Pakistani Muslim Cleric Accused of Framing Disabled Christian Girl in Koran-Burning Case
- Posted on September 3, 2012 at 7:51am by
Billy Hallowell
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ISLAMABAD (TheBlaze/AP) — Pakistani police are investigating whether a Muslim cleric who allegedly tried to frame a Christian girl for blasphemy should be charged with insulting Islam himself and potentially face life in prison, a police officer said Monday.
Khalid Chisti was arrested Saturday after a member of his mosque accused him of stashing pages of a Koran in a Christian girl’s bag to make it seem like she burned the Islamic holy book. He allegedly planted the evidence to push Christians out of his neighborhood in Islamabad. He has denied the allegations.
Pakistani police officers escort blindfolded Muslim cleric Khalid Chishti to appear in court in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012. In the latest twist in a religiously charged case that has focused attention on the country's harsh blasphemy laws, Pakistani police arrested Chishti who they say planted evidence in the case of a Christian girl accused of blasphemy. (Credit: AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
The case has generated significant international attention because of reports that the girl is as young as 11 and is mentally handicapped.
Human rights activists have long criticized Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws, saying they are misused to persecute non-Muslims and settle personal vendettas. They have hailed Chisti’s arrest as unprecedented and hope it will prevent false blasphemy accusations in the future.
More immediately, they have called for the release of the Christian girl, who has been held in prison for over two weeks. Last week, TheBlaze reported that she was denied bail — an action that took place before the cleric’s alleged actions surfaced.
She will remain in jail until at least Friday after her bail hearing was postponed for a second time Monday, said her lawyer, Tahir Naveed Chaudhry. The court adjourned the hearing until then because of a lawyers’ strike, he said.
Credit: AP
Police registered a blasphemy case against Chisti on Monday for allegedly desecrating the Koran, said police officer Munir Jafferi. If he is charged by a court and convicted, he could face life in prison, said Jafferi.
A separate section of Pakistan‘s blasphemy laws says insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammed carries the death penalty.
Police are also contemplating leveling additional charges against Chisti, such as fraud, planting evidence and making false allegations, said Jafferi.
Police arrested the girl from her neighborhood in Islamabad over two weeks after an angry mob of several hundred appeared at a local police station, demanding action against her for alleged blasphemy. Police said at the time that they took her into custody partly to protect her from potential harm.
People accused of blasphemy, even those who 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.
Christians in the girl’s neighborhood left the area en masse as soon as the accusations surfaced, fearing retribution from their Muslim neighbors.
The Associated Press has withheld the girl’s name because it does not generally identify juveniles under 18 who are accused of crimes.
The girl’s supporters say she is 11 years old and has Down syndrome; a medical board said she was about 14 and that her mental age didn’t match her physical age.
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DYNA
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 7:37pmIf this comes with diversity, I don’t want it.
Report Post »dovndce
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 7:28pmThis clown will be performing his “salah” (prayers) while in prison but I guarantee you it‘ll be more than 5x a day and he won’t be facing Mecca, he’ll be on his knees facing his cellmates.
Report Post »dovndce
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 7:13pmThis Imam will be performing his required “salah” (prayers) in prison, I can guarantee you he‘ll be on his knees more than 5 times a day and he won’t be facing Mecca, his cellmates will make sure of that.
Report Post »SlyFox123
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 6:36pmAdd your comments
Report Post »SlyFox123
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 6:35pmThere book says——-“you MUST lie to protect your brother”, and to lie to an Infidel, on ANY thing is good!.
Report Post »blazingaway
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 6:19pmLook at the way the security men are holding their weapons … they’ve been trained or are professionals who are CIA plants.
Report Post »Dave In Arizona
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 5:36pmThe worst that will happen: Chisti will be nominated for a Nobel prize for creative literature.
Report Post »Thomas
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 5:02pm…it says a member of his mask, (mosque) whatever.. same difference, turned him in after seeing him plant false evidence in her bag…hmm…maybe that person has a heart and a conscience. I wonder how long they will live?…or be shunned.
Report Post »The_Cabrito_Goat
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 4:50pmWe can’t totally give up on Pakistan. If you look at the amount of trouble this cleric is in, it’s definitely a bright side to this unfortunate story.
It’s less likely the little girl would be set free in Iran. Remember the girl who had acid thrown on her face? And then the hospital refused to touch her because they believe khaffirs are filthy.
Report Post »SlushPuppyKing
Posted on September 4, 2012 at 12:25amYeah let’s keep giving them money and calling them ally and friend. I’m sure one day they will be a nation for good……
Report Post »coalfired
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 2:45pmIslam is mentally handicapped! Nothing but a satanic cult!
Report Post »Grand design
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 11:26amWhy are we, as a nation, giving these idiots financial support? They seem to be living in the seventh century as savages!
Report Post »Grand design
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 11:19amThis is how you keep stupid people in line! You threaten them with death for steping out of the main stream thought! Someone said that Islam is a cult. They are right, it is a cult and not a religion! It‘s too bad that Muslim’s are not allowed to think for themselves. I guess this makes it easier for their Clerics to control them!
Report Post »deadend
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 9:26amI‘m supprised since the koran condones lieing to infidels that it doesn’t condone lieing about infedels.
Report Post »DeathTongue
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 11:22amit probably also condones mis-spelling
Report Post »proliance
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 11:40amYou should see what it says about poor punctuation.
Report Post »Hoax And Chains
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 9:04amWell, I say we keep handing them billions in “aid”. Yep… you can just see the progress of these savages.
Report Post »termyt
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 8:28amWow. I didn’t see this coming. I was hoping the Pakistanis would at least recognize a mentally disable child could not be responsible for such a technical crime but to actually arrest the one who set her up? I didn’t dream it was possible.
Maybe they will actually stone a male who commits adultery instead of the girl he raped. Now that would be progress.
Report Post »Jenny Lind
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 8:23amThere is so much wrong with this mindset that we will never understand understand them, and I am to the point where I do not care, get them out of the US, even the nice ones, I cannot feel good will come from them being here.
Report Post »grayling646
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 8:16amHoly Cow!!! …and we’re supporting these savages?
Report Post »Displacedsoutherner
Posted on September 3, 2012 at 8:37amEugenics in the name of religion. Just ask the late term/partial birth/immediate post birth abortion fans in the Obama administration. Eugenics in the name of a political agenda.
I think Hitler and friends dabbled in that area as well.
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