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 countrys capital of Islamabad. The arrest was prompted by angry complaints by the girls 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 wasnt able to properly respond to police questioning.
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