Rimsha Case

| by Xavier Patras William

( September 02, 2012, Islamabad, Sri Lanka Guardian) In a revelation that is likely to end the ordeal of a 14-year-old Christian girl charged under the blasphemy law and facilitate her release from jail on bail, a witness has claimed that the cleric who played a major role in framing charges of burning pages of the Holy Quran on the minor girl had in fact fabricated the evidence by placing Quranic pages in the ash brought to him by the complainant.

Recording his statement before a magistrate in Islamabad on Saturday, Hafiz Zubair said he and two other people were present in the mosque for Aitekaf when Malik Ammad, the complainant in the case, came to the mosque’s imam Khalid Jadoon with a plastic bag that he claimed contained the ashes of a Noorani Qaida allegedly burnt by Rimsha.

Zubair said Jadoon brought some pages of the Holy Quran from inside the mosque and mixed them with the ash. “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,” said Azhar, adding that the other two people present in the mosque at that time had also asked the imam not to place false evidence against the girl.

Life for All Pakistan condemns this hideous act of falsely accusing a mentally disabled child to promote hatred and provoke sectarian violence. Rizwan Paul the spokes person for Life for All Pakistan said, "The girl was pressurized to admit that she had burnt the Quranic text, she is mentally challenged, they made her believe and accept. Once again the Blasphemy law has been misused and abused for a personal gain. How long will the Government allow this law to be mocked? This is a National issue and everyone who claims to be secular and liberal should raise their voice. It`s time to stop the defamation of religion and atrocities with the citizens on basis of religion, the religion has been made hostage by illiterate and intolerant mullahs. Who is blaspheming Islam? Is it Rimsha or the Imam, the investigating officer who thinks that destroying Noorani Qaida which is just a book on Arabic pronunciation amounts to blasphemy and puts a 14 year old girl in custody? Hating people is very easy, it’s even easier to love them. How long will the Blasphemy laws be used to oppress the marginalized religious minorities? It is the time to raise a voice otherwise our next generations will question why we kept silent? Did our ancestors made a wise choice of coming to Pakistan, standing up for Pakistan? Pakistani Christians are the most patriotic citizens, we have always been loyal to this Country, this is our homeland, we are always willing to shed blood for this homeland."