Published: 13:00 GMT Daylight Time - Wednesday 22 August 2012
Christian girl detained on blasphemy charge in Pakistan
Project(s): 00-345
Country/Region: South and East Asia, Pakistan
Barnabas is helping hundreds of destitute Christian families forced to flee area
“The Christian girl disrespected my religion and she should be punished.”
Muslim landlord from Maherabad village
A young Christian girl has been detained by police in Pakistan, falsely accused of blasphemy; hundreds of Christian families have fled their homes amid a violent Muslim backlash.
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Christians were given an ultimatum
to leave Maherabad village, Islamabad |
The shocking treatment of Rimsha Masih, aged around 11, from Maherabad village (also known as Mehara Jaffar), Islamabad, has been widely reported and was condemned by the US on Monday (20 August) as “deeply disturbing”.
The vitriolic and violent reaction of the Muslim community prompted hundreds of Christian residents to flee. Barnabas Fund is helping with the provision of emergency aid.
Rimsha was accused on Thursday (16 August) of burning pages of a Noorani Qaida, a booklet used to learn the basics of the Quran. The alleged incident was broadcast over the loudspeakers of the mosques in the area, stirring up local Muslims; they chanted slogans against Rimsha and severely beat the girl, members of her family and other local Christians. The mob also torched the homes of two Christian families in the area.
Police arrested Rimsha under section 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code, which carries a life sentence for desecration of the Quran, after hundreds of protestors blocked the Kashmir Highway, calling for action to be taken against her. Rimsha’s mother and sister were also detained.
In an abhorrent move, the imam of the local mosque provoked calls for the youngster to be handed over to the mob and publicly burned.
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Barnabas is providing aid to Christian families forced to flee their homes
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After Friday prayers Muslim residents took an oath in the mosque, determining to drive Christians out of the area. The mullahs issued an ultimatum giving Christians a month to leave; Muslim residents agreed that shopkeepers would refuse to sell groceries and other essentials to Christians, and that Muslim landlords would end tenancy agreements with them.
Some of the ousted Christians have gone to stay with relatives, while others are being housed temporarily in church buildings elsewhere in Islamabad.
Barnabas Fund is providing food packages, which include flour, rice, oil, tea, grains, beans, spices and salt, for at least 300 Christian families. It costs £25 to feed one Christian family for a month. (€32, US$40, AU$38, NZ$49)
Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund, said:
The targeting and treatment of this young girl is truly deplorable and thoroughly inhumane. On the basis of a flimsy and false allegation under a law that should not even exist, this vulnerable young life, and those of her entire Christian community, have been ravaged.
Give Today
If you would like to help the Christian families affected by this incident, please send your donation to project Victims of Violence Fund (00-345). using our secure server.
If you prefer to telephone, dial: 0800 587 4006 from within the UK or +44 1672 565031 from outside the UK. Please quote project reference Victims of Violence Fund (00-345).
If you prefer to send a cheque by post: Click this link for the address of our regional office. Please quote project reference Victims of Violence Fund (00-345).
For a quick donation of £3.00 by SMS (see terms and conditions here) text Barnabas/345 to 70007 (Please note: This facility is presently only available to UK supporters).
Resources
There is a poster for download to advertise this emergency here and a PowerPoint slide for your church notices is available here.
- For Rimsha as she remains in police custody: pray that she will be well treated and protected from all harm, and that the blasphemy charge against her will be dropped.
- For the Christian families who have been forced to leave their homes. Pray that the Lord will be their “refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1b).
- Give thanks that the Pakistani president has ordered a report into the matter. Pray that this outrageous incident will lead to positive change regarding the country’s blasphemy laws and treatment of Christians.
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