Pakistani Christians happy about Rimsha Masih verdict

(Nov. 21, 2012) Most Pakistanis have welcomed the court's decision to drop charges against Rimsha Masih, the 14-year-old Christian girl accused by a Muslim cleric of burning pages from a Koran. Both Christians and Muslims have praised the court for its decision, calling it a "great development," according to Bishop Rufin Anthony of Islamabad. For the bishop a new, clearer legislation is needed to put a stop to the abuses committed in the name of blasphemy laws in Pakistan. "Minorities have been targeted for far long enough," he said. However, Islamist extremists cannot hide their anger at the ruling, and accuse the government of putting pressures on the court to get the sentence it wanted. The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday, citing a lack of evidence, threw out all charges against her. However, the case against Khalid Jadoon Chishti, the imam who falsely accused the girl in order to provoke the expulsion of Christians to seize their goods, homes and assets, was not dismissed. "This is indeed a bold decision, In this case justice has prevailed " said Fr John Mall, from the Diocese of Lahore The priest now hopes the authorities will do something about the other cases still pending, especially in central Punjab, where minorities still suffer under the yoke of discrimination.