Remind anyone of the fake Danish cartoon outrage? The latest on the shameful case of Rimsha Masih:
Pakistani police have arrested an imam accused of planting burnt pages of the Koran in the bag of a Christian girl accused of blasphemy, officials say.
The girl was detained two weeks ago near the capital Islamabad after an angry mob demanded she be punished.
However, a witness has testified that imam Khalid Chishti put the pages in the bag himself, local media say.
The case of the girl, named as Rimsha, who is said to be about 14, has sparked international condemnation.
A report by a government-appointed medical board seen by the BBC suggests the girl has a mental age of less than 14.
Earlier this week, a court extended Rimsha's detention at a maximum-security prison by a further two weeks.
I wouldn't rate the survival chances of the witness too high.
And let's not forget delightful lawyer Rao Abdur Raheem:
'The girl is guilty. If the state overrides the court, then God will get a person to do the job."
It is indeed the vigilantism that kills, as the case of a man accused of desecrating a Koran back in July demonstrates only too clearly. He was dragged out of the police station by a mob, beaten to death, and his body set on fire:
Police say they are trying to identify the victim, who was said to be mentally unstable.
"The man had no idea what was going on," said an official.
"While he was in our custody, he kept laughing and chanting."
A case has been registered against unknown attackers. No arrests have been made yet.
This is interesting:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/03/christian-girl-senior-pakistani-cleric-blasphemy
It seems there was a concerted effort to clear the area of all Christians, in order to build a madrassa.
Posted by: Dom | September 05, 2012 at 12:05 PM
Yes, interesting - and encouraging. Good to see some Muslims speaking out against the tampering imam.
"...heavyweight support for Rimsha Masih from the chairman of the All Pakistan Ulema Council, a grouping of Islamic clerics..." They're not joking. He's a big lad, that Allama Tahir Ashrafi.
Posted by: Mick H | September 05, 2012 at 02:33 PM