Masih, whose family was receiving threats despite an acquittal from the Islamabad High Court of blasphemy charges, journeyed in secret to an undisclosed location in Canada just weeks ago, according to Peter Bhatti, who runs a Christian organisation that is helping the family settle in Canada.
Bhatti said the Rimsha and her family have been granted special permission by the Canadian government to live there and that they are all relieved and happy.
“She is doing wonderful. She is studying in school, every day, she going to school, she is learning, she is starting to talk more,” he told CBC.
Rimsha, believed to be no older than 14, was accused of burning pages from a noorani qaida (elementary religious book with verses of the Holy Quran) — a move that led to global condemnation and concerns about the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan.
IHC Chief Justice Rehman stated in the verdict that on one hand the complainant in the FIR said that the accused carried a polythene bag containing verses of the Holy Quran but he failed to explain how he had suspected it when the verses were not visible from the bag.
The charges against Rimsha had led to the exodus of dozens of Christian families from the neighbourhood after cleric Chishti, the imam of a mosque, allegedly issued a decree on his mosque’s loudspeaker to burn Christians of the Mehrabadi village alive.
Rimsha was detained for three weeks in the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi and was granted bail on September 6. The detention led to global condemnation and concerns by rights organisations
Are you? If you are then you should be ask much worried about the condition of Muslim society as much as I am.
It is shameful for all Muslims that minorities have to take REFUGE from people who proclaim to be better followers of Islam than me. And this is for a girl who is proven innocent!
That was the point. We Muslims want to replace Western domination but look what alternative we give to the world. Intolerance, hate and bigotry from a powerful, religious section of our population.
Are you? If you are then you should be ask much worried about the condition of Muslim society as much as I am.
It is shameful for all Muslims that minorities have to take REFUGE from people who proclaim to be better followers of Islam than me. And this is for a girl who is proven innocent!
That was the point. We Muslims want to replace Western domination but look what alternative we give to the world. Intolerance, hate and bigotry from a powerful, religious section of our population.
Peace khoji
I could not agree with you more ... But I would have phrased it differently ... I like you feel ashamed of this situation ... But to say "followers of Islam" instead of saying ... "Pakistani Muslims" is a big deal ... Not all followers of Islam like you and I prove would allow such hate and I tolerance ... Pity is we can't control the acts of others ... However, with every breath I can muster I would want Islam to be seen as good and anything as not good to be disassociated from Islam. Relegating it to ignorance and fringe interpretation.
Well, you obviously consider yourself a follower of Islam. And obviously you also consider those who disagree with you in certain matters follower of Islam as well, even if they are misguided.
But there are certain people who think that anyone who does not follow exactly what they say, is not just misguided but also a kafir, a non Muslim. I call them kharijis.
It is these people I was calling ironically as 'followers of Islam'.
If we don't want these fanatics hijack Islam then we need to oppose them in anyway possible.
I leave it there. Are we really doing our part in stopping them hijacking Islam?