Blasphemy Quotes

“Now that you know my story, tell other people you know about what has happened to me. Spread the word. I believe this is the only chance I have of not dying in this dungeon. I need you. Help me.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“So now you know a bit more about me, it’s you I want to speak to. You’ve read my story and you’ve learned about my country, our life that’s happy in spite of everything – or could be. I’m just one woman among all the very many women of this world, but I humbly believe that my suffering is like that of others. I long for my persecutors’ eyes to be opened, for the situation in my country to change.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“The one thing that keeps me going, despite all the deprivation, anger and this terrible fear that never leaves me, is the certainty that I am innocent. The certainty that I am being treated unjustly. And the desire to bear witness, to do what I can so that my fight will help other people. I’ve got no education, I’ve always lived very simply, but today I think perhaps my life will have an impact on the life of my country.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“Now we’re all alone.’
Tahir answers me firmly:
‘No, Asia. We aren’t alone. Shahbaz Bhatti has a brother called Paul. He has taken up the torch and he’s going to fight on. I know he’s seen Pope Benedict XVI.’
‘The Pope?’ My heart leaps inside me.
‘Yes, and he didn’t go alone. The Bishop of Faisalabad, Monsignor Joseph Coutts, went with him, and the imam of the Badshahi mosque in Lahore, Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad.’
‘The imam went too?’ It’s one surprise after another. Ashiq says nothing, but a timid smile appears on his lips.
‘Yes, the imam went too. He’s a brave man. That’s why we mustn’t give up hope. You must stay strong, Asia. You are not alone.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“My life belongs to the Lord, I know, and if I’m still alive today, despite everything that has happened to me, it can’t be an accident. It’s because God has given me a mission. Perhaps, through my story, I, a poor uneducated farmer’s daughter, can help others like me, and maybe save them from the death penalty. If I can stay alive, perhaps one day the blasphemy law will be changed. And even if I don’t survive much longer, I have no right to kill myself.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“Even if I could look in a mirror, I don’t know if I’d dare. I’m so afraid I wouldn’t recognise myself. Basically I think I don’t want to know; I prefer to think I’m pretty like Ashiq always says, as beautiful as the day I turned twenty.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“I’m such bad news that even the big black fly has flown away. It must have realised it too might be killed through contact with me, like Salman Taseer and now Shahbaz Bhatti.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“I’m cross with myself for speaking so angrily to God. God is all love and can’t be held responsible for human madness, for all the hatred in the world.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“I fix my attention on the spider, trying to create a moment of calm, get my breath back and forget, if only for a second, how dangerous people can be. I watch it busily weaving its web, delicately and with great attention to detail. The sight is soothing. Unlike me, this spider seems to know exactly what it has to do; it does its work without a moment’s hesitation and seems so confident. This little spider doesn’t seem to have any cracks in its world, while mine is falling to pieces.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“I try to say a few words out loud, to see if my voice still works. Ashiq didn’t come last Tuesday, so I haven’t used it for more than ten days. I use it so little since I’ve been isolated in here that I wonder if my voice won’t give out one day. I’ve also lost a lot of weight. My health isn’t very good. My muscles don’t work the way they used to, I feel less alert, and wonder how I can ever go back to the things I used to do – fruit picking in particular is physically tiring and hurts your back. I feel like I’m 100 years old and, even if I’m one day released, I won’t be able to go back to the same life.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“It’s terrifying to think of all those thousands of people going out into the streets to shout that I should die – me, a poor insignificant woman! Against my will I’ve become a symbol of the blasphemy law.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“What should - or can - Christians say if a Muslim asks them if they believe in Allah and the Prophet Muhammad? I was brought up to believe in Christ, the Virgin Mary and the Holy Trinity. I respect Islam and the Muslim faith, but what can I say when they ask me? If I say I believe in God and Jesus Christ rather than Allah, I’m regarded as a blasphemer. If I say I believe in Allah, I’m a traitor, like St Peter when he denied Jesus three times. These are questions I never used to think about.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“I often wonder how my neighbours from my old cell are doing. There are around a hundred of us women locked up here, mostly accused of adultery. But in reality many of them have been raped. Although these women are victims, they’re regarded as guilty.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“Later my lawyer told me that lots of prisoners accused of blasphemy never even get to court because they are killed in their cells before they can go for trial”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“I, Asia Bibi, have become a pariah and anyone who gives me any kind of help or support is considered to be a blasphemer too.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“I explained what had really happened with those women, who’d turned hysterical at the thought of drinking water served by a Christian; how, after the argument, I was chased by a mad crowd and beaten by several villagers who dragged me to the police station; how, once there, I was unjustly accused of having blasphemed and the police threw me into a cell, under pressure from the crowd and the village mullah. At that point in my story Salman Taseer thanked me warmly. I was relieved to have been able to tell the truth.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“The governor started talking at once. He told the journalists that I’d been unjustly accused, that the law against blasphemy was open to criminal misuse against the most vulnerable religious minorities, that not only was it against the principles of Islam but it did nothing to serve that religion. Then he stopped speaking. I understood that it was my turn. I was terrified - I didn’t think I could do it. Women of my kind aren’t expected to speak at all, let alone in public, and certainly not in front of strangers. I didn’t know what to say and started to stammer something inaudible. The governor quickly came to my aid. He interrupted me and, with a little nod of encouragement, asked me to tell the journalists what had happened in the village.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“We went in. I was dazzled by a yellow light. There were a lot of people in there, making a lot of noise. A tall, heavily built man in glasses came towards me. ‘Hello, Asia, I’m Salman Taseer, the Governor of Punjab. I’ve heard about what happened to you and I know that you’ve been victimised. I’ve organised a press conference, so you can tell the whole world that you are innocent.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“Khalil always gives me food as though I’m worse than a dog. Misty-eyed, I note he doesn’t look the same as usual. He stares at me. He’s about to say something, laughs and tells me: ‘Your guardian angel has just been assassinated because of you. Your beloved Governor Salman Taseer, that Muslim traitor, is now bathing in his own blood. He was killed with twenty-five bullets in Islamabad for defending you. Good riddance! You’d better keep your head down!’
