Christian Girl Freed in Pakistan Blasphemy Case
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
A Christian girl accused of blasphemy in Pakistan was on Saturday released on bail after more than three weeks in jail, officials said, in a case that has sparked an international outcry.
Rimsha Masih was arrested on August 16 for allegedly burning pages containing verses from the Koran but was released from a prison in Rawalpindi after a court on Friday accepted her bail application.
Paul Bhatti, Pakistan's minister for national harmony, told Agence France Presse that Rimsha was flown by helicopter to be reunited with her family.
"She has been freed from the jail and was transported by a helicopter to a safe place. Her family members received her," he said.
Pakistan private TV channels broadcast footage of the girl wearing a traditional baggy green shirt and dark green trousers stepping out of an armored vehicle and sitting in a helicopter.
Rimsha's lawyer, Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, confirmed her release after two guarantors submitted a surety bond guaranteeing that the girl would reappear before court at the court's choosing.
Under Pakistan's strict blasphemy laws, insulting the prophet Mohammed is punishable by death and burning a sacred text, by life imprisonment.
Blasphemy is a very sensitive subject in Pakistan, where 97 percent of the 180 million population are Muslims, and allegations of insulting Islam or the prophet Mohammed often prompt a furious public reaction.
09 September 2012, 10:57
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I can't believe that a little girl shook the very foundation of that misogynist country. No wonder it is such a shit-hole, its people have little or no self-confidence.
09 September 2012, 11:28
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What a genius you are mansour...
You're right, walking on water, and giving limitless supply of fish and bread to people, is worth believing in! You're replacing one ridiculous fantasy/belief, with another.
I have lost all faith that mankind will one day realise how pointless religions are, and my hope that people who still do "believe" will keep that - perhaps sometimes, necessary - religion to themselves and practice it within their own walls instead of attempting to preach that which should not be preached is quickly fading thanks to simple minded beings such as yourself. For that I do not thank you.
09 September 2012, 15:49
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Yes Mansour, you're absolutely right!
Spit on one fantasy to promote another! Obviously between a nymphomaniac, a man that splits the sea and a 33 year old virgin that walks on water, the choice is very complicated!
I have lost all hope that human kind will drop that absurd belief that is religion. Unfortunately, because of people like you, I find myself believing less and less in the possibility that we will reach a day when one will restrain his belief to the limits of his meninges and stop attempting to preach what cannot and should not be preached.
For that I do not thank you.
