Woman sentenced to death for insulting "Islam" on WhatsApp

The court released its verdict two years after Aneeqa Ateeq, 26, was charged with sharing "blasphemous material" against Prophet Muhammad.

Thursday, 20th January 2022

Woman sentenced to death for insulting "Islam" on WhatsApp

Aneeqa Ateeq, 26, was charged with sharing "blasphemous material" against Prophet Muhammad as her WhatsApp status in May 2020. According to a court in Pakistan, a Muslim lady was sentenced to death on Wednesday after being found guilty of sending a blasphemous text message and caricatures of Prophet Muhammad via WhatsApp. In Muslim-majority Pakistan, blasphemy is a highly sensitive matter, and laws forbidding it can result in a death sentence, but this has never been carried out. The court statement added that Aneeqa Ateeq, 26, was detained in May 2020 and accused with posting "blasphemous content" as her WhatsApp status. When a friend advised her to update it, she instead forwarded the information to him, according to the report. The verdict was handed out in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, with the court ruling that she be "hung by her neck till she dies." She was also sentenced to 20 years in prison. According to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, up to 80 persons are known to be imprisoned in Pakistan on blasphemy charges, half of whom face life in prison or the death penalty. While many cases involve Muslims accusing Muslims, religious minorities, notably Christians, have been warned that blasphemy allegations are sometimes used to settle personal scores. After being accused of blasphemy, a Sri Lankan plant manager working in Pakistan was beaten to death and set ablaze by a mob in December.