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Ilyas Sheikh / EPA
Pakistani Christian minority members carry placards for the release of a Christian girl, Rimsha Masih -- arrested on charges of blasphemy -- during a protest in Faisalabad, Pakistan, Monday.
Rimsha Masih, the Christian Pakistani girl accused of blasphemy for burning holy Muslim texts may have been framed by a local Muslim cleric who was among the first to accuse her of the crime, police officials said on Sunday.
Khalid Jadoon was arrested after witnesses from Masih's village, on the outskirts of the country’s capital, complained about his alleged actions.
The cleric appeared briefly in court on Sunday before he was sent to jail for a 14-day judicial remand.
Religious and secular groups worldwide have protested over the detention in August of Rimsha Masih, accused by Muslim neighbors of burning Islamic religious texts.
Pakistani Christians live in fear after girl's blasphemy arrest
A local man, Hafiz Zubair, came forward to offer testimony in which he claims to have seen Jadoon fabricating evidence by mixing holy text pages with ashes.
Speaking to a local news channel, Zubair said: "I asked Jadoon why he was fabricating the evidence. He said that this would ensure a strong case against the girl and would ultimately help them in evicting the Christians from the locality."
Police official Munir Hussain Jafri told Reuters: "Witnesses complained that he had torn pages from a Koran and placed them in her bag which had burned papers."
Life for All Pakistan, one of the campaign groups working to secure Rimsha's release, issued a statement in response to the latest twist in the story, saying: “This is a national issue and everyone who claims to be secular and liberal should raise their voice.”
Muhammed Muheisen / AP
Images of daily life, political pursuits, religious rites and deadly violence.
A bail hearing will be held on Monday for Masih, whose case has re-focused a spotlight on Pakistan's anti-blasphemy law.
Under the law, anyone who speaks ill of Islam and the Prophet Mohammad commits a crime and faces the death penalty.
Activists and human rights groups say vague terminology has led to its misuse, and that the law dangerously discriminates against the Muslim country's tiny minority groups.
Critics of Pakistan's leaders say they are too worried about an extremist backlash to speak out against the law in a nation where religious conservatism is increasingly prevalent.
Convictions are common, although the death sentence has never been carried out. Most convictions are thrown out on appeal, but mobs have killed many people accused of blasphemy.
There have been conflicting reports about Masih's age and her mental state. Some media have said she is 11 and suffers from Down's Syndrome.
A hospital said in a report she was about 14 but had the mental capacities of someone younger, and was uneducated.
Masih's arrest triggered an exodus of several hundred Christians from her poor village after mosques reported over their loudspeakers what the girl was alleged to have done.
Christians, who make up four percent of Pakistan's population of 180 million, have been especially concerned about the blasphemy law, saying it offers them no protection.
Convictions hinge on witness testimony and are often linked to vendettas, they complain.
In 2009, 40 houses and a church were set ablaze by a mob of 1,000 Muslims in the town of Gojra, in Punjab province. At least seven Christians were burned to death. The attacks were triggered by reports of the desecration of the Koran.
Two Christian brothers accused of writing a blasphemous letter against the Prophet Mohammad were gunned down outside a court in the eastern city of Faisalabad in July of 2010.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Islam is NOT A RELIGION, IT IS A WAY OF LIFE! towel headed sand monkeys that want to kill a 14 yro girl
because she burned a book are not religious, they are animals spurred on by hatred. Islam is the only
religion that tells its followers to kill the infidel if he doesn't convert. So it's really not a religion, it's much
like a militia group that kills anyone they hate or don't agree with them. What gets me about all this is
the half way sane Muslim countries NEVER CONDEMN SUCH ANIMALISTIC DISPLAYS OF STUPIDITY AND
HATRED. So I say, Kill all the towel headed sand monkeys and let God sort 'em out.
