Glasgow: July 19, 2013. (Shahid Khan) A UK based human rights organization is calling for International community to stand in solidarity with Aasia Bibi, a resident of Ittianwali Sheikhupura District of Punjab Pakistan a Christian mother of five on death row in Pakistan over blasphemy charges. In June 2009, a blasphemy case attracted international attention when Aasia Bibi was accused of using derogatory words against prophet Muhammed while working on a Muslim farm in her village in an argument over drinking water from the same glass with her fellow Muslim co-workers. Later she was convicted of blasphemy and was handed a death sentence in November, 2010. She became the first woman in the history of Pakistan to receive a capital punishment. Since then due to the backlog of such cases in Pakistan Court, she is languishing in prison pending an appeal from the Lahore High Court amidst threats and fears from the extremists who have put a price over her head. She is being pressurized to convert to Islam. It is also reported that Islamic Literature was found in her prison cell by Nazir Bhatti, Chairman of Pakistan Christian Post. According to the latest report Aasia Bibi has been transferred from Sheikhupura Jail to Multan Jail few weeks ago which is few hundred miles away from her hometown posing more problems for her family to visit her which is also in hiding due to threats from extremists. Global Minorities Alliance (GMA) is calling for the release of Aasia Bibi. The Alliance has recently put an online petition and aims to gather 500,000 signatures across the world to present them to the Pakistan consulate in Glasgow. To sign Free Aasia online petition please see http://www.globalminorities.co.uk/FreeAasia The GMA is also running Twitter Art Competition to raise awareness about persecution of minorities around the world as well as calling for the release of Aasia Bibi. The on-going campaign on twitter is calling Twitter users to participate in online Tweet Art Competition for #FreeAasiaBibi and encourage them to draw designs, pictures and images with #Free Aasia Bibi and submit their entries @no2persecution. The winner of the Tweet Art Competition will get “Free Aasia Bibi GMA T-shirt”. The winner will be announced on 21st of July on GMA Twitter Account. “We have received a massive response by the twitter users from across the world who have shown a massive interest in our campaign to Free Aasia and have submitted their entries and we are trying to reach as many people as we can,” said Alliance' Chief Executive Mr Manassi Bernard. The Last date of #FreeAasia Online twitter campaign is on 20th July midnight EST. The alliance had already written an open letter in April on their website (www.globalminorities.co.uk) to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari to give presidential pardon it states: “We urge you to give presidential clemency to Aasia Bibi, Chrisitan mother of five on death row in Pakistan” The Alliance already wrote to hundreds of mega Churches across the world to invite them to stand in solidarity with Aasia and to encourage them to sign the online petition. “We are committed to reach to hundreds and thousands of people across the world for Aasia’s sake and we continue to struggle and raise our voice for Aasia until she is released,” said Rebecca Gebauer, the Alliance’s director of Diplomatic Affairs. The Alliance is also composing a “Free Aasia Bibi” song which will soon be released in solidarity with her. The song will depict the inner feelings and emotions of Aasia’s daughters who have long been waiting for their mother’s release as well as it will be our way of sharing in her pains and sorrows to say “We stand with you” said Shazar Khan one of the singers while quoting a chorus of the song. (The writer Shahid Khan is the Vice-Chairperson of the alliance and he can be reached at info@globalminorities.co.uK)