Update: Judge Delays Bail for Christian Girl in Pakistani Koran-Burning Case
- Posted on August 30, 2012 at 7:02am by
Billy Hallowell
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ISLAMABAD (TheBlaze/AP) — The drama surrounding a young girl and the very-serious religiously-based allegations waged against her in Pakistan is nowhere near over. A judge hearing the case of a Christian girl accused of blasphemy delayed her bail hearing on Thursday after a lawyer questioned a medical report putting the girl’s age at 14, suggesting the government had tried to influence it.
The new challenge quashed the possibility that the controversy surrounding the case would be swiftly defused and the girl set free. The case has focused attention on Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws that can result in life in prison or even death.
Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, center, the lawyer of a Christian girl accused of blasphemy, briefs reporters about a court proceeding in Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. A judge hearing the case has delayed a bail hearing after a lawyer representing the man accusing the girl of burning the Koran challenged a medical report putting the girl's age at 14. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)
Christians in her Islamabad neighborhood left the area en masse as soon as the accusations surfaced, fearing retribution from their Muslim neighbors as the case has inflamed religious tensions in this Muslim majority country.
Questions have been raised about her age, whether she is mentally impaired, what exactly she was burning and why. A medical report submitted Tuesday put her age at 14, which would have moved the case to the more lenient juvenile justice system. It said her mental state was even less than that of a 14-year-old, which raised questions about whether she had the capacity to understand her actions.
But a lawyer representing a man accusing the girl of burning the Koran challenged the validity of the report in a court hearing in Islamabad. The room was crowded with lawyers, members of the Christian community and journalists, all standing pressed against the judge’s bench as he listened to the lawyers.
Rao Abdur Raheem said the report was ordered by a top city official and completed even before the judge himself ordered it to be carried out. Saying the process was “unduly favoring the accused,” he asked the judge to reject it.
Tahir Naveed Chaudhry (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Speaking after the hearing, Raheem said supporters of the victim were trying to turn this case into an international issue along the lines of Asia Bibi. The case of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death in 2010 for insulting Islam, gathered massive international attention and criticism for Pakistan’s tough anti-blasphemy laws.
The lawyer said the girl had confessed to burning part of a Koran and said he would seek the maximum punishment. He said no one should be allowed to hurt the sentiments of Muslims by desecrating their holy book or by insulting their religious personalities.
“If you burn me, I will forgive you, but if you burn our Koran, then I will fight a legal battle to seek maximum punishment for anyone doing this act,” he said. “We will not accept any such thing,” he said.
Under the Pakistani legal system, everyday citizens can bring a court case against someone simply by hiring a lawyer. A state prosecutor was also in the courtroom, as were two defense lawyers for the girl, but the proceeding was dominated by Abdur Raheem.
Critics of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws say they can be used to settle vendettas or seek retribution. Many of Pakistan’s minorities, including Christians, live in fear of being accused of blasphemy.
People accused of the crime, even those that aren’t convicted, often face vigilante justice by outraged Pakistanis. A Pakistani man accused of blasphemy in July was dragged from a police station in the center of the country, beaten to death and his body set on fire.
Few are willing to tackle the explosive issue after two prominent politicians who criticized the law were murdered last year. One was killed by his own bodyguard, who then attracted adoring crowds. The Pakistani government has been largely silent on the girl’s case. Immediately following her arrest, President Asif Ali Zardari issued a statement calling for an investigation but has said nothing since then.
A defense lawyer for the girl, Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, said the report prepared by a seven-member medical board had not favored the girl, and the government had not tried to influence the doctors in any way.
“We will try our best to get her freed,” he said.
The new bail hearing is scheduled for Saturday while the judge seeks clarification on how the report was conducted.
–
RELATED:
- ‘Blasphemy’: Pakistani Christian Girl Accused of Burning the Koran Ruled a Minor
- Christian Girl, Possibly Mentally Handicapped, Arrested in Pakistan and Accused of ‘Blasphemy’
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cosmic dogma
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 10:05pmIf I could get a koran without paying some murderer for printing it, I would burn it after rubbing pork fat all over it, and letting my dog pi$$ on it. While its still legal for me to do so. I am sure it won’t be legal next year, if oiamamuslim is reelected.
Report Post »Larry E
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 5:47pmIt’s good to see that the tolerant religion of peace and love is displaying its tolerance in public. Maybe some people will wake up, but the Islamists and their progresso-commie supporters ignore such things because it doesn’t agree with their “feelings”.
Report Post »Lachoneous
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 1:20pm@Ellena and @snow
Look at the similarities of when Satan appears to Moses (and pretends to be an angel, and when he appears to Muhammad. Moses saw through him and rebuked him. Muhammad embraces him and creates Islam.
Report Post »amazingphotos
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 9:04amOne of the few benefits to the world from the Muslimes is they inspired Jefferson to form the United States Navy and Marine Corps.
Report Post »Elena2010
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 11:42amThe Navy is established in the Constitution.
