Since 1987 more than 1,300 people in Pakistan have been charged with blasphemy, with the number of accusations in a single year rising to over a hundred in 2014. A disproportionate number of those accused are Christians. A lawyer, a judge and two leading politicians have been assassinated for taking a stand against the blasphemy laws. Aasia Bibi's appeal against her death sentence for apostasy has been adjourned again, following the decision of a leading judge to withdraw from the trial on the grounds of conflict of interest. The blasphemy laws are being used to fuel the flames of intolerance and must be repealed but it will take immense courage to withstand intimidation and release Aasia Bibi - a fact underlined by the large number of riot police at the court. 150 Muslim clerics have issued a fatwa warning the government not to release Bibi, and threatening to kill anyone who helped any person accused of blasphemy.