PAKISTAN
An 11-year-old disabled Christian girl arrested for blasphemy, 300 families flee
by Imran Morris
The girl is accused of burning pages from a booklet used to teach Arabic and the Qur'an. Under the Pakistan Penal Code, she could get life in prison. Police saved her from an enraged mob that tried to kill her, but more than 300 families fled their homes fearing more violence. Paul Bhatti calls for calm.
Islamabad (AsiaNews) - For the first time in Pakistan's history, the country's 'black law' has been used against a minor, a disabled 11-year-old Christian girl. Arrested on blasphemy charges, Rimsha Masih, who suffers from Down's syndrome, could get life in prison. Only police intervention saved her from a lynch mob of Muslim extremists. Her case has shocked Islamabad's Christian community, driving hundreds of Christian families from their homes in the girl's neighbourhood fearing possible retaliation. National Harmony Minister Paul Bhatti, a Catholic, has called on Muslim religious leaders to snuff out any source of violence.
The 11-year-old girl, Rimsha Masih, is at the centre of a terrible affair. After being charged with desecrating the Qur'an, she was remanded for 14 days to a juvenile prison in Rawalpindi. The offence comes under Article 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code and carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Witnesses claim that Rimsha, daughter of Misrak Masih, burnt ten pages of theNoorani Qaida, an Islamic booklet used to learn basic Arabic and the Qur'an. She is also said to have put the booklet inside a plastic bag, which she threw into the garbage.
Supposedly, the event occurred on 17 August in Umara Jaffar, a slum in Islamabad's Sector G-12, where the girl lives with her family. Police filed a First Information Report after a Muslim man, Syed Muhammad Ummad, made a formal complaint.
Police took Rimsha Masih into custody under pressure from Muslim extremists. Threatening to take justice in their own hands, a mob of hundreds enraged people attacked the girl's family, trying to lynch her and her mother. Police eventually took the girl away for her own safety, in prison.
Fearing more violence, some 300 families living in the Christian slum fled their homes seeking safety elsewhere. Local sources told AsiaNews that in the area, tensions are running high and that Muslim fundamentalists are threatening to set fire to Christian homes.
National Harmony Minister Paul Bhatti, who is also special advisor to the prime minister on minority affairs, has appealed to Muslim leaders, especially clerics, asking them to help keep the lid on matters to avoid anti-Christian attacks. His brother Shabbaz, Pakistan's first Catholic minister, was murdered by extremists on 2 March 2011 because of this opposition to the 'black law.'
Last month, a mentally disabled Muslim man was burnt alive in Bahawalpur, southern Pakistan, after he was accused of blasphemy and a mob set him on fire for "desecrating the Qur'an."
On the internet, the girl's arrest has caused a wave of protests. Many wonder: "Is this the real Islam?" Others wonder who are the real mental cases, "the girl or those who would punish her" for allegedly breaking the law.
The blasphemy law was introduced in 1986 by General Zia-ul-haq in response to demands by Muslim extremists. Thus far, at least a thousand people have been charged for breaking it. Of these, 60 have died, mostly killed in extrajudicial murders by enraged mobs or individuals.
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2012/08/23 15:09
巴基斯坦
十四岁基督徒惨遭毒手并被解肢毁容
by Shafique Khokhar
孤儿苏内尔·马西赫于八月十九日失踪。两天后，人们在荒郊野外找到了他的尸体，部分内脏消失，甚至可能被卖到了黑市；面部遭酸液毁容。当地警察表示"从未见过如此令人发指的暴行"。基督信仰团体强烈要求为苏内尔伸张正义，但迄今没有展开任何调查
费萨拉巴德（亚洲新闻）-十四岁基督徒孤儿苏内尔·马西赫惨遭杀害再度震惊了因残疾少女被控所谓渎神罪而陷于惊恐之中的整个巴基斯坦基督信仰团体。八月二十一日，费萨拉巴德警方在荒郊野外找到了十九日失踪的孤儿苏内尔的遗体。"这是我第一次见到这样的杀人场面"，当地一名警察向本社发表的这一声明足以证明杀人歹徒的非人残暴行径。孩子的耳朵、鼻子和舌头被割掉、肢体被解、肝肾等内脏不翼而飞，或许已经被卖到了黑市。最后，杀人凶手还用酸液将其毁容。可能是为了销毁罪证。
迄今，有关人员还没有就这名可怜的基督徒孤儿惨遭杀害正式立案调查。昨天，人们为他举行了葬礼，当地少数派团体领导人和地方官员出席。其间，人们走上费萨拉巴德街头示威，高喊为苏内尔（见照片）伸张正义。明天，将进行尸检，以便查明是否曾遭到性侵犯。
据当地消息来源介绍，十九日失踪后，他的亲属开始到处寻找并报警。两天后，警察发现了他的尸体。
基督信仰团体深感强烈震惊、强烈要求伸张正义，但至今警方都没有立案调查。费萨拉巴德教区正义与和平委员会主任尼萨·巴卡特神父通过亚洲新闻通讯社呼吁政府和警察当局尽快将凶手绳之以法。基督信仰团体"没有安全感、无法摆脱这一残暴凶杀的噩梦"。印度教徒和基督徒"饱受恐怖侵犯"。旁遮普邦基督徒议会议员索霍特拉完全赞成天主教司铎的呼吁，要求认真反思少数派团体的自由。因为"我们所面对不仅是一名基督徒少年被杀，而是整个少数派团体的自由"问题。
基督徒律师库格塔也表示"从未见过如此残暴的非人行径"，强烈谴责这一暴行并要求立即将凶手绳之以法。如果警察当局不能像其承诺的那样两天之内将凶手缉拿归案，费萨拉巴德的全体基督徒将走上街头示威抗议、声讨正义。
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