Girl with Down syndrome accused of blasphemy

[Kain]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8518809/downs-syndrome-girl-accused-of-blasphemy

A Christian girl with Down's Syndrome has been arrested on blasphemy charges in Pakistan, accused of burning pages inscribed with verses from the Koran.

Police arrested Rimsha, who is recognised by a single name, on Thursday after she was reported holding in public burnt pages which had Islamic text and Koranic verses on them, a police official told AFP.

A conviction for blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan.

The official said that the girl, who he described as being in her teens, was taken to a police station in the capital Islamabad, where she has been detained since.

Angry Muslim protesters held rallies demanding she be punished, said the official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

"We had to register the case fairly quickly to prevent any unpleasant situation," he added, referring to the demonstrations.

Rimsha was produced before a court on Friday and remanded in custody for 14 days, another police official said. She is expected to go before the court again by end of this month.

The girl's plight is likely to reignite debate about growing religious intolerance in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where strict anti-blasphemy laws make defaming Islam or the Prophet Mohammed, or desecrating the Koran, a capital offence.

Human rights activists say the law is often used to settle petty disputes, but in the face of huge public support for the legislation, the government says it has no plans to change it.

The girl's alleged behaviour sparked Muslim anger in Mehrabad, an area of the capital where she lives with her parents and where up to 800 Christians reside. Christians there were forced to leave amid mounting fury.

"These Christians had sought shelter with their relatives in other parts of the city but now they are gradually returning to Mehrabad," a senior official of All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, told AFP.

He said that the girl had Down's Syndrome — a condition which causes various degrees of learning difficulties — and disputed the age given by police.

"She was just 11 to 12 years old," he said, adding it was a hugely sensitive issue and "we would not like it to be mishandled and would rather want to resolve it amicably".

Women's Action Forum (WAF), a leading Pakistani organisation fighting for the rights of women, condemned Rimsha's arrest.

"WAF is outraged at the total inhumanity of the men who lodged the First Information Report (FIR) in the police," WAF spokeswoman Tahira Abdullah said, demanding Rimsha's immediate release.

Police should have dealt with the case under the Juvenile Justice System and not the serious allegation of blasphemy, she said, accusing police of not allowing lawyers or civil society representatives to visit the girl in custody.

That...that is just sad, really.

[Canadian Mojo]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8518809/downs-syndrome-girl-accused-of-blasphemy

A Christian girl with Down's Syndrome has been arrested on blasphemy charges in Pakistan, accused of burning pages inscribed with verses from the Koran.

Police arrested Rimsha, who is recognised by a single name, on Thursday after she was reported holding in public burnt pages which had Islamic text and Koranic verses on them, a police official told AFP.

A conviction for blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan.

The official said that the girl, who he described as being in her teens, was taken to a police station in the capital Islamabad, where she has been detained since.

Angry Muslim protesters held rallies demanding she be punished, said the official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

"We had to register the case fairly quickly to prevent any unpleasant situation," he added, referring to the demonstrations.

Rimsha was produced before a court on Friday and remanded in custody for 14 days, another police official said. She is expected to go before the court again by end of this month.

The girl's plight is likely to reignite debate about growing religious intolerance in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where strict anti-blasphemy laws make defaming Islam or the Prophet Mohammed, or desecrating the Koran, a capital offence.

Human rights activists say the law is often used to settle petty disputes, but in the face of huge public support for the legislation, the government says it has no plans to change it.

The girl's alleged behaviour sparked Muslim anger in Mehrabad, an area of the capital where she lives with her parents and where up to 800 Christians reside. Christians there were forced to leave amid mounting fury.

"These Christians had sought shelter with their relatives in other parts of the city but now they are gradually returning to Mehrabad," a senior official of All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, told AFP.

He said that the girl had Down's Syndrome — a condition which causes various degrees of learning difficulties — and disputed the age given by police.

"She was just 11 to 12 years old," he said, adding it was a hugely sensitive issue and "we would not like it to be mishandled and would rather want to resolve it amicably".