Salman Taseer was a good man. He was governor of my province, the largest and richest in Pakistan. With its ninety million inhabitants, they call Punjab the ‘land of the five rivers’ and ‘the land of the pure’; Salman Taseer was one of those. He wasn’t a typical politician, he wasn’t power-hungry and greedy like some, he was a humanist who was quick to oppose the Taliban and the Islamic extremists. When he heard about my death sentence, he defended me in public.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“With each footstep my heart beats faster. I don’t feel the cold any more, but I’m overwhelmed by fear. I’m convinced all this bustling about is to do with me: they’re going to come and take me away to hang me, as Judge Iqbal decided more than ten weeks ago. This fear that takes me over is so strong that I lose touch with reality. What seems to me like hours is almost certainly only a few minutes.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“Back in my cell, I still can’t believe it. The Holy Father, the Pope himself, is thinking of me and praying for me. I wonder if I deserve so much honour and attention. Why me? I’m just a poor country woman and there must be other people in the world suffering just as much as me – or worse. Thank you, thank you, God, for all the good you have done me today. For the first time I go to sleep in my cell feeling happy.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“I think of my children, who must also be feeling desperate. I’m not dead yet, but it won’t be long now. It’s been ten days since the judge passed his sentence and I know I could find myself with a rope round my neck at any moment.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“In isolated villages like ours age doesn’t matter. Ageing is a part of life, like the passing of time and the changing weather.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“Zarmina was a Muslim, accused of blasphemy like me. Her story was totally absurd. She had just got married when she and her husband had a motorbike crash in Shergarh, several hours’ drive from here. Luckily they weren’t badly hurt, but when her husband lost control of the bike with Zarmina riding pillion behind him, it careered into a monument dedicated to the Prophet Muhammad. Zarmina and her husband were both accused of blasphemy and thrown into prison. And now Zarmina is dead. She was nice; I will miss her. Why have we two been accused of blasphemy, my Muslim sister who died last night and me? I don’t understand it. Have people gone mad?”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“I put my hand on my chest, now flat as a plank of wood. My belly has hollowed out, my thighs have melted away, my arms are shrinking to nothing and from looking at my hands you’d think I was dead already. I’d like to cry, but today I have no tears left. I’d like to shout, but I can tell I’ve got no voice. My feeble breath is just enough to keep me in the world. I’d tear out my hair, but I like it too much to lose it. In this place I’ve learned how to die while I’m still alive.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“So my fate was to be in the hands of the President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari. I knew his name because he was our president, but I didn’t have any opinions about him. I’m not educated enough to understand politics. Everything I know has been picked up here and there, listening to my father and my uncle talking about him when we saw him on flyers and posters. Women of my position don’t ask questions or join in discussions of that kind. It’s only now that I realise what a shame it is that men think women don’t need to know anything about things like that. After all, we are subject to the same laws.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“I’m very frightened for my family. They’re in danger too. They left our village a long time ago and my husband hasn’t been able to work since I was arrested. They’re hiding at the home of some cousins in Dingo, but my husband told me they’ll have to leave soon because it’s no longer safe for them in the village. They’ve received threats.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“The prosecutor looked very serious. He wrote in a big book, in silence. I was physically exhausted by our conversation and shaken up by having to make the effort to remember all the details of that horrible story. If I could, I’d wipe the entire thing from my memory. Better still, I’d like to go back in time and never go fruit-picking at all.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“How can they rejoice at someone’s death? Human beings need to get better, they need to progress! Why am I so different? Why don’t I feel pleasure at the sight of the sufferings of others? I’m not made the same way as them; that must be why they reject me, why they want to see me gone.”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water

“Death by hanging – how horrible! And as if killing me wasn’t enough, they’d also said I had to pay a fine of 300,000 rupees! I’ve never had that much money and never will. Why are they doing this to me? Am I supposed to pay to have myself killed?”
― Asia Bibi, Blasphemy: the true, heartbreaking story of the woman sentenced to death over a cup of water