The Islamabad High Court (IHC) in Pakistan today reserved its judgement on whether or not to dismiss the case against Rimsha Masih, the young Christian girl accused of blasphemy in August. The IHC has not indicated when it expects to reach a decision.
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Rimsha Masih and her family will remain in Pakistan after her legal ordeal is over, one of her lawyers says. The teen-aged Pakistani girl, whose arrest in August on suspicion of desecrating Islamic texts, is due to appear in an Islamabad juvenile court Oct. 17. Originally charged in regular court where the potential penalty is life imprisonment, the girl’s case was transferred to the juvenile court after her age was certified and evidence surfaced that she was framed by a local imam. The cascading crisis involving derogatory depictions of Islam's prophet Muhammad by amateur American filmmakers and French satirists has reinvigorated a 20-year-old demand from the Muslim world for a Western crackdown on free speech.
This demand has been made by Egypt's Salafist Nour party, by Iran's theocrats, by Hezbollah and, not least, by the al-Qaeda-linked groups that on Sept. 11 and the days immediately following attacked and rioted against our embassies and interests in two dozen Muslim countries, killing Ambassador Chris Stevens and 51 others and injuring hundreds. It is also being pressed on the diplomatic front by Muslim governments allied to the U.S. The Pakistan blasphemy case against 14-year-old Rimsha Masih has taken a sudden turn against her.
The Christian girl was charged with blasphemy more than a month ago for allegedly burning pages from the Quran. Four witnesses then came forward accusing Muslim cleric Khalid Jadoon Chishti of tearing out the pages himself to falsely incriminate Masih. On September 21, a mob of several thousand militant Muslims attacked St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Mardan City, Pakistan. The attackers, armed with rifles and kerosene, overwhelmed security guards and broke into the church. They destroyed Bibles and prayer books, desecrated the altar, and set fire to the church building and several surrounding homes and buildings. The mob was returning from a protest against the YouTube film, "Innocence of Muslims."
In Pakistan, tens of thousands turned out to show their anger over the film. Rioters threw rocks and set fire to buildings in some cities, and police fired tear gas and live ammunition to try to subdue them. Three people were killed and dozens were injured. Pakistan's government declared today a holiday so that people could rally against the video. Trinity Broadcasting Network, America's favorite faith-and-family channel, is highlighting the award-winning video documentary The Cross: The Arthur Blessitt Story, produced and directed by TBN Vice President of Administration Matt Crouch, as this month's stewardship and love gift for TBN viewers and partners.
On Christmas Day 1969, Arthur Blessitt, a simple street evangelist sharing the gospel on tough and gritty Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California, began a 3,000-mile hike from the West Coast to Washington, D.C, carrying a 12-foot, 45-pound rugged wooden cross on his back. His only focus was to share with all he met what that cross symbolized: the forgiveness, hope, and healing all can find through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The high profile blasphemy case of Pakistani teenager Rimsha Masih was adjourned yesterday for the third time in a row, one day after the alleged instigator of her arrest was himself charged with blasphemy.
Yesterday’s adjournment was requested by the claimant’s lawyer because of a one day strike by the Punjab Bar Association, while the previous postponement was caused by his queries over legal documentation. The case will now be heard this Friday, 7 September. Allama Tahir Ashrafi, chairman of the All Pakistan Ulema Council (APUC), Pakistan’s leading coalition of Islamic clerics, made an unprecedented statement yesterday calling for the government to prevent the misuse of the country’s blasphemy laws, and to ensure that the case of Rimsha Masih, a young Christian girl accused of blasphemy, be handled fairly and impartially.
Ashrafi told Associated France Presse (AFP) that Rimsha’s case should be a “watershed” for Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. The Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) is commending the World Council of Churches (WCC) for its decision to hold an international conference on Pakistan's blasphemy law. The September Geneva conference comes after Rimsha Masih, an eleven year-old Pakistani Christian girl reported to have Down syndrome, was accused of desecrating the Koran. Masih is now in prison, where authorities say she is safer from mob-instigated violence. |
Walter Blackwood
Associate Pastor with The Bridge Community of Faith in Kelowna BC Canada. Archives
May 2017
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