The US Marines were established in Tunn Tavern before the War for Independence.
What Jefferson did was employ them to rid the world of the Barbary pirates who enslaved anybody they caught on the Mediterranean Sea. The Barbary coast is what we call Libya today.
From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of TRIPOLI!
Oo-rah! Semper Fi!
Report Post »amazingphotos
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 8:17amThe muslimes only respect strength. The proper response to 9-11 would have been to turn Mecca and Medina into glowing craters by 9-12. The pedophile “prophet” declared war on the entire world. For far too long the world has failed to return the favor.
Report Post »amazingphotos
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 8:14amIslam is a political-military cult, NOT a religion. They believe everyone in the world must “submit” to Islamic rule or die. Their “holy book” teaches that lying to “infidels” is a valid tactic to gain advantage for their cause.
Report Post »Radical Muslims = Those honest about the goals of their cult
Moderate Muslims = LIARS
Elena2010
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 11:48amBy calling themselves a religion and have elements of religion within, islam has slipped by our natural filters which reject totalitarianism. In America we respect others’ religions, and political views, to a sane degree.
The use our First Amendment against us!
Islam is one more totalitarian system w/religious elements, just as the Nazis had their religious elements hearkening back to Germanic tribal pagan roots.
C G Jung was right when he said that humans were made to worship something. How better than to use that basic instinct against us!
Jews and Christians — unite with fasting and prayer that our Lord GOD will deliver us fm this pagan scourge.
Report Post »biohazard23
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 7:51amShe probably rejected the “romantic” advances of the man leveling the charges.
Report Post »JACKTHETOAD
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 8:59amI hate when perfectly good bumwad gets burned. What a WASTE…tsk, tsk, tsk.
Report Post »amazingphotos
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 9:55amRape refusal is a logical theory in that culture. However, she is a little old for a devout follower of the “prophet.”
Report Post »hawkeyez
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 7:48amThe BLAZE can take their stupid Pop-Ups and stick them up Glenn’s @@$
Report Post »goahead.makemyday
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 9:23amHAWK you even misspelled the alternated version of the word, I can only comment on that since I have no idea what the rest of the comment is about.
Report Post »stumpy68
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 9:53amYou’ve been repeatedly told how to get rid of them once again this time with the
Report Post »links
http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/
+
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ghostery/
Ghostery also has a chrome addon
momrules
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 7:38amThese are some of the people on my prayer list. Please add your prayers for their safety in light of the persecution they face by Islam.
Pastor Youcef Nardarkhani….Christian Pastor held in Iran
Mohammed ali Dadkrah………Pastor Nardarkhani’s attorney
Shakeel Afridi…………………..Pakistani physcian that helped CIA locate binLaden
Asia Bibi…………………………Pakistani Christian sentenced to death for blasphemy against Islam
Bowe Bergdahl…………………American serviceman and America’s only POW missing since 6-30-09
and now this child.
The persecution of Christians and people of other faiths by Islam is increasing. This is rarely discussed in the American media. Islam is a cruel, evil cult. It must be stopped from increasing it’s influence in America and across the globe if civilization is to survive.
Report Post »Myth
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 11:58amGod bless you.
Report Post »holy ghostbuster
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 4:10pmReligion poisons everything. I don’t see the difference in a Muslim sentencing someone to death for blasphemy, because it is what their religion says to do, and a Christian, who says their god will send a non-believer to burn in hell for eternity. If the after-life is in fact real, then there is no difference between allah and god.
Report Post »NewLife56
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 7:32amIslam is sickining
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 7:18amAnti Christian forces are on the rise in Pakistan and Northern India; this is just one more move among many that are occuring daily. Christians and many non-muslims are fleeing the region; even a simple twitter hoax pulled a few weeks back caused an estimated (at the time) 200k people to flee for their lives from Northern India.
So who is behind these radical coordinated efforts for their long range goals?
Al Queda?
Report Post »Taliban?
Irans 12th Imam lunatics?
All of the above?
amazingphotos
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 9:15amAll of the above. Those are branches of the Satanic deal cult of islime.
Report Post »Elena2010
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 11:52amLucifer is. He also goes by Allah.
Look at the personalities of the Bible if you don’t believe me. Lucifer is proud and deceptive. Allah boasts that he is the chief of all deceivers. Lucifer demands our worshipful attention but wants nothing to do with our daily lives beyond that. Lucifer loves to destroy men and women, having been out for us since the beginning of us.
The God in the Bible is quite different. He is the ultimate long-suffering parent. He loves us in spite of our rebelliousness. He finds us ways to grow closer to Him. He cares about our daily lives and seeks to be an active part of them.
Still think that the Biblical God is the same as Allah?
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 12:29pm@Ellena:
Excellent post, may I use it to get that point across to others as needed?
Report Post »Elena2010
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 12:44pmCertainly, Snow!
If we salvage one soul, it is more than worth it! Post away! :-D
Report Post »