A Pakistani girl launching her ‘controversial’ book in the West

By Mariam Khan

Islamabad, Nov 6 (Pak Destiny) A Pakistani girl, who was forced to seek asylum in Germany after threats to her life from extremists, is going to launch her ‘controversial’ book next month in the West.

A couple of clerics had issued edict (Fatwa) several months ago on 21-year-old Iqra for writing a book “Christian Muslim Dialogue and Pakistan Blasphemy Law”, terming that it contains blasphemy material.

Earlier a cleric had issued a similar Fatwa against Pakistan’s Punjab province Governor Salmaan Taseer who was later shot dead by his police guard Mumtaz Qadri in 2011.

Iqra Nadeem is a writer, director and actress. She used to write stage dramas and performed many times on stage mostly with a central theme of human rights. Being a liberal and courageous student of Lahore back in 2008, she would take upminorities’ issues. Her play “Dia Jalta Hai“( The Hope Lives On) was nominated as the play focusing on human rights and was awarded the first prize by the Ministry of Human Rights Pakistan in 2009. In the same year she won the best actress award in the drama competition.

Her book – Christian Muslim Dialogue and Pakistan Blasphemy Law – was published in 2012. Soon after its publication the clerics demanded immediate ban and confiscation of the copies from the Pakistani market. Subsequently, the Pakistani government had banned it after a series of protests by the clerics.

Christian minority community is of the view that Iqra is another addition to the list of the victimized Christian women – Asia bibi, Rimsha Masih and Ruma.

Iqra is now launching this book in the Netherlands on Dec 13. The event is being organized by the United Religious Initiative headed by Bart Ten Broek. -Pak Destiny

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