Blasphemy: A Memoir: Sentenced to Death Over a Cup of Water
Bibi, a Pakistani wife and mother, was sentenced to death in 2009 because she is a Christian who drank from a well used by Muslims. Working with French journalist Tollet, Bibi has been able to tell her story through her husband, Ashiq. The 42-year-old mother of five recalls the incident that landed her in prison on a day she went fruit picking and, overcome with thirst, went to a well and drank. Accused of contaminating the water because she is Christian, she defended her religion even when brought before the village imam and given the choice of conversion or death. Bibi describes horrific conditions and the slow death of unjust incarceration and the constant fear of being hanged or killed by other prisoners when a bounty is placed on her. She is thrown into solitary confinement when her case gains the attention of people of prominence from Hillary Clinton to Pope Benedict XVI. This is a harrowing story of a woman’s strong religious convictions in the face of death and of the urgent call to save her life. --Vanessa Bush