Seattle Times
By Saeed Shah, McClatchy Newspapers - 9/7/12
The Christian girl's plight has drawn new attention to Pakistan's blasphemy laws, which critics claim are used to persecute minorities and settle personal vendettas.
NATHALIE BARDOU / AP
The plight of Pakistan's Christian minority has received renewed focus in recent weeks because of the arrest of a young, mentally challenged girl accused of insulting Islam.
ISLAMABAD — A Pakistani court ordered the release on bail Friday of a mentally disabled Christian girl who had been jailed on blasphemy charges, a decision that didn't end the threat the girl faces for allegedly burning pages of the Quran.
Pakistan's interior minister, Rehman Malik, told Parliament shortly after the court's order that the girl, Rimsha Masih, would be taken into protective custody "in case of a violent reaction," a reference to the dozens of people charged with blasphemy who have been killed over the years before conviction or after the court found them not guilty.
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