A Christian woman in Pakistan on death row for nearly a decade after she allegedly contaminated a water jug -- an offense viewed as blasphemy in the Muslim country -- was acquitted by the country’s top court on Wednesday. Asia Bibi was ordered released eight years after she was sentenced to death in 2010 on blasphemy charges – a landmark ruling that sparked widespread protests around Pakistan by hard-line Islamists and even led to the murder of a local governor. Combatting alleged blasphemy has become a central rally cry for hard-line Islamists. Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab province, was shot and killed by one of his guards in 2011 for defending Bibi and criticizing the misuse of the blasphemy law. The decision is a victory for human rights activists, who said the country’s blasphemy law has been used to settle personal scores or to attack minority communities.

Source: Fox News October 31, 2018 06:11 UTC