The koran and the bible are nothing but storys that were pasted down for a 1000 years they should not control ones life. I dont think that a 1000 years from now alice in wonder land will be the book that we will think is what really happen. I would burn the koran in a heart beat if I though It would hurt the nuts that think it is a law the dam thing is just a book paper and ink full of old storys that may not have happened
This story reminds me of my favorite bumper sticker: Going to war over religion is fighting over who has the best imaginary friend. ALL religion is bull@!$%#!! Muslim's have actually gone backwards in time. This is actually the same thing the Republican party wants us to do. They are Luddites afraid of a future where an imaginary being (that speaks through them) doesn't rule the world. They can't imagine a world run by humans. We would be better off as most human are not as cruel as the gods they imagine. Another favorite quote: "If people can make you believe absurdities, they can make you commit atrocities!" Voltaire Another one, "Science will fly you to the moon. Religion will fly you into buildings" (ala 911). If Muslims scare you then try to destroy all religion because the Muslim religion is no different than most. If you think you hold the exclusive on some moral or metaphysical realm you have placed yourself above all others thereby dehumanizing them. Once you dehumanize someone, your capable of anything (see Zimbardo's prison experiment or read his bookj, "The Lucifer Effect").
Does anyone fail to see the irony here?
SAo I say the muslim cleric should have done to him what they were going to do to this little girl . Torch the bastard .
Every Christian in the far East has to be afraid. The peaceful Muslims will lie, cheat and steal as well as kill so they can be the DICTATORS of FEAR. That way they can live with all the things that will make them fat, happy and free to rape, pillage and loot.
Look out camels, donkeys and goats (pigs once in a while)!!!
There is always to sides to ever story not just what the media tell you.
Now this wouldn't surprise me! Extremism is very wide-spread in those so-called Islamic countries, especially where clerics are calling the shots!!
Such people are living in a dark-age era from centuries back - There is no such thing as "Blasphemy Laws" in the religion of Al-Islam period! The Holy Qur'an, which is suppose to be the book for practicing, believing Muslims, states, "Let there be no compulsion in religion!" In other words, its wrong to force anyone to adhere to any religion - The tenets of Al-Islam are quite clear about the social practice of tolerance - Like with their misuse of the application of Sharia Law, these misguided fools are making up laws/applications to suit their egos and cultural biases!! These kind of clerics are an aberration to progress, civilization, and Humanity!!
The most ironic part is that we also know a place "where religious conservatism is increasingly prevalent"
Religious people are unable to understand that people of another religion believe their own nonsense just as fervently. They always think that their religion is the only true one and that all others are wrong.
This is just a fact of the way the conservative mind works throughout the world. The conservative mind latches onto "beliefs" and won't let go regardless of reality. We need to keep these kinds of minds away from control of our government.
@TooMany........how is it that you came into a place whereby you can say (apparently, without hesitation) how all conservative minds think??? It must be awesome to be able to do that! Maybe YOU should run for POTUS?
The civilized world should not expect any better behavior from those Moslems (evil fools) than what they kept displaying for a long time now. These are the followers of the so-called "Peaceful" cult called “PISLAM”, which was founded by a sex-maniac, brain-dead, uneducated, ferocious killer named MohamMAD. He self-titled himself as a "Prophet", married his own daughter-in-law and continuously raped a 7 years old baby girl taking her as his favorite wife. How disgraceful that was indeed and that should say it all about that evil cult and its lunatic founder! These medieval animals and their poisonous book – Kooooran, can't offer anything to the world but they are enjoying other’s inventions (medicines and technology) to the fullest. PISLAM is a cancer and a big curse to the mankind. Islam and its barbaric - “peacefull” followers are also a huge threat to the world peace. If we do not wake up now, tackle the menace of Islam with iron feasts and crush them into dusts, their killings and destruction's will continue and Peace will never prevail! Our lives are already miserable only because of the evil Moslems all over the world and it will be more miserable if we remain silent. No matter what, EVIL WILL NEVER TRIUMPH and that is the real truth. Shame on those evil fools – they should vacate the planet earth!
The accusation against the girl is just a continuation of a very common tactic used throughout the history of Islam in areas conquered by moslems or areas to where they have immigrated en-mass. The tactic is a tool used for both ethnic cleansing areas of non-muslims and justified genocide. Research histories of north-Africa, Spain of 711-1492, Anatolia and southeastern Europe and you will see the pattern of use of the tactic. DO NOT TRUST blindly the non-assimilating groups of Islamists in your nation! NO other religion is either fostered or tolerated in a nation where Islam is the majority.
This is a constant source of amazement for me that even after centuries upon centuries this is still an issue with the human race.
We could punish the cleric by making him do a guest spot on "Man VS Food" for a bacon festival!
"The witness said he tried to stop the cleric from tampering with the evidence, but he insisted it would strengthen the case and lead to eviction of the girl’s family from the locality." Will the Islamophobia never end?
It is not 'islamophobia' to see what history has revealed 'they' do and not just believe what 'they' say.
