Christian girl with Down syndrome may face death penalty

Temaz

Surely this won't happen!?!?

A young Christian girl with Down syndrome has been charged with blasphemy in Pakistan after she reportedly burnt the pages of a Koran. If convicted, she may face the death penalty.
­


Rifta Masih was detained on Thursday outside the country’s capital of Islamabad. The arrest was prompted by angry complaints by the girl’s neighbors. Masih was beaten by local Muslims after they witnessed her allegedly torching pages of the sacred book, Pakistani English-language newspaper the Express Tribune reported.


The incident immediately triggered demonstrations, with crowds of 600 to 1,000 Muslims estimated to have blocked the local Kashmir Highway. The police initially refused to take action against the girl, but the gathered crowd forced them to arrest her. Masih reportedly wasn’t able to properly respond to police questioning.


Masih may be as young as 11, though a police official told AFP that the girl was in her teens.
Paul Bhatti, Pakistani Minister for National Harmony, told the BBC that the girl was known to have a mental disorder, and that it seemed “unlikely she purposefully desecrated the Koran.”

http://rt.com/news/koran-pakistan-girl-arrest-095/

Draconian prison terms for blasphemy charges are also common in Pakistan: in 2010, a Christian couple were sentenced to 25 years in jail on charges of touching a Koran with unwashed hands.


wtf

that and the girl's story are both off the wall
they're crazy

Temaz

bluewolf wrote: »

a Christian couple were sentenced to 25 years in jail on charges of touching a Koran with unwashed hands.


wtf

:eek:

Colmustard

I doubt it will happen, at least I hope not. Surely it doesn't matter that she is Christian only that she has down's syndrome.

Nodin

If they hadn't lifted her, she could have been killed. Its unlikely she'll be charged.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19315210

steddyeddy

Political correctness aside they are a backward society if this goes ahead. Only sub human animals would do this to a down syndrome girl.

Real Life

Religion of Peace

mackg

Leave her off for **** sake.

Duggy747

She won't get the death penalty, this is waaaay too hot of a potato for them to handle. Especially since it's worldwide news, now.

Sentencing her to death would destroy an already tarnished image the country has.

DazMarz

Once again, Islam makes itself look so good in modern society. If you thought they just murdered gays and free-thinking women, watch out! They've got a whole new line of murder victims just waiting to be rolled out for Autumn 2012! The mentally disabled! What better way to show Allah how seriously we take our religion by murdering people with mental disabilities? That's much more deep and meaningful than murdering gay teenagers or women who want to drive!

Jesus, what is wrong with that religion? I mean, seriously?

Biggins

I respect the right of the Muslim world to see that their religion, its symbols and ways are respected - but I wish the hell that the nutters of that religion (and any other one that is fanatical) would calm the fcuk down and kop-on.

MagicMarker

Note to self, cross Pakistan off the holiday destination list.

Shenshen

Am I the only one wondering who gave her the Quran, and the matches?

steddyeddy

steddyeddy wrote: »

[...] Only sub human animals would do this to a down syndrome girl.

Only sub-human animals would do this to any girl or boy or woman or man, regardless of having or not having a mental disability.

Chuck Stone

What a medieval ****-hole.

Shenshen

DazMarz wrote: »

Once again, Islam makes itself look so good in modern society. If you thought they just murdered gays and free-thinking women, watch out! They've got a whole new line of murder victims just waiting to be rolled out for Autumn 2012! The mentally disabled! What better way to show Allah how seriously we take our religion by murdering people with mental disabilities? That's much more deep and meaningful than murdering gay teenagers or women who want to drive!

Jesus, what is wrong with that religion? I mean, seriously?

Nothing that wouldn't have been wrong with religion here some 300 years back.
Much as I dislike religion, this is a problem of social and cultural development, not of belief.

Sykk

MagicMarker wrote: »

Note to self, cross Pakistan off the holiday destination list.

It was on the holiday destination list? :eek:

jester77

Sykk wrote: »

It was on the holiday destination list? :eek:

Probably the Christmas holiday list!

Pompey Magnus

steddyeddy wrote: »

Political correctness aside they are a backward society if this goes ahead. Only sub human animals would do this to a down syndrome girl.

Regardless of whether it goes ahead or not Pakistan is a backwards society, this story is not that unusual by their standards.

Unregistered.

Duggy747 wrote: »

She won't get the death penalty, this is waaaay too hot of a potato for them to handle. Especially since it's worldwide news, now.

That's just low!

DazMarz

Shenshen wrote: »

Nothing that wouldn't have been wrong with religion here some 300 years back.
Much as I dislike religion, this is a problem of social and cultural development, not of belief.

Yes, but this is the 21st Century, this is 2012... not 1712. This is an era where neanderthal belief systems and everything that goes with them should be binned.

