Broad cooperative effort to free Pakistani girl jailed on blasphemy charges

August 24, 2012

Pakistani government representatives are cooperating with Christian leaders, human-rights activists, and even some Islamic officials to safeguard the life of a Down-syndrome girl who has been arrested on blasphemy charges, the Fides news service reports.

While Muslim militants continue to demand punishment for the 11-year-old girl, who reportedly destroyed several pages from a textbook that included verses from the Qu’ran, more responsible Islamic officials are refusing to join in the outcry, for fear of loosing violence against the Christian minority.

Meanwhile the girl, Rimsha Masih, is in an isolated prison cell, suffering in solitude for an alleged offense that she does not fully understand.

 

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Further information:

• Church, Government, imam committed to save Rimsha, a Christian girl accused of blasphemy (Fides)
• Pakistani Muslims: Disabled 11 yr-old Christian should be punished (AsiaNews)
• Pakistan: Down-syndrome child arrested on blasphemy charge (CWN, 8/20)