The head of the country’s leading body of Muslim clerics Tuesday came to the defence of a young Christian girl accused of blasphemy, demanding her case be handled fairly and impartially.
Allama Tahir Ashrafi, chairman of the All Pakistan Ulema Council, said if Rimsha, accused of burning papers containing verses from the Holy Quran, were found to be innocent, her accusers should face justice. The cleric said protesters who demonstrated to demand punishment for Rimsha, who reportedly suffers from Down’s Syndrome, were following the “law of the jungle”.
Rimsha has been held since August 16 under the Islamic republic’s strict blasphemy laws, prompting concern from Western governments and the Vatican and anger from rights groups. On Monday Rimsha was taken from prison to hospital for tests to determine how old she was, a senior doctor told AFP, after conflicting reports about her age. Around 120 uniformed police officers guarded the hospital, the doctor said.
Ashrafi urged the government to take action to protect Christians in the poor Islamabad suburb of Mehrabad, where Rimsha lives, and encourage Christian families who fled in fear after the incident to return. “This is inhuman that those who have nothing to do with the case or are not a party to it are also being harassed,” Ashrafi told AFP. “It is just like the law of jungle that 500 people approached a police station and got a report forcibly lodged with the police.”
Ashrafi said Rimsha’s case should be a watershed for the blasphemy laws.
“We demand an impartial and thorough investigation into the case. Strict action should be taken against all those accusing the girl if she is found innocent,” he said.
“The government should make this case an example so that nobody will dare misuse the blasphemy law in future.”
After getting through this news, I recalled Suleman Taseer who urged that accusers should be treated as to the accused. If we see all his videos which are available relating to this issues, clearly indicate that Blashfamy law is being misused but he was killed. Now, the scholars are also having same views, then what was his fault?
said right allama tahir ashrafi.
_Allegation on Rimsha: According to story narrated in First Information Report, on the 16th day of August 2012 at about 6:45pm a Muslim fellow named as Mohammad Hammad son of Mohammad Riaz claimed that he was present in the street when he saw Rimsha holding a shopping bag in her hands was going to a heap of garbage. Hammad claimed that he suspected that there are papers with Quranic verses in the shopping bag, to which he investigated Rimsha that what was in her hands and where was she going… Rimsha told him that she is going to throw the papers on the heap of garbage. Mohammad Hammad further told in his application to local police, that he saw Islamic papers in the shopping that were partially burnt and that were containing Islamic verses. He demanded a strict legal action against Rimsha for disgracing the holy papers. The officials of Ramna Police station got the case registered under section 295-B of Pakistan Penal Code, Vide FIR No. 303/2012,arrested Rimsha and sent her to jail __Report __Reply
This is the man who set up little rimsha. HE BURNT the book and planted it in Rimsha's trash bag. That is why he went into hiding. Like a rat back into his sewer. HE SHOULD FACE THE DEATH PENALTY. He is a shame and a disgrace to his Allah and so is everyone who is likewise, blood thirsty and dishonest.ALL accusers should be arrested and investigated immediately !!!!!!!!!! FREE RIMSHA. ARREST mohammad hammad for contempt and insult to allah!___
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