Escape from Pakistan
Donation protected
THESE ARE AATIF‘S OWN WORDS:
I Have Been Beaten Up By Muslim Extremist. [NOTE: They were family members.]
My clashes with my family are due to their conservative thinking and being an ex-muslim . I know my sisters will be married to some uneducated and extremist mullas like slave girls.
I am an educated person but I can`t make help myself or my sisters if I don`t get out of this extremist and conservative society.
I am trying for any safe country to go there and get a little bit job. Then I will be able to do something for my sisters future and also my future. I need your help to make this happen in any moderate and developed country to go there and settle myself.
THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has draconian anti-blasphemy laws. They invoke the death penalty for offenders.
In fact the Pakistani government has begun a crackdown on social media, seeking to ferret out and destroy any source of dissent: Pakistan Cracks Down on 'Blasphemous' Social Media Content
The photo at the top of this page is screenshot from a mass text sent out to cell phones in Pakistan, one of several urging people to find and turn in secularists operating on the internet.
Many of those accused of blasphemy are killed before there are ever even official charges leveled. Dozens have died this way. A rumor can be enough, as happened in the case of Mashal Khan, a student brutally murdered by his fellow students; see this article: Places of darkness: A “blasphemy killing” at a university shocks Pakistan. The violence is a sign of rising intolerance on campuses.
All persons who have previously spoken freely and bravely about the value of secularism and dared to criticize Islam in any way are now at peril of their lives. They must find a way to escape Pakistan.
My friend Aatif (pseudonym) is such a person. Aatif is a kind man, a good man, the sort of man who adopts dying street kittens and nurses them back to life. Aatif is a man who would be credit to any sensible country.
But he has left the faith. He has run and/or contributed to Facebook pages that combat the Islamicization of his culture. That makes him a blasphemer. If he cannot gather the funds to escape Pakistan, sooner or later he will be identified and killed.
His choices are limited. Few countries will even consider admitting a young unmarried man from a Muslim country. For those that will, visas are expensive. Plane tickets are expensive. Rent, meals, all these costs must be anticipated, for finding work takes time and it is likely to be menial and low-paying work when secured.
And despite his education in computer science, like most people in his country, Aatif is poor. He owns nothing but his laptop, his lifeline to the outside world, purchased with money from earlier generous donors to this GoFundMe page.
The more funds Aatif has, the more choices will be open to him. Should we secure the full $10,000, it might just be possible to get him somewhere that will grant him asylum. But just a few thousand dollars will get him out of the country, beyond the reach of the fanatics, beyond the ever-present threat of the secret police who torture, maim and kill those who dare to think for themselves.
Keep Aatif alive. Keep freedom of thought alive. Fund his escape from Pakistan!
NOTE: GoFundMe does not disburse funds to Pakistan. I will collect the money on Aatif’s behalf and pass all that I receive through to him by bank transfer using Transferwise , which will ensure he does not lose money to fees and unfair rates of exchange. And yes, Aatif has been vetted; he is not a terrorist! He is a victim of their agenda.
I Have Been Beaten Up By Muslim Extremist. [NOTE: They were family members.]
My clashes with my family are due to their conservative thinking and being an ex-muslim . I know my sisters will be married to some uneducated and extremist mullas like slave girls.
I am an educated person but I can`t make help myself or my sisters if I don`t get out of this extremist and conservative society.
I am trying for any safe country to go there and get a little bit job. Then I will be able to do something for my sisters future and also my future. I need your help to make this happen in any moderate and developed country to go there and settle myself.
THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has draconian anti-blasphemy laws. They invoke the death penalty for offenders.
In fact the Pakistani government has begun a crackdown on social media, seeking to ferret out and destroy any source of dissent: Pakistan Cracks Down on 'Blasphemous' Social Media Content
The photo at the top of this page is screenshot from a mass text sent out to cell phones in Pakistan, one of several urging people to find and turn in secularists operating on the internet.
Many of those accused of blasphemy are killed before there are ever even official charges leveled. Dozens have died this way. A rumor can be enough, as happened in the case of Mashal Khan, a student brutally murdered by his fellow students; see this article: Places of darkness: A “blasphemy killing” at a university shocks Pakistan. The violence is a sign of rising intolerance on campuses.
All persons who have previously spoken freely and bravely about the value of secularism and dared to criticize Islam in any way are now at peril of their lives. They must find a way to escape Pakistan.
My friend Aatif (pseudonym) is such a person. Aatif is a kind man, a good man, the sort of man who adopts dying street kittens and nurses them back to life. Aatif is a man who would be credit to any sensible country.
But he has left the faith. He has run and/or contributed to Facebook pages that combat the Islamicization of his culture. That makes him a blasphemer. If he cannot gather the funds to escape Pakistan, sooner or later he will be identified and killed.
His choices are limited. Few countries will even consider admitting a young unmarried man from a Muslim country. For those that will, visas are expensive. Plane tickets are expensive. Rent, meals, all these costs must be anticipated, for finding work takes time and it is likely to be menial and low-paying work when secured.
And despite his education in computer science, like most people in his country, Aatif is poor. He owns nothing but his laptop, his lifeline to the outside world, purchased with money from earlier generous donors to this GoFundMe page.
The more funds Aatif has, the more choices will be open to him. Should we secure the full $10,000, it might just be possible to get him somewhere that will grant him asylum. But just a few thousand dollars will get him out of the country, beyond the reach of the fanatics, beyond the ever-present threat of the secret police who torture, maim and kill those who dare to think for themselves.
Keep Aatif alive. Keep freedom of thought alive. Fund his escape from Pakistan!
NOTE: GoFundMe does not disburse funds to Pakistan. I will collect the money on Aatif’s behalf and pass all that I receive through to him by bank transfer using Transferwise , which will ensure he does not lose money to fees and unfair rates of exchange. And yes, Aatif has been vetted; he is not a terrorist! He is a victim of their agenda.
Organiser
Janet L. Factor
Organiser
Springfield, IL