via news.com.au
A Christian girl with Down Syndrome has been arrested on blasphemy charges in Pakistan, accused of burning pages inscribed with verses from the Koran.
Police arrested Rimsha, who is recognized by a single name, on Thursday after she was reported holding in public burnt pages which had Islamic text and Koranic verses on them, a police official said.
A conviction for blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan.
The official said that the girl, who he described as being in her teens, was taken to a police station in the capital Islamabad, where she has been detained since.
Angry Muslim protesters held rallies demanding she be punished, said the official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
“We had to register the case fairly quickly to prevent any unpleasant situation,” he added, referring to the demonstrations.
Rimsha was produced before a court on Friday and remanded in custody for 14 days, another police official said. She is expected to go before the court again by end of this month.
The girl’s plight is likely to reignite debate about growing religious intolerance in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where strict anti-blasphemy laws make defaming Islam or the Prophet Mohammed, or desecrating the Koran, a capital offense.
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Article courtesy news.com.au
