Citation Asma Jahangir

Award of the

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Freedom Medal

to Asma Jahangir

“The freedom of every person to worship God in his or her own way – everywhere in the world.” On this, the 29^th day of May, 2010, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Freedom of Worship Medal is awarded to:

Asma Jahangir

whose unwavering belief that the principles of equal justice and the Rule of Law apply to all people in all places, without regard to differences in faith and religion, has given courage and hope to all those whose lives she has touched..

Born in Lahore, the cultural and intellectual capital of Pakistan, you learned at a very young age the requirements of – and the real sacrifices associated with – a commitment to basic human rights. It was a lesson passed on to you by your father – a man who gave up his government position in protest of the military’s seizure of power in 1958. You learned that for democracy to flourish in Pakistan, the institutions of civil society must be nurtured and made free. It was a conviction that inspired your public career, and despite the intimidation of arrest, imprisonment, and threats to your life, you never compromised your commitment.

Having seen injustice first-hand, you decided that you would take up law – a profession that you acquired largely through self-study as it was not deemed suitable for women to attend law lectures in 1970s Pakistan. You co-founded the first all-female law practice and the first free legal-aid center in Pakistan. You challenged the ultra-conservatives ordinances which made blasphemy a capital offense. At that point, the mere accusation of something said or written deemed insulting to the Prophet Muhammad or the Koran was enough to bring about arrest.

The new ordinances legalized severe discrimination against women in Pakistan; they rendered extramarital sexual relations a crime punishable by flogging or even death by stoning, and they made it far more likely that the victims of rape would be charged with adultery rather than their perpetrators with a terrible crime.

These decrees produced brutal travesties of justice, including the case of Safia Bibi, a 13 year-old blind girl, who was raped by her employer and then sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for unlawful sex because she could not identify her attacker or produce the required witnesses; and the case of Salamat Masih, a fourteen year-old Christian boy who had been sentenced to death for allegedly scribbling blasphemous words on the wall of a Mosque.

You overturned these convictions. Your work resulted in the founding of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Since its creation in 1986, the Commission has defended the rights of women accused of adultery and has sought to bring an end to the barbaric practice of so-called “honor killings” that often follow such a charge. The Commission has worked to protect the rights of Pakistani Christians, Hindus and heterodox Muslims alike.

With patience and courage, you have endured isolation and mistreatment, surviving each struggle with greater strength. Your tenacious leadership and fearless advocacy has gained you the international recognition of being appointed the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief.

You are among the most respected international leaders on issues of faith and religion, and you remain a devoted advocate for freedom of religion in Pakistan. In a lifetime of effort, you have championed the values and vision that inspired the Four Freedoms. In honoring you today in the name of Franklin D. Roosevelt, we salute your fearless leadership. You have given hope where there was despair, and reminded us that the grace of God is reflected in human compassion.