Save My Father Hector Aleem
Submitted by Mehwish Aleem on Thu, 12/03/2009 - 10:24
At a time that the United Nations called Switzerland's ban on new minarets "clearly discriminatory and deeply divisive, and the whole world is condemning the Swiss for their vote, I would like to bring to the attention of the world my plight.
My name is Mehwish Aleem and my father (Hector Aleem) is a human rights activist in Pakistan. He has been working as a human rights activist since 1996. He is running an NGO with the name of PEACE WORLDWIDE. Hector Aleem has worked for Christians and Muslims without prejudice. But today Hector Aleem is in jail and he could be killed at any time.
My father was working for a church destroyed by CDA (capital development authority) in Islamabad Pakistan. The church was destroyed because according to CDA it was built illegally. The charge was false.
There are many mosques in Islamabad (the capital of Pakistan) that are built with no permit, but if anyone objects to them, all Muslims riot and as the result no one dare to touch them. For example, there was a vacant lot near my house and a Maulvi (Muslim leader) started to build a mosque on it. The land actually belonged to an absentee owner. When the owner learned about it, he protested and asked for the destruction of the illegally built mosque. All Muslims rioted and threatened the owner. As the result he was forced to give up his land in order to save his life. The government did not interfere. Churches on the other hand are destroyed by the governments own agents.
When Hector Aleem objected the destruction of the church he was faced several lawsuits ranging from fraud to criminal charges. He fought all of them in the courts and proved his innocence.
His opponents also tried to assassinate him several times. The Maulvies threatened him that if he continues to work for the church or preach Christianity they would kill him and kill his sons, and would marry off his daughters to Muslims forcing them to convert to Islam.
During this time Hector Aleem received a Peace award by Mr. Yousaf Raza Gillani the prime minister of Pakistan. One month later, on 21st January, 2009 he was arrested by the police. They severely beat him and tortured him mentally and physically. After 24 hours of not knowing what were the charges, we were told that his offence is blasphemy, a charge that caries death penalty in Pakistan.
According to the first information report someone sent a blasphemous message to a leader of Sunni Tehreek (a Muslim extremist organization) and that sender had once contacted my father. So my father is guilty by association. Since they could not find that person, they arrested my father.
Hector Aleem, is 51 years old and is a heart patient. He is not allowed to take his medication and is denied visitation. During his trial a large mob gathered in front of the court chanting slogans against him and threatened the judge that if he releases my father they will kill him themselves and they will destroy the court and will also kill the judge and the lawyer who defended my father. Under the mobs pressure, the judge refused bail. The lawyer of the plaintiffs, who is a Maulvi, threatened the judge that if he releases my father, he (my father) will be killed as soon as he steps outside the court.
Then on 24 June 2009, chief justice of Pakistan Mr. Iftikhar Ahmed Chaudry granted my father bail, but the Maulvies lodged many other criminal cases against him so that he cannot come out.
Hector Aleem is still in jail. It is one year since his capture. The police are in cahoots with the Maulvies. Once two policemen went to my fathers cell and told him that even if he is granted a bail they will not let a blasphemer out. They will lodge so many cases against him that he will not be able to bear them. Soon after that they proceeded to lodge more charges against my father. They used to take him to the police station every fifteen days, where they beat him and torture him in front of the Maulvies and the Taliban.
I am crying out for help. I plead to all those who champion the right of Muslims to build more minarets to also champion the right to life of the minorities in Islamic countries. Are minarets more important than our lives?
Please sign my petition. Please write to the Pakistani authorities listed bellow and ask them to release my father Hector Aleem as soon as possible. He is not guilty of any crime and the accusations of blasphemy that are made against are false. They want to destroy him because he objected to the destruction of a church.
Today, all our family is in hiding. All of us have received death threats. My siblings and I have left our studies and hide for our safety. There is no future for us in this country. If my father is released he will be killed by the mob. We need to get out of Pakistan. Please help us if you can. We dont know where to turn and whom to ask for help.
There is so much hoo-ha about the ban of minarets in Switzerland, but will anyone hear our cry? Is erecting minarets more important than the lives of non-Muslims living in Islamic countries?
Please make my cry and cry of my family reach to the ears of those who care. We have done nothing wrong. Our only crime is to be Christians in an Islamic country.
Please contact these authorities and tell them to release my father. They know Hector Aleem is innocent, they are afraid of the mob. Your concern will give them the excuse to act.
Save My Father Hector Aleem | Islam | FaithFreedom
