Thank you.
Via PJM:
A bipartisan group of senators today urged Pakistani Prime Minister Asif Ali Zardari to free a mentally disabled Christian girl accused of desecrating Koran pages.
Rimsha Masih, 11, is being held in solitary confinement in Islamabad and could be charged with blasphemy, which carries a maximum of the death penalty. The girl was reportedly abused by a mob in her village and Christians had to flee the neighborhood; it’s been reported that either she collected the Koran pages while scavenging paper in a waste dump or the pages were maliciously planted in her bag.
“We urge you to take immediate action to ensure the protection and equitable treatment of all Pakistani citizens, regardless of their religion,” wrote the senators, led by Robert Menendez (D-N.J.). “…We urge your government to do more to prevent abuse, as blasphemy allegations have resulted in the lengthy detention of, and violence committed against, Christians, Ahmadis, Hindus and other religious minorities, as well as members of the Muslim majority community.”