Homosexualité, la face cachée du Pakistan

LE POINT: Le pays punit l'homosexualité de la peine de mort. Pourtant, les rapports entre hommes n'ont rien d'exceptionnel. Explications.

Plus de 87 % de la population pakistanaise serait homophobe, selon un sondage du Pew Institute. Pourtant, selon les Google trends (tendances), le Pakistan serait le plus gros consommateur de porno gay au monde. Un paradoxe que l'on retrouve aussi bien dans les moeurs que dans la culture pakistanaise.

Akbar*, un musulman pieux à la longue barbe noire, vit à Lahore, deuxième plus grande ville du pays. Aujourd'hui, il ne va pas au travail. Sa femme n'étant pas là, il a accepté de nous parler de son passe-temps favori : se travestir devant un miroir. "Je fais mes prières et j'honore Allah tous les jours, confesse-t-il, en se mettant du rouge à lèvres. J'ai même une femme, pour faire plaisir à Dieu. Mais pour mon coeur, je vois des hommes." Comme beaucoup d'autres, Akbar doit cacher son homosexualité. Au Pakistan, les rapports entre personnes du même sexe sont en effet passibles de la peine de mort. (+ vidéos) » | Par Marie de Douhet, au Pakistan | jeudi 12 décembre 2014

* Le prénom a été changé.

Bollywood Actress Veena Malik Sentenced to 26 Years in Jail for Blasphemy after Appearing in Mock TV Wedding Scene

THE INDEPENDENT: The GEO TV programme sparked a wave of controversy in the Islamic country when it aired in May, despite the fact similar scenes had been aired in the past

Veena Malik has expressed her anger and disbelief after she was handed a 26-year jail term by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court for ‘malicious acts’ of blasphemy.

Her crime? Appearing in a pretend wedding scene, staged on a daytime show broadcast by Geo TV and based on the marriage of the Prophet Mohamed’s daughter.

The programme sparked a wave of controversy in the Islamic country when it aired in May, despite the fact similar scenes had been aired in the past to little or no such public outrage. Some even apparently suspected that Pakistan’s military were behind the mock wedding, and that it was put on in a bid to wage a blasphemy war against the broadcaster. » | Jenn Selby | Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Pakistan Christian Community Living in Fear after Mob Killings

Shama (L) was pregnant with her fifth child when the couple
were attacked and killed

BBC: The fertile landscape in Chak 59 of Kasur district in the Punjab province is dotted with hundreds of brick kilns.

The factories, owned by powerful landlords, are notorious for thriving on "bonded labour". Hundreds of thousands of people have remained locked in a cycle of debt and poverty for decades.

Rights groups call it a form of modern-day slavery.

Until last week, Sajjad Mesih and his wife Shama, a married Christian couple in their 30s, worked at one such brick kiln.

For years, they got up at dawn, laboured in harsh conditions through the day and finished up at dusk. That was their routine - every day, seven days a week. It was a life of debt and poverty that they hated.

On Tuesday, they were lynched and burnt to death there by a mob on allegations of blasphemy.

Blasphemy is an explosive issue in Pakistan. Reporting of violence in the name of blasphemy is often self-censored, twisted and confused by misreporting.

Piecing together the sequence of events and what led to vicious crimes on the pretext of blasphemy is not always straightforward.

But having visited the remote rural area and after speaking to up to a dozen or so people - including police, family, neighbours and eyewitnesses - here is an account of what the BBC has been able to put together. (+ BBC video) » | Shahzeb Jillani | BBC News | Kasur District | Pakistan | Saturday, November 08, 2014

Pakistani Court Upholds Death Sentence for Christian Woman Accused of Insulting Islam

FOX NEWS: Asia Bibi was harvesting berries in Pakistan five years ago when she took the drink of water that could cost her her life.

