ISLAMABAD // A Christian family and their daughter, who was bailed after spending three weeks in a Pakistan jail on blasphemy charges, fear for their lives despite government promises to protect them, media reports said.
The girl was arrested on August 16 for allegedly setting fire to papers that contained Quranic verses in an impoverished neighbourhood of Islamabad.
Her plight attracted an international outcry because she is underage, illiterate and said to suffer from learning difficulties.
"I'm scared" CNN quoted her as saying on Tuesday by telephone, from a secret location with her family. "I'm afraid of anyone who might kill us."
But she said she would never leave the country.
"I love Pakistan," the girl said, who is thought to be 14.
According to CNN, she often answered just "yes" or "no" in a shy and nervous voice, and firmly denied she had burnt pages of Quran.
She said she was falsely accused, but would not answer questions about what exactly happened on August 16.
Blasphemy is hugely sensitive in Pakistan. Insulting the Prophet Mohammed is punishable by death and burning a sacred text by life imprisonment. Two politicians who spoke out on the matter were killed last year.
According to CNN, her father — a Christian house painter who earns a few dollars a day — said no one in his family would dare dishonour the Quran.
The BBC quoted him as saying the family were threatened by neighbours.
"They were saying: 'We are going to burn you inside the house,'" he said. "'We are not going to spare you or your kids. Then we will burn the homes of the other Christians'.
"Even after we left the area they were saying: 'Bring the girl and the family to us. We want to kill them.'"
"We are worried that we can be attacked and killed any time. Before, when cases like this have arisen, people who were accused were killed."
According to the BBC, Rimsha's mother said she was assaulted after a mob tried to enter the house before her daughter was arrested.
"A woman hit me," she said, "and slapped my face. People started running into the house to catch my daughter. I was scