09
March 2017
Past Event
Purifying the Land of the Pure: A History of Pakistan's Religious Minorities

Purifying the Land of the Pure: A History of Pakistan's Religious Minorities

Past Event
Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters
March 09, 2017
Pakistani Christians hold candles as they march during the Easter Celebration ceremony on April 20, 2014 in Islamabad, Pakistan. (Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Caption
Pakistani Christians hold candles as they march during the Easter Celebration ceremony on April 20, 2014 in Islamabad, Pakistan. (Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
09
March 2017
Past Event

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004

Speakers:
Farahnaz Ispahani

Former member, Parliament of Pakistan

Nina Shea
Nina Shea

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Religious Freedom

Although Pakistan was created as a homeland for South Asia's Muslims, religious freedom was one of its founding principles. In 1947, Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah declared “You may belong to any religion or caste or creed – that has nothing to do with the business of the State.”

Seventy years later, Pakistan is better known for religious extremism and the persecution of Muslim and non-Muslim religious minorities. Pakistan’s blasphemy law is a state-sanctioned tool of religious oppression used to target members of minority faith communities whether Ahmadiya, Christian, Hindu, or Shiite, as well as Sunnis who criticize the law. Its many victims include Asia Bibi, a Christian woman imprisoned since 2008, and two prominent government officials who were murdered in 2011 for defending her: Shahbaz Bhatti, the former Minority Affairs Minister, and Salman Taseer, the former governor of Punjab.

On March 9, Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedomed hosted a discussion on the blasphemy law and the state of religious oppression in Pakistan with Farahnaz Ispahani, a former Pakistani politician and the author of Purifying the Land of the Pure In her new book, Ispahani traces the transformation of Jinnah's Pakistan into an Islamic state, and writes that Pakistan’s Islamization has sparked a regional trend that will not be easy to reverse. Nina Shea, director of Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom, moderated the discussion.

Related Events
09
October 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
How Promoting Freedom in North Korea Makes America Safer and Stronger
Featured Speakers:
Representative Young Kim (R-CA)
Greg Scarlatoiu
Sean Chung
Rose Jang
Hannah Oh
Moderator:
Getty Images
09
October 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
How Promoting Freedom in North Korea Makes America Safer and Stronger

Join Hudson Institute for a discussion on the connection between human rights in North Korea and US national security.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Representative Young Kim (R-CA)
Greg Scarlatoiu
Sean Chung
Rose Jang
Hannah Oh
Moderator:
09
October 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The View from Bucharest with Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia Țoiu
Featured Speakers:
H.E. Oana-Silvia Țoiu
Getty Images
09
October 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The View from Bucharest with Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia Țoiu

With Peter Rough, Foreign Minister Țoiu will discuss Black Sea security, the war in Ukraine, Russia’s hybrid attacks, and Romania-US relations.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
H.E. Oana-Silvia Țoiu
10
October 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Deepening Russia-China Partnership
Featured Speakers:
John Lough
Sergey Aleksashenko
Moderator:
Getty Images
10
October 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Deepening Russia-China Partnership

Join Hudson Institute for a panel discussion on how the United States and its allies can combat the rise of this authoritarian alliance.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
John Lough
Sergey Aleksashenko
Moderator:
08
October 2025
Past Event
Relearning Great Power Diplomacy: A Conversation with Wess Mitchell
Featured Speakers:
Wess Mitchell
A detail photo of “A Peace Conference at the Quai d'Orsay” by William Orpen. (Wikimedia Commons)
08
October 2025
Past Event
Relearning Great Power Diplomacy: A Conversation with Wess Mitchell

Join Hudson’s Peter Rough for a discussion with Wess Mitchell on the future of great power diplomacy.

A detail photo of “A Peace Conference at the Quai d'Orsay” by William Orpen. (Wikimedia Commons)
Featured Speakers:
Wess Mitchell