A Christian in the Muslim-dominated and increasingly intolerant nation, the mother of five was quickly assailed by the other women working the field in a tiny village in the Punjab province. First they said they would not drink from the same water bucket as a Christian. Later, they told police Bibi had insulted the Muslim Prophet Mohammad. The crime, blasphemy, is punishable by death.

Bibi, who denies insulting Mohammad and maintains her co-workers falsely accused her, was convicted in 2010. Last week, despite an international outcry, a court in Lahore upheld the verdict and affirmed the sentence that Bibi be hanged. The 50-year-old has 30 days to appeal to the nation's highest court.

“This is a grave injustice,” said David Griffiths, Amnesty International’s deputy Asia Pacific director. “Asia Bibi should never have been convicted in the first place – still less sentenced to death – and the fact that she could pay with her life for an argument is sickening.” » | Lisa Daftari | Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Pakistans Premier kritisiert Steinigung

Nawaz Sharif hat die Steinigung einer schwangeren Frau in der pakistanischen Metropole Lahore als «vollkommen inakzeptabel» bezeichnet.

Pakistan : une jeune femme lapidée pour avoir fait un mariage d'amour

LE POINT: Opposée à ces noces, les membres de la famille ont porté plainte pour "kidnapping". Mais, à l'arrivée au tribunal, ils ont ouvert le feu.

Farzana Iqbal, une Pakistanaise âgée de 25 ans, s'était mariée récemment par amour et avait ainsi défié sa famille dans un pays où les mariages forcés demeurent la norme. Enceinte de trois mois, elle a été lapidée à mort mardi, dans le centre d'une grande ville du pays, par des membres de sa propre famille opposés à son mariage. Furieuse, la famille avait porté plainte pour "kidnapping" contre le Roméo de cette Juliette pakistanaise qui s'est présentée mardi à la cour de Lahore (est) où elle devait "dire au juge qu'elle s'était mariée par choix", selon son avocat, Rao Mohammad Kharal. » | Source AFP | mardi 27 mai 2014

Archbishop of Canterbury Arrives in Pakistan to Support Embattled Christians

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Religious minority has suffered blasphemy accusations, terrorists attacks and forced conversions as persecution increases

The Archbishop of Canterbury has arrived in Pakistan to show his backing for the country’s persecuted Christian minority and to ask Muslim leaders for help in building better relations.

The Most Rev Justin Welby is due to meet politicians as well as bishops from the Church of Pakistan before travelling to Bangladesh and India.

The trip, conducted amid tight security, is part of a promise to meet leaders of the Anglican community as early as possible after taking up office and comes as Christians in some parts of the developing world suffer attacks at the hands of Islamist groups.

Xavier William, of Life for All Ministries who is due to meet the archbishop on Wednesday, said the visit was a source of comfort at a time when Pakistan’s Christian community - and other religious minorities – faced unprecedented pressure.

“We are seeing that persecution of Christians has got worse here in recent years,” he said. » | Rob Crilly, Islamabad | Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Pakistan's Geo News Becomes Latest Target in Blasphemy Accusation Trend

THE GUARDIAN: Widespread calls for popular TV channel to be shut down after using Sufi song on broadcast of mock celebrity wedding

Young children, religious minorities and people with mental health problems have all been accused of the crime of blasphemy in Pakistan.

Now the country's most popular television station has shown that even one of Pakistan's most powerful institutions is not immune from a growing trend.

Ever since Geo News was accused of airing blasphemous material on one of its morning shows last week the channel has taken extraordinary security precautions, including removing its corporate branding from the side of its broadcast trucks.

"It's a very dangerous situation because it puts all our staff at risk," said Imran Aslam, president of the channel. "This is not just about the destruction of property or the shutting down of the channel, but lives." » | Jon Boone in Lahore | Thursday, May 22, 2014

Inside Story: Pakistani Justice: A Dysfunctional System?

Controversy over nine-month-old baby charged with attempted murder brings criminal justice system into question.

