NEW DELHI: Highlighting the growing concern in Pakistan over free speech and mental health, an 11-year-old girl suffering from mental illness was arrested by police after a mob accused her of desecrating the Qur'an, Islam's holiest book. The mob demanded the Christian girl's arrest and threatened to burn down Christian homes outside the capital Islamabad, local media reported on Sunday. Officials reported that the girl, who is believed to suffer from Down's syndrome, was unable to answer police questions due to her illness. Her parents have been taken into protective custody following threats and other Christian families have fled. Paul Bhatti, Pakistan's 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 Qur'an.” “From the reports I have seen, she was found carrying a waste bag which also had pages of the Koran,” he said. “This infuriated some local people and a large crowd gathered to demand action against her. The police were initially reluctant to arrest her, but they came under a lot of pressure from a very large crowd, who were threatening to burn down Christian homes.” He said more than 600 people have fled from the Christian neighborhood. Rights activists have urged Pakistan to reform its controversial blasphemy laws, under which a person can be jailed for life for desecrating the Qur'an. Many of those accused of blasphemy have been killed by violent mobs, while politicians who advocate a change in legislation have also been targeted.
