{"id":2585159,"date":"2026-03-29T23:06:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T03:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christian-father-may-be-executed-by-islamic-country\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T23:09:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T03:09:08","slug":"christian-father-may-be-executed-by-islamic-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christian-father-may-be-executed-by-islamic-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Christian Father May Be Executed by Islamic Country"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fchristian-father-may-be-executed-by-islamic-country%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2585159&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A report highlights Ishtiaq Saleem, a 34-year-old Christian sanitation worker from Islamabad, who faces a possible <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jon-ossoff-aoc-stick-up-for-white-supremacist-murderer-dylann-roof\/\" title=\"Jon Ossoff, AOC Stick Up for White Supremacist Murderer Dylann Roof\">death sentence<\/a> after <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >allegedly downloading blasphemous material<\/a> on social media. He was arrested in November 2022 and has remained imprisoned as his case proceeds. ADF International argues that Saleem is a victim of the so\u2011called \u201cBlasphemy Business Group,\u201d a network accused of fabricating blasphemy accusations to entrap and extort people, and it alleges collaboration with Pakistan\u2019s Federal Investigation Agency to target Christians and other minorities. The lead prosecutor in the case is said to be the group\u2019s leader as well. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rising-baby-name-trend-could-become-the-new-normal-is-our-nation-in-danger\/\" title=\"Is the Rising Baby Name Trend a Threat to Our Nation?\">article raises concerns<\/a> about the fairness of the proceedings, noting that Saleem\u2019s trial has concluded while his co-defendant Muhammad Umair\u2019s case is still pending, with a verdict expected after those proceedings end. Advocates say Saleem did nothing wrong and have repeatedly sought bail, which lower courts and the Supreme Court have denied, expressing hope that the trial exposes weaknesses in the prosecution\u2019s case and the misuse of blasphemy laws. Thay remain hopeful for an acquittal so Saleem can return to his family.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A Pakistani Christian is awaiting a possible death sentence after allegedly downloading &ldquo;blasphemous material&rdquo; on social media.<\/p>\n<p>Ishtiaq Saleem, 34, is a father and a sanitation worker from Islamabad. He was arrested in November 2022 for allegedly downloading the material, and has languished in prison as his case proceeds, according to a March 10 <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/christian-father-targeted-by-pakistans-blasphemy-business-group-faces-possible-death-penalty\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">release<\/a> from ADF International.<\/p>\n<p>The legal advocacy group said that Saleem fell victim to the &ldquo;Blasphemy Business Group&rdquo; &mdash; a network accused of &ldquo;fabricating blasphemy accusations to entrap individuals for the purpose of blackmail and extortion.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The entity reportedly works with Pakistan&rsquo;s Federal Investigation Agency to pin blasphemy charges on Christians and other religious minorities.<\/p>\n<p>Rao Abdur Rahim, the lead prosecution counsel in the Saleem case, also happens to be the leader of the Blasphemy Business Group.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">In Pakistan, blasphemy laws are a major threat to Christians, violating their right to freely and peacefully worship.<\/p>\n<p>Ishtiaq Saleem, a Christian father, has been imprisoned for 3 years and could soon be given the DEATH PENALTY, all because of his faith.<\/p>\n<p>&#128071;More from&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sBfRwMpiSo\">pic.twitter.com\/sBfRwMpiSo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; ADF International (@ADFIntl) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ADFIntl\/status\/2035008881026310482?\">March 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>That raises &ldquo;serious concerns about the fairness of the proceedings,&rdquo; ADF International noted.<\/p>\n<p>Saleem&rsquo;s trial is now over, but Muhammad Umair, who is accused alongside Saleem, still has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-dc-judges-issue-orders-governing-trump-teams-ability-to-view-classified-evidence\/\" title=\"Florida and DC judges set rules for Trump team&#039;s access to classified evidence.\">ongoing court proceedings<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>That means a verdict will likely be decided when those proceedings are over as well.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Ishtiaq committed no wrong and was simply living his life as a Christian in Pakistan when he was arrested. He has now spent three years behind bars, separated from his family,&rdquo; Tehmina Arora, the director of advocacy at ADF International for Asia, said in the release.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Pakistan Christian Saleem Ishtiaq, a sanitation worker in Islamabad, arrested for allegedly of posting blasphemous content on Facebook. As a result, he was arrested for electronic crimes PECA &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/blasphemy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#blasphemy<\/a> 295c PPC Mandatory Penalty death sentence. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cn5xEbg2Sp\">pic.twitter.com\/cn5xEbg2Sp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Faraz Pervaiz (@FarazPervaiz3) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FarazPervaiz3\/status\/2011605045041881202?\">January 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;No one should face the threat of death or years in prison based on fabricated accusations of blasphemy. Cases like this illustrate the immense pressure faced by Christians and religious minorities in Pakistan.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>While awaiting a verdict, Saleem has appealed numerous times for bail, but his applications have been denied by lower courts and even the Supreme Court of Pakistan.<\/p>\n<p>While Saleem remains under tremendous threat because of his Christian faith, ADF International is &ldquo;hopeful that the trial has exposed significant weaknesses in the prosecution&rsquo;s case and the misuse of the blasphemy laws to exhort and harass religious minorities.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>They are hoping for an acquittal so that Saleem can return to his family.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ishtiaq Saleem, a 34-year-old Christian from Islamabad who works as a sanitation worker and is a father, faces the possible death penalty after allegedly downloading blasphemous material on social media. He was arrested in November 2022 and has remained in prison as his case proceeds, according to a March 10 update from ADF International. The group alleges Saleem fell victim to a network it calls the Blasphemy Business Group, which is accused of fabricating blasphemy claims to blackmail and extort people; the organization supposedly collaborates with Pakistan\u2019s Federal Investigation Agency to press blasphemy charges against Christians and other religious minorities, with the lead prosecutor in Saleem\u2019s case, Rao Abdur Rahim, said to be the group\u2019s head.<\/p>\n<p>In Pakistan, blasphemy laws are seen as a major threat to Christians\u2019 right to worship freely. Saleem has spent about three years in custody and could be handed a death sentence on account of his faith. Although Saleem\u2019s trial has concluded, his co-defendant Muhammad Umair\u2019s case remains ongoing, meaning a final verdict may be delivered only after those proceedings end. Tehmina Arora, the Asia advocacy director for ADF International, stated that Saleem did nothing wrong and was simply living as a Christian in Pakistan, noting the three years he has spent behind bars away from his family. ADF International emphasizes that no one should face death or lengthy prison terms based on fabricated blasphemy accusations; while Saleem has repeatedly sought bail, lower courts and the Supreme Court have denied his requests. The organization remains hopeful that the trial exposed weaknesses in the prosecution\u2019s case and the misuse of blasphemy laws, and it hopes for an acquittal so Saleem can return to his family<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2585160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Michael-Featured-Image-3-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[65254,33571,36930,40860,32274],"class_list":["post-2585159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-christian-persecution","tag-death-penalty","tag-human-rights","tag-international-news","tag-religious-freedom"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Michael-Featured-Image-3-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2585159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2585159"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2585159\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2585163,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2585159\/revisions\/2585163"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2585160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2585159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2585159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2585159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}