Pakistani Couple Get Death Sentences for Blasphemy

BBC: A Pakistani Christian couple have been sentenced to death for blasphemy after allegedly sending a text message insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

The couple, named as Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar, were found guilty of sending the text message to the imam of their local mosque.

Allegations of blasphemy against Islam are taken very seriously in Pakistan.

Several recent cases have prompted international concern about the application of blasphemy laws.

The imam brought a complaint against the couple last July.

The couple's lawyer told the BBC he would appeal against the sentences and said the trial had not been conducted fairly.

Pakistan has a de facto moratorium on the death penalty so it is unlikely the couple will be executed.

They come from the town of Gojra in Punjab, previously the scene of communal violence. » | Saturday, April 05, 2014

Pakistan : trois blessés dans une bagarre entre pro et anti-Saint-Valentin

LE PARISIEN: Pas de bisous mais des coups pour la Saint Valentin à Peshawar, au Pakistan. Dans le très conservateur nord-ouest du pays, une bagarre entre étudiants contre la fête de l'amour, et ceux en sa faveur, a fait au moins trois blessés, selon la police. Pour célébrer la fête de l'amour et, oublier un peu les attentats meurtriers qui ensanglantent régulièrement la ville, des membres de la Fédération des étudiants pachtounes, marquée à gauche, avaient organisé un petit rassemblement avec ballons rouges et gâteaux.

Mais la fête de la romance a tourné court. Elle a été interrompue par le débarquement d'un groupe rival en colère, celui des étudiants de la Islami Jamiat Tulba (IJT), proche du parti islamiste Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) qui jugent la Saint-Valentin contraire aux valeurs de l'islam. L'IJT avait appelé ses membres à faire au contraire preuve de modération en célébrant un «Jour de la modestie». » | LeParisien.fr | vendredi 14 février 2014

British Man Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy in Pakistan

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Pakistani court has passed the death sentence on a British national with mental health problems

A court in Pakistan has sentenced a British man to death for blasphemy for claiming to be a prophet of Islam, a prosecutor and police said Friday.

Mohammad Asghar, a British national of Pakistani origin, was arrested in 2010 in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, for writing letters claiming to be a prophet, police said.

The special court inside Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, where Asghar is being held, rejected defence claims that the 65-year-old has mental health problems.

"Asghar claimed to be a prophet even inside the court. He confessed it in front of the judge," Javed Gul, a government prosecutor, told AFP.

"Asghar used to write it even on his visiting card." » | AFP | Friday, January 24, 2014

Pakistanis React with 'Shock and Anger' at Latest Attack

BBC: People have been gathering in major Pakistani cities to protest against the latest suicide attack.

More than 80 people died and 120 were left injured after Islamist bombers detonated two deadly devices outside a church in Peshawar on Sunday.

This attack was the latest in a series of attacks on Pakistani Christians, who represent about 1.6% of the country's overwhelmingly Muslim population.

The BBC's Shazeb Jilani is in Pakistan where protesters told him that they will not 'tolerate' violence against minorities. Watch BBC video » | Monday, September 23, 2013

Dutzende Tote bei Anschlag auf Christen in Pakistan

DIE WELT: Die christliche Minderheit in Pakistan ist Opfer eines blutigen Anschlags geworden. Ein Selbstmordattentäter sprengte sich in einer Kirche in Peschawar in die Luft. Mindestens 60 Menschen starben.

Bei einem Anschlag auf eine christliche Kirche in der nordwestpakistanischen Stadt Peschawar nach dem Gottesdienst sind am Sonntag mindestens 60 Menschen getötet worden. 100 Menschen seien verletzt worden, etwa ein Dutzend davon lebensgefährlich, sagte der Verwaltungschef des Distrikts Peschawar, Sahibzada Anees. Helfer berichteten sogar von 75 Todesopfern.