Any society or culture that would find no problem with murdering a defenceless girl (regardless of mental capacity) is wrong. Morals have changed for the better in the last centuries, and to compare this case to cases of antiquity makes no sense. Sure, something like this might have happened 300 years ago. Doesn't make it any more right that this case. But the problem being is that in a modern society, the vulnerable and the weak should be protected, not strung up for the baying mob of fanatical Muslims who want to protect their holy book.

folan

Biggins wrote: »

I respect the right of the Muslim world to see that their religion, its symbols and ways are respected - but I wish the hell that the nutters of that religion (and any other one that is fanatical) would calm the fcuk down and kop-on.

if only Biggins. but nutters are nutters, whether they're Muslims calling for the death of this poor girl, or they're Christians picketing soldiers funerals.

Religion is another in a long line of poor excuses these types of people come up with to justify their own world view.

DipStick McSwindler

This post has been deleted.

DazMarz

Good people do good things; evil people do evil things; but for a good person to do an evil thing, it takes religion...

Unregistered.

Unregistered. wrote: »

That's just low!

Time and a place for those kind of jokes.

Biggins

folan wrote: »

if only Biggins. but nutters are nutters, whether they're Muslims calling for the death of this poor girl, or they're Christians picketing soldiers funerals.

Religion is another in a long line of poor excuses these types of people come up with to justify their own world view.

No argument there.

token101

Last month, an angry crowd seized a man accused of blasphemy, and who was also said to be mentally unstable, from a police station and burnt him to death in the Bahawalpur area of Punjab province.

That poor guy was 'mentally unstable', but the crowd burning the guy to death are described as 'angry' :pac: What is wrong with these people? What a ****ing ****hole that place is.

MaxSteele

Jesus ... and people pour outcry when these idiots get carpet bombed "by mistake" from a US drone ?

Nodin

MaxSteele wrote: »

Jesus ... and people pour outcry when these idiots get carpet bombed "by mistake" from a US drone ?

So they're all the same then?

It'd be nice if - just every now and again - we could condemn bigotry and ignorance without resorting to bigotry and ignorance.

Shenshen

DazMarz wrote: »

Yes, but this is the 21st Century, this is 2012... not 1712. This is an era where neanderthal belief systems and everything that goes with them should be binned.

Any society or culture that would find no problem with murdering a defenceless girl (regardless of mental capacity) is wrong. Morals have changed for the better in the last centuries, and to compare this case to cases of antiquity makes no sense. Sure, something like this might have happened 300 years ago. Doesn't make it any more right that this case. But the problem being is that in a modern society, the vulnerable and the weak should be protected, not strung up for the baying mob of fanatical Muslims who want to protect their holy book.

They have here.
That does by no means mean they've changed the world over. And Pakistan certainly is a society where morals have not changed in step with advances made in Western Europe and the US. At the end of the day, they have seen little enough of the physical changes that occured here and prompted the social and moral changes. Pakistan is no modern society, and to pretend thay are in order to feel a little more outraged is rather cheap, don't you think?

And yes, I do condemn the situation. In no way would I want my posts to be read as if I condoned the legislation, the mob or the general religious intolerance shown in many Muslim countries.
But I do think that in order to improve the situation, flying into a fury and calling all inhabitants of the country animals and barbarians is not going to be a good start.

steddyeddy

DazMarz wrote: »

Shenshen wrote: »

Nothing that wouldn't have been wrong with religion here some 300 years back.
Much as I dislike religion, this is a problem of social and cultural development, not of belief.

Yes, but this is the 21st Century, this is 2012... not 1712. This is an era where neanderthal belief systems and everything that goes with them should be binned.

Any society or culture that would find no problem with murdering a defenceless girl (regardless of mental capacity) is wrong. Morals have changed for the better in the last centuries, and to compare this case to cases of antiquity makes no sense. Sure, something like this might have happened 300 years ago. Doesn't make it any more right that this case. But the problem being is that in modern society, the vulnerable and the weak should be protected, not strung up for the baying mob of fanatical Muslims who want to protect their holy book.

I take offence at your comparison between this society and neanderthals. Recent evidence tells us that neanderthals were quite intelligent and even cared for each other during sickness.

ejmaztec

Chuck Stone wrote: »

What a medieval ****-hole.

Unfortunately, when some of the medieval individuals decide to emigrate to the West, they bring some of their strange habits with them.

Zebra3

DazMarz wrote: »

Once again, Islam makes itself look so good in modern society. If you thought they just murdered gays and free-thinking women, watch out! They've got a whole new line of murder victims just waiting to be rolled out for Autumn 2012! The mentally disabled! What better way to show Allah how seriously we take our religion by murdering people with mental disabilities? That's much more deep and meaningful than murdering gay teenagers or women who want to drive!