Women's Action Forum (WAF), a leading Pakistani organisation fighting for the rights of women, condemned Rimsha's arrest.

"WAF is outraged at the total inhumanity of the men who lodged the First Information Report (FIR) in the police," WAF spokeswoman Tahira Abdullah said, demanding Rimsha's immediate release.

Police should have dealt with the case under the Juvenile Justice System and not the serious allegation of blasphemy, she said, accusing police of not allowing lawyers or civil society representatives to visit the girl in custody.

That...that is just sad, really.

And just to put a cherry on the sundae, Pakistan is part of the nuclear club.

[The Right Honourable Mlle Antéchrist]

As if anti-blasphemy laws weren't horrific enough as it is...

[RavynousHunter]

Am I the only one who's deeply disturbed by the number of commonalities Texas has with Pakistan?

[agentCDE]

No, Rav, you aren't.

Part of me is wondering if anything was burned at all, or is someone just trying to get rid of a perceived burden? Poor girl might not even know what's going on.

[armandtanzarian]

The sad thing is, she's probably safer in jail than out considering she might just end up getting killed by the murderous mob outside.

I'm not saying she should be jailed. This should not even be an issue. But Pakistan has been letting its extremists take over for some time now, since the murder of Benezir Bhutto. Its hard to see anyone taking the fall if she were to be ripped the shreds by a mob of righteous zealots.

[kefkaownsall]

Not sure I've noticed that Lahore is moving to the left as well as Islamabad.

[Distind]

Turns out the entire thing may have been a setup:
http://news.yahoo.com/muslim-cleric-arrested-framing-girl-pakistan-blasphemy-case-062829763.html

Police official Munir Hussain Jafri said a cleric was arrested after witnesses from Masih's village on the edge of the capital Islamabad complained about his alleged actions.

"Witnesses complained that he had torn pages from a Koran and placed them in her bag which had burned papers," Jafri told Reuters.

[kefkaownsall]

Well this is a relief to hear.  Really it is since allah willing she wont be hurt anymore.

[Kain]

Turns out the entire thing may have been a setup:
http://news.yahoo.com/muslim-cleric-arrested-framing-girl-pakistan-blasphemy-case-062829763.html

Police official Munir Hussain Jafri said a cleric was arrested after witnesses from Masih's village on the edge of the capital Islamabad complained about his alleged actions.

"Witnesses complained that he had torn pages from a Koran and placed them in her bag which had burned papers," Jafri told Reuters.

Oh, that's even worse.

[ironbite]

That's just disgusting.

Ironbite-using religious feelings to kill a little girl because she's got down syndrome.

[Kain]

Well this is a relief to hear.  Really it is since allah willing she wont be hurt anymore.

Well, actually...

Some Muslim neighbors insist she should still be punished, and said the detained imam was a victim.
Under Muslim Pakistan's anti-blasphemy law, the mere allegation of causing offence to Islam can mean death. Those accused are sometimes killed by members of the public even if they are found innocent by the courts.
"Pour petrol and burn these Christians," said Iqbal Bibi, 74, defending the imam on the steps of the mosque where he preaches in Masih's impoverished village of Mehr Jaffer.
"The cleric of the mosque has been oppressed. He is not at fault. He is innocent."

[ironbite]

That's religious fervor for you.  Not only does it reject reality, it does so in the best way possible.

Ironbite-hypocrites.

[Saturn500]

Some Muslim neighbors insist she should still be punished, and said the detained imam was a victim.
Under Muslim Pakistan's anti-blasphemy law, the mere allegation of causing offence to Islam can mean death. Those accused are sometimes killed by members of the public even if they are found innocent by the courts.
"Pour petrol and burn these Christians," said Iqbal Bibi, 74, defending the imam on the steps of the mosque where he preaches in Masih's impoverished village of Mehr Jaffer.
"The cleric of the mosque has been oppressed. He is not at fault. He is innocent."

Confirmation bias at work

[agentCDE]

Called it.

And there goes another sliver of my faith in humanity.