There Will Be Riots Because of Asia Bibi's Release, Tells Campaigner
31 October 2018, 17:31 | Updated: 31 October 2018, 18:39
A campaigner for Asia Bibi's release told Eddie Mair that Imams have preached such hate for her across Pakistan that it will be "untenable" for her to stay in the country, and that other Christians may be targeted.
After a Pakistani court overturned the death sentence of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy, Eddie Mair spoke to Wilson Chowdhry from the British Pakistani Christian Association.
Chowdhry told Eddie that "she can't stay in Pakistan. It's untenable for her to live in a country where if she steps out of a door she potentially can be killed."
When Eddie asks if she will have to go into witness protection, Chowdhry responds that "she will have to leave the country. Forget witness protection, that's not going work... She is ubiquitously known across the country."
"I can't imagine anybody doesn't recognise her face and that of her husband and her daughters. They've been posted fairly liberally across the country..There's nobody that wouldn't recognise them", he continued.
"The animosity is so huge, we're talking about hundreds of thousands of irate Muslims taught to hate her through Imams that are teaching a very hardline version of Islam, not the type that's often taught out in the West."
"As consequence of this, it's reached a state where there will be riots. We believe that if the government doesn't intervene and provide protection, you probably will hear about a Christian community being attacked, burnt down like Gojra in 2009."