Jesus, what is wrong with that religion? I mean, seriously?

It's so inferior to Christianity which gave us the blood free invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

enfant terrible

Zebra3 wrote: »

It's so inferior to Christianity which gave us the blood free invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Took three pages for someone to have a go at Christians, surprised.

MagicMarker

enfant terrible wrote: »

Took three pages for someone to have a go at Christians, surprised.

It's only the first page, n00b.

Jimoslimos

bluewolf wrote: »

Draconian prison terms for blasphemy charges are also common in Pakistan: in 2010, a Christian couple were sentenced to 25 years in jail on charges of touching a Koran with unwashed hands.


wtf

that and the girl's story are both off the wall
they're crazy

I suspect both sides of this story aren't the whole truth. Cannot be certain if the girl has DS, and even so I strongly doubt any actual desecration of the Koran took place. The crime itself seems too contrived. Burning of a sacred book, well that'll sure raise some heckles. What next? She was spotted wiping her arse with the rest of the book perhaps.

A Christian/Jew/Atheist in dispute with a Muslim in Pakistan. One party cries "Blasphemer!", whose story are the mob going to believe?

DazMarz

I'm an atheist, so I hate all religions. But for me, Islam and Christianity have a special place in my heart for my hatred. They are dangerous to modern society. Every single thing (be it technology, legislation, etc.) that attempts to progress humanity always seems to meet with howls and screams of protest from Christians or Muslims. They're both one and the same, it's just that their methods of hindering society differ.

The sooner all organised religion finally dies the better. Nothing good comes from them any more. In the past, they may have done some good. But now, in an era when we have science and logic, religion is nothing more than a dangerous, dying animal that is resisting all attempts to being put out of its misery.

Show Time

The wacky sons of Allah at it again.

TeddyTedson

They won't kill her, trust me on this!

ejmaztec

DazMarz wrote: »

I'm an atheist, so I hate all religions. But for me, Islam and Christianity have a special place in my heart for my hatred. They are dangerous to modern society. Every single thing (be it technology, legislation, etc.) that attempts to progress humanity always seems to meet with howls and screams of protest from Christians or Muslims. They're both one and the same, it's just that their methods of hindering society differ.

The sooner all organised religion finally dies the better. Nothing good comes from them any more. In the past, they may have done some good. But now, in an era when we have science and logic, religion is nothing more than a dangerous, dying animal that is resisting all attempts to being put out of its misery.

After religion disappears, there will only be human nature to deal with, and that won't be so easy.:P

TeddyTedson

You can't brand all religions with the same brush. Some religions are fairer than others.
Personally I tend not to believe in invisible super natural beings all that much. But people don't need to just religion bash for the sake of it.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I thought that Pakistan was developing into a modern progressive society, I was very wrong. They have shown themselves to be near barbaric animals...using their religion as an excuse to carry out such an act only serves to turn the rest of the world against Islam.

Nodin

CJC999 wrote: »

I thought that Pakistan was developing into a modern progressive society, I was very wrong. They have shown themselves to be near barbaric animals...........

All of them?

Show Time

CJC999 wrote: »

I thought that Pakistan was developing into a modern progressive society, I was very wrong. They have shown themselves to be near barbaric animals...using their religion as an excuse to carry out such an act only serves to turn the rest of the world against Islam.

Pakistan will always be a third world country full of backward superstitious people.

anncoates

MagicMarker wrote: »

Note to self, cross Pakistan off the holiday destination list.

Was it actually on your list before now?

Nodin

Show Time wrote: »

Pakistan will always be a third world country full of backward superstitious people.

...and now the psychics have joined us. Tell me, O Sage, why will this be so?

wes

A terrible thing to happen to such a young girl. The law should be changed, as it is largely being used by extremists as a reason to attack minorities, and in this cases it is especially bad due to age of the girl involved.

Agricola

Chuck Stone wrote: »

What a medieval ****-hole.

I imagine even in the medieval age, the girl would be recognised as a simpleton, idiot or dullard and might have escaped any punishment for blasphemy.

These guys are really dragging it back to the stone age.

up for anything

DazMarz wrote: »

What better way to show Allah how seriously we take our religion by murdering people with mental disabilities? That's much more deep and meaningful than murdering gay teenagers or women who want to drive!

Jesus, what is wrong with that religion? I mean, seriously?

He's probably the last 'person' you should be asking. I'd say he's a bit biased.

the_syco

Real Life wrote: »

Religion of Peace

Religion of pieces, after the bomb that they're carrying goes off on a bus load of female school children...

mackg

Nodin wrote: »

...and now the psychics have joined us. Tell me, O Sage, why will this be so?

feck that I want the lotto numbers