2012-09-03 11:39:44

Pakistan: situation tense after Imam's arrest


(Vatican Radio) The situation in Pakistan remains extremely tense following the weekend arrest of a leading Imam, on suspicion of planting incriminating evidence on the person of a young Christian girl being held on suspicion of having violated Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy law. The girl, Rimsha Masih, is roughly fourteen years of age and believed to have learning difficulties. She remains in custody on the blasphemy charges, which stem from the discovery on her person of burnt portions of pages from the Qur’an – portions that it now appears may have been planted by Imam Khalid Chishti, whom prosecutors say will himself face charges of blasphemy.

Professor Mobeen Shalid teaches Islamic thought and culture at Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University. He is also the founder of Pakistani Christians in Italy - an organization desired by the slain Pakistani Christian government minister, Shabbaz Bhatti, as an instrument of communication and communion between the hard-pressed Christian communities in his country and the heart of the Church in Rome. He told Vatican Radio that powerful interests are using the blasphemy laws to stir up unrest that will scare Christians away from their homes and out of their livelihoods. “Many businessmen who deal with estate business – property, or the sale of land,” he said, “want to have those [Christian-occupied] slums, which today have a value of millions of Euro.” He went on to explain, “There are some Muslims who are helping these businessmen, so that Christians are sent away from that area and that land can be taken by these businessmen, [who], obviously, later on will sell that land.” Many Christian families have already fled Rimsha’s neighbourhood.

Rimsha's parents have been taken into protective custody following threats. Listen: RealAudioMP3







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