Farahnaz Ispahani The Trump administration’s deal with the Taliban ignores human rights concerns. The recently signed peace deal between the United States of America and the Taliban, whom the U.S. deemed as terrorists until recently, reflects not just American military withdrawal from Afghanistan but also an abandonment of Afghan women, children, and religious minorities. Given the well-documented record of their …
NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro asks Farahnaz Ispahani, who served in Pakistan’s Parliament, about Prime Minister Imran Khan’s upcoming White House visit. Tomorrow, President Trump will welcome Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to the White House. Prime Minister Khan won election last year after charting an unusual path to political power as a former cricket captain and an international playboy. Both countries …
As the Islamic State caliphate’s last redoubt of Baghouz falls to U.S. allied forces, more than 50,000 women and children have recently streamed into camps run by Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria. Among them is a 24-year-old Hoda Muthana, a former Alabama student and a three-time jihadi bride. This summer, a United States federal court will decide her appeal concerning …
Following your own religious beliefs shouldn’t be a crime, but in Indonesia, new technologies are helping authorities identify and potentially prosecute religious minorities who follow “deviant teachings.” Indonesian English language media and Human Rights Watch have expressed alarm as Indonesia Launched a so-called ‘Snitch’ App targeting religious minorities. It is feared within human rights circles that the app has the …
Abstract Although Pakistan was created as a homeland for South Asia’s Muslims, religious freedom was one of its founding principles. Seventy years later, Pakistan is better known for religious extremism and the persecution of Muslim and non-Muslim religious minorities. Pakistan’s blasphemy law is a state-sanctioned tool of religious oppression used to target members of minority faith communities whether Ahmadiya, Christian, …
Wednesday has been a groundbreaking day for the millions of people both within and outside Pakistan who have worked and prayed for the release of Asia Bibi. Bibi, an illiterate berry picker, was accused and then convicted for allegedly defiling the name of the Prophet Mohammed. Her Muslim neighbors objected to her drinking water from the same glass as them …
Saturday, October 13, 2018 Dhaka, Bangladesh – Heading into Bangladesh’s elections for the Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament), a pre-election delegation of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) found that, while Bangladesh has several fundamental elements in place for holding credible elections, including a tradition of political pluralism and strong public support for democratic principles the polls will take place amid a high degree of …
Asia Bibi’s case illustrates how blasphemy laws are used to persecute the weakest of the weak among the country’s religious minorities. After a long and tortured eight years, Asia Noreen Bibi — a poor agricultural worker, who has been sitting on death row on allegations of blasphemy — finally had her appeal heard by Pakistan’s Supreme Court. But, like many …
TEHRAN – Pakistan has just given mandate to Imran Khan led Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf (PTI) to form the new government, albeit with the help of other smaller parties. Despite controversies surrounding the election outcome, Imran Khan is all set to take oath as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan later this week. The new government faces many challenges in terms …