Unter den Toten seien Kinder. Ein Polizeisprecher sagte, es sei zu zwei Explosionen gekommen, mindestens eine davon sei von einem Selbstmordattentäter ausgelöst worden. » | dpa/AFP/pku | Sonntag, 22. September 2013

Abandoned Babies Given Away on Pakistani TV Programme

BBC: Two baby girls who were abandoned in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi have been allocated new parents during a live television broadcast, the BBC's Orla Guerin reports.

At just over a month old Fatima has already lived through a lot.

Her life began, and could have ended, on a rubbish dump in the sprawling megacity of Karachi. Instead, Fatima was rescued by a charity and placed in the loving care of a childless couple.

It looks like a happy ending but it came about in the full glare of television cameras. The sleeping infant was one of two abandoned girls handed over during live broadcasts of "Amaan Ramzan", a blend of Islam and entertainment, which runs during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. (+ video) » | Friday, August 02, 2013

Princess Diana Was 'Madly in Love' with Heart Surgeon Hasnat Khan

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Princess Diana was 'madly in love' with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan and considered moving to Pakistan to be with him, close friend Jemima Khan has revealed.

Diana wanted to marry the doctor, with whom she had a two-year relationship, and secretly met his family in Pakistan to discuss the possibility of a union, according to Jemima.

She is understood to have told two other friends that she wanted a daughter with the eminent surgeon.

"Diana was madly in love with Hasnat Khan and wanted to marry him," Jemima told Vanity Fair. "Even if that meant living in Pakistan, and that’s one of the reasons why we became friends.”

Jemima disclosed that Diana visited her twice in Pakistan to help fund-raise for the hospital where her former husband Imran Khan – a distant cousin of Diana's lover – worked.

"Both times she also went to meet his family secretly to discuss the possibility of marriage to Hasnat," she said. » | Alice Philipson | Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Pakistani Girl Falsely Accused of Blasphemy 'in Canada'
BBC: A Pakistani Christian girl who was falsely accused of blasphemy has fled to Canada with her family, a Christian organisation says.

Rimsha Masih, aged 14, was detained in a maximum security prison for several weeks in August 2012, accused of burning pages from the Koran.

The case attracted widespread international concern.

Although charges against Rimsha were dropped, she and her family were forced into hiding after death threats.

Rimsha, who is believed to have learning difficulties, was arrested in a Christian area of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, after a furious crowd demanded she be punished.

A local Muslim cleric has since been accused of framing her. » | Saturday, June 29, 2013

Pakistan Internet Users Top Google Searches for Gay Sex Despite Being One of the World's Most Homophobic Countries
MAIL ONLINE: Survey shows only 2 per cent think society should accept homosexuality / Google gives Pakistan a 100 rating in trends analysis of internet searches

Pakistan has the highest volume of internet searches for gay pornography despite being one of the least tolerant countries when it comes to homosexuality.

The most searches for terms related to same-sex acts came from a conservative stronghold, the city of Peshawar, rather than major cosmopolitan cities such as Lahore and Karachi, according to analysis of Google trends by Mother Jones.

Pakistan was given a rating of 100 by the search engine for having the highest search traffic for the pornography terms.

Gay sex is illegal in the Islamic country and carries a sentence of two to ten years in prison if caught.

This week, the Pew Research Center revealed figures for the places that are most intolerant of homosexuality from a survey of 39 countries.

Only two per cent of Pakistanis surveyed said 'yes' to the question: 'Should society accept homosexuality?' » | Daily Mail Reporter | Saturday, June 15, 2013

Imran Khan on Election Campaign Trail
BBC: Three bombs have exploded in north-west Pakistan killing at least eight people.

They are the latest in a series of attacks targeting politicians in the run-up to May's general election.

After five years of democratic rule the country is struggling with terrorist attacks, inflation, and crippling power cuts.

Now, the party led by the country's former cricket captain, Imran Khan, has been gaining ground and could change the political landscape.

Orla Guerin reports from Punjab. Watch the BBC video » | Sunday, April 28, 2013

7.8 Earthquake Hits Iran-Pakistan Border