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FRAMING OF CHRISTIAN GIRL FOR BLASPHEMY HIGHLIGHTS WIDESPREAD PERSECUTION PAKISTAN: In an incident that graphically highlights the plight of the beleaguered Christian minority in Pakistan, Rimsha Masih, a young Christian girl with Down’s syndrome, was falsely accused of blasphemy in August. Rimsha, whose age is estimated to be around 14, spent three weeks in a maximum-security jail before she was bailed on 7 September. Rimsha, from Maherabad village, Islamabad, was originally accused on 16 August of burning pages of a copy of Noorani Quaida, a booklet used for learning the basics of the Quran. After details of the accusation were broadcast over the loudspeakers of the local mosque, Rimsha, her family and other Christians in the area were subjected to brutal violence; they were beaten and their houses were torched. Most disturbingly, the imam of the local mosque, Qari Khalid Jadoon Chistti, even called for Rimsha to be publicly burned. Hundreds of Christians were forced to flee the area, as they were unable to stay in their homes or buy groceries owing to the vitriolic Muslim reaction to the case. Barnabas Fund is helping them with their practical needs. In a dramatic twist, however, the assistant imam and two other witnesses later came forward and alleged that Chistti had planted the burnt pages in the ashes found with Rimsha. Chistti has since been arrested and was charged with blasphemy himself. Several Muslim groups in Pakistan have come out in support of Rimsha, in an unprecedented display of solidarity. She is also the first person to be given bail for blasphemy in Pakistan, but this may be because she is a minor. Rimsha’s treatment has attracted international condemnation. This case comes as Aasia
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Bibi, who was falsely accused of making derogatory remarks about Muhammad in 2009, is still in a Pakistani prison as she awaits her appeal against a death sentence. Aasia is able to see her family only on rare occasions. Two Pakistani politicians, who were prominent critics of the “blasphemy law” under which both Aasia Bibi and Rimsha Masih are charged, were assassinated last year. Christians and other minorities
are part of a rising tide of Islamic extremism that has fuelled many incidents of unprovoked violence against non-Muslims in recent years. Furthermore, a recent report by the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) shows a significant increase in the amount of “hate material” targeted at Christians and other religious minorities. Drawing a link to the Rimsha Masih case, the NCJP’s Peter Jacob said that such
An estimated 700 Pakistani Christian girls are kidnapped annually and forcibly married to their Muslim captors. The police often do little to protect Christians, whether from violent attack, sexual assault or forced marriage, and few of those responsible are brought to justice are very vulnerable to being accused under the law, which demands the death penalty for anyone who is found guilty of “defiling the name of Muhammad” and life imprisonment for desecrating the Quran. The laws are
material must be eliminated from textbooks, otherwise similar incidents would continue to happen. Vulnerability under the “blasphemy law” is only one part of the wider climate of persecution and discrimination
Barnabas Fund is supporting Christian families who have fled violence in the area after Rimsha’s arrest
often misused, fuelled by prejudice against Christians and other nonMuslims. Violent attacks following such accusations are common, and
BARNABAS AID NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
endured by Christians in Pakistan. Another serious challenge is the kidnap, forced marriage and forced conversion of Christian women and
girls. An estimated 700 Pakistani Christian girls are kidnapped annually and forcibly married to their Muslim captors. The police often do little to protect Christians, whether from violent attack, sexual assault or forced marriage, and few of those responsible are brought to justice. While the “blasphemy law” and the attacks on women and girls are the two issues that cause the greatest fear and distress, Pakistani Christians also face frequent discrimination in education and in the workplace. They are often from the lowest economic strata of society, and families can remain trapped in poverty because their members are denied employment opportunities. Christian young people face great pressures at school and – for the few who can go on to further study – also at university. This can include being failed in their exams, enduring strong pressure to convert to Islam, and occasionally even violence. Christians can find that employers refuse to hire them because of their faith, and that even when they are given a job they are paid less than a Muslim doing the same job or denied promotion. Political representation for Christians is also a major problem. Separate electorates were established for non-Muslim minorities in 1979, which diminished their political participation, and although these were later abolished, the growing influence of Islamist groups has ensured that Christians remain marginalised. During emergencies in Pakistan, such as the severe flooding in 2010-11, discrimination can mean that Christians even miss out in the distribution of aid. Please turn to pages 12-13 to read about the projects that Barnabas Fund supports in Pakistan.