t. But even if it was, do you think there are degrees of racism? Do you think what Joe said is AS BAD as calling Obama “uppity?” If so, then I’m done with you.
“But the Democratic Double Standard allowed it to slide by with little comment.”
No it didn’t. A great many progressives were and are bothered by it. Including me. It’s one of the many reasons I would never vote for Biden for President.
“Give a man a fish, feed him for a day, teach him to fish and feed him for a lifetime.”
Black voters aren’t the only ones who are still fighting the war on poverty. Poor people are more than aware of who will keep them in poverty on minimum wages. They know who would deny them food assistance, they know who would deny them unemployment, health care, they know who wants to limit their numbers at the polls on election day, they know who would make back alley abortions no longer a thing of the past. Oh yes, they know who to vote for and it won’t be Republicans.
Nick’s right. The inner cities need our help. Let’s expand Head Start and Medicaid – SNAP and unemployment. Let’s build more green space and playgrounds. Let’s build new schools and homeless shelters.
Ooops. Lost my head there.
Sorry.
Nick’s right. The inner cities need our help. Let’s expand Head Start and Medicaid – SNAP and unemployment. Let’s build more green space and playgrounds. Let’s build new schools and homeless shelters.
===================
There is no end of problems there. Yes you did lose your head.
With no help, just hindrance from libertarian conservatives, “we” is lying on the editing room floor, “wee” is more like it … hindrance cut “we” into separate “wee” parts … symbolic racism suffers, and their suffering victims … and “we who see it.”
Dredd – If it will get you off this mantra, I will agree that you suffer from symbolic racism. However, I will not agree that anyone else does or that it even actually exists.
Nick’s cut and pasting about wine and cheese is getting better. I think I will try it …
Simply amazing the lengths these savages will go to to protect the name of the false prophet…. the pedophile Muhammed.
Well, we did win the War on Poverty LBJ declared. Just ask all the black voters, defeated and living in war torn inner city neighborhoods.
Scott Supak (@ssupak)
Dredd
“After Ben’s thingy got uppity it required a lot of gauzi, because it got whacked by Senator Widestance.”
Heh. I guess your humor was too much for Schulte to respond to, as he has now dropped this subject.
===========================
It was the “Ben’s thingy got uppity” that stuttered him.
Mike A. said:
“When Congress and the Justice Department decide to take on the war crimes that continue to morally disfigure this nation, I may then be able to control the urge to vomit when yet another self-righteous Congressman announces the formation of yet another committee to conduct yet another hearing on Benghazi.”
Yay!!
We spend more on war than anyone — then begrudge the crumbs tossed at failing infrastructure, education, health, etc.
We’ve been at war with one of the poorest countries on earth for twelve years now.
What does that really say about us as a nation?
Scott:
Joe Biden made a statement that showed that he was surprised, and thought it was historic, that the African American community could produce someone who was intelligent, neat, and articulate, and you think that’s fine because he did not use the “N” word? He thinks less of African Americans than he does of Caucasians. It was an undisguisedly racist comment. But the Democratic Double Standard allowed it to slide by with little comment.
Scott – let’s see, there were the Nixon tapes which he tried to use executive privilege to refuse to hand over (just like Obama uses to prevent handing over emails discussing how to handle the Benghazi scandal), Nixon lied to the American people (so familiar today). Obama and Clinton can go head to head with Nixon, but people actually died in Benghazi.
I’ll bet that matters a lot to their families. And Clinton stood next to their coffins and blamed a video, when she knew that was a lie; it was her negligence that put them there.