An 11-year-old Christian child with reported mental disabilities (believed to be Down's Syndrome), identified by officials as Rifta Masih (also reported as Rimsha), has been arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan and charged with blasphemy. She has been accused of burning pages of the Noorani Qaida (an Islamic pamphlet that teaches the basics of the Holy Quran) on Thursday 16th August 2012 and is currently being held in a police station in Islamabad after police were pressured to arrest her by an angry crowd. The crowd also reportedly beat the girl and her mother.
Under Pakistan's blasphemy laws a person can be jailed for life for desecrating Islamic texts. However, there is no evidence that Rifta was the person to damage the pages. Given her age and her mental condition it is highly unlikely that she meant any damage or insult.
Rifta has been denied access to lawyers and civil representatives since her arrest and 600 Christians have fled her Christian neighbourhood in Islamabad due to fears of religious persecution by angry Muslim mobs calling for her punishment.
Please sign the petition to urge Pakistan's Minister of Law and Justice to immediately release Rifta, to repeal the controversial blasphemy law and to protect the Christian population of Islamabad from religious persecution!
Dear Senator Farooq Hamid Naek,
We, the undersigned, urge you to consider the case of a mentally disabled 11-year-old girl, identified in the media only as Rifta, arrested in Islamabad and charged with blasphemy on Thursday 16th August 2012. Rimsha was found on Thursday holding burnt pages of the Koran and other Islamic texts. However, no evidence has emerged to show that it was Rifta who damaged the pages.
Furthermore, given her age and disabilities we believe that police should have addressed the case under the Juvenile Justice System rather than the serious allegation of blasphemy.
We believe that Rifta's release and pardon should be secured immediately and that debate regarding the blasphemy law should be re-opened so as to prevent future cases like Rifta's.
Yours, the undersigned
