Release sought for girl held for blasphemy

An attorney for a Christian girl held in Pakistan on a blasphemy charge asked that she be freed from jail as doctors say she is mentally ill. The case of Rimsha Masih, being held in a high-security facility near Islamabad since Aug. 16, has drawn much international attention because of her age, her religious minority status in Sunni Muslim-majority Pakistan and the country's harsh anti-blasphemy law under which a person can even be sentenced to death in some cases for criticizing Islam, the Prophet Mohammed, or desecrating the Muslim holy text of Koran. Critics have said the law also is being used to persecute religious minorities. Masih, who comes from a poor family living in a slum area of Islamabad, had been accused of burning pages from the holy text after she was reportedly seen holding a burned copy, and the incident drew angry protests from hundreds of Muslims. Her age had been reported as being as low as 11 and some reports had said she also has Down syndrome. Her attorney, Tashir Naveed Chaudhry, after a court hearing Tuesday, applied for her release and received support from Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, chairman of the country's group of Muslim clerics, The New York Times reported. Chaudhry told the court about a medical board having determined the girl's age to be 14, the report said. He said the board's report "establishes that her mental condition does not match her age and physical condition." The next court hearing was set for Thursday and Chaudhry expressed hope Masih would be given bail, The Times said, adding senior Pakistani government officials were also seeking to get the blasphemy charge dropped. Pakistan's News International newspaper quoted legal experts as saying the charge against the girl should be dropped immediately, saying the juvenile laws of the land clearly states a minor girl, under no circumstances, can be detained in jail. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari had earlier ordered an investigation into the incident. Maulana Ashrafi, whose organization also includes some fundamentalist groups, said police should investigate the girl's case "immediately and without fear," and if the accusation against her is found to be wrong, those responsible for it should be prosecuted, The Times said. "In Pakistan, we have one law for both Muslims and Christians. The government should apply it," he was quoted as saying. Human rights groups have already taken up the issue, pleading for Masih's protection against any vigilante reprisal. Already, many of Masih's Christian neighbors have reportedly fled their homes fearing attacks from Muslims, but some have since returned. A Christian woman told Voice of America she's afraid Muslims in her neighborhood would attack her if she stayed. "We are frightened. They can harm us any time, set us on fire, and the landlord has asked us to leave so that we are not harmed," she was quoted as saying. Pakistan's human rights commission already has asked Pakistani authorities to immediately release Masih. The rights commission, as reported by Pakistan's Daily Times, said some reports have said the burned pages were found in a shopping bag Masih was carrying for disposal when someone stopped her demanding to see what she was carrying. Some clerics were then alerted and a mob later assembled outside the girl's house, the report said.