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:
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
02
April 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
America First and the Trump Administration’s New Investment Agenda
Featured Speakers:
Thomas J. Duesterberg
William Chou
Mario Mancuso
Getty Images
02
April 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
America First and the Trump Administration’s New Investment Agenda

Join Hudson’s Mario Mancuso, William Chou, and Thomas Duesterberg for a discussion about the Trump administration’s recently announced America First Investment Policy. 

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Thomas J. Duesterberg
William Chou
Mario Mancuso
03
April 2025
Virtual Event | Online Only
Regional Power Competition in the Horn of Africa
Featured Speakers:
Rashid Abdi
Alan Boswell
Asher Lubotzky
Moderator:
Joshua Meservey
Getty Images
03
April 2025
Virtual Event | Online Only
Regional Power Competition in the Horn of Africa

In this episode, experts discuss what regional powers such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye, and Qatar are doing in the Horn, their strategies and motivations, and the impact they might have on the region.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Rashid Abdi
Alan Boswell
Asher Lubotzky
Moderator:
Joshua Meservey
04
April 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Mexico Navigates New Challenges
Featured Speakers:
Luis Rubio
Antonio Ortiz-Mena, PhD
John Creamer
Moderator:
Daniel Batlle
Getty Images
04
April 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Mexico Navigates New Challenges

Join Hudson Institute for a panel discussion examining the potential scenarios for Mexico and the future of the US-Mexico relationship.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Luis Rubio
Antonio Ortiz-Mena, PhD
John Creamer
Moderator:
Daniel Batlle
01
April 2025
Past Event
Great Power Competition in the Horn of Africa
Featured Speakers:
Ebenezer Obadare
Moshe Terdiman
Joshua Meservey
Getty Images
01
April 2025
Past Event
Great Power Competition in the Horn of Africa

Experts discuss what large powers such as the United States, China, and Russia are doing in the Horn, their strategies and motivations, and the impact they might have on the region.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Ebenezer Obadare
Moshe Terdiman
Joshua Meservey