Compare the Quran with the Hebrew Old Testament and the Christian New Testament. You will find that what Muhammed did was create an Arab-Muslim equivalent of nearly every event, teaching and individual. Where he could not create such he claimed them to be Arabic/Muslim, such as Abraham, Moses, Solomon, the temple-mount at Jerusalem, and even Jesus (but as only a prophet of Islam). According to Islam neither King David nor the Kingdom of Israel even existed and are just myths. Then, where there was/is any proof in sites or objects of the falseness of such claims in the Quran, the muslims have destroyed the holy sites of both the Hebrews and Christians. Many in the world have come to believe that the false prophets Jesus and the New Testament book of Revelation warned were to come include Muhammed and his followers. Many also believe that the 'beast' (666) refers to Islam, which is a counter-religion to both Judaism and Christianity.
If a Muslim dishonors the Koran by ripping it and putting it in a bag of garbage, he could be guilty of blasphemy. This could get interesting.
BTW, I've been following this for some time and the family has always stated that the girl cannot read and is mentally challenged.
Coming to America soon
Here we go again. This centuries old religion has never progressed into the modern era. The leaders all chose this so they can keep control. Themasses are afraid of being charged with such a crime so they will not rise up against their oppressors. Why do we defend such an evil backward cult. Let them kill each other off. Just keep them from gaining control in our country. They stay there we stay here. They want to live and believe like savages let them.
Adding murdering of innocents and now corruption is the muslim/islamic way... cowards... she was cooking by burning items found in the garbage... in the garbage...
As human beings, they all are a disgrace to the history of the human race... What a horrible legacy they portray themselves... Are they aware that this is the 21st century? How many more innocents will be murdered in the name of what?
As the Thuggee's were eliminated eventually, these muslims/islamist cultists must also be dealt with with extreme prejudice...
I agree Pete, and I also feel we should deal this way with the doctor murdering, woman hating, rapist apologist, bigotted christian cultists.
Please to be remembering that in pukistan we do not "frame" people. We prefer to call it "enhancing the judicial system". We do it a lot before we go worship out monkey crotches.
With all the pain and suffering that these so called "people of God" have inflicted on inocent people and those who cannot protect themselves, or who have no one to defend them, I am very careful as to what i buy and from what country it comes from. I will not support or have my money go to these religious nuts so that they can use it to bolster their position and terrorist activities on innocent civilians and on other countries.
@JymAllyn
You do know that Isaac Newton was a Christian right?
To the nut who said that our laws evoved from religius laws is full of himself. Our laws evolved in spite of religious laws. We chose to set up a government based on a secular document and not one based upon religious law or that of a monarchy. The formers of the constitution were well aware of the persecution in England over religion and realized not just the Church of England but any Church could do the same (The Catholic Church). That certainly did not stop many churches in the U.S. from trying to impose their views on the general populous and getting some of those views passed as laws including the closing of businesses on Sunday, the abolition of alcohol, saying prayers (their prayers) in public schools and more. I would also state the ban against abortions by law being pushed by certain churches, the ban on gay marriage the same. Nobody is making any of these people have an abortion or making any of the churches perform gay marriages in their church. Their view is purely religious and they are attempting to push their religious view onto other people who do not want their view. Right now the most visible group are Muslim fanatics but there are also Christian fanatics and they have taken over what was once a vibrant and progressive political organization, the GOP and made it into a funnel for their fanatical views.
Pages of the bible works great for rolling papers and the koran works just fine as toilet paper...other than that they are of little value...
Coming soon to the USA....
AND this is being pushed by the US religious right. Mormons and Christians. Think of the control they will have then on the US. It is already happening in Europe and Dearborn, MI. Enjoy life for as long as you can before we enter the new dark ages under electronic religious control.
Crazy Uncle Billy, the religious right Mormons and Christians are calling for the death penalty of those who disagree with their beliefs? Wow, you are really a paranoid troubled soul.
Can you provide some links to document your allegation that Mormons and Christians are calling for the death penalty of those who disagree with their beliefs?
She got in trouble merely because she was a woman doing the cleric's job. Fire disposal apparently is ok if there isn't any ink left on the page or done ritually. She probably wouldn't have sex with the creep and he wanted to find a way to punish her. It's the same problem seen across any religion or any group of people whose leaders go unchecked: Greed for power due to an underlying pathetic self image or just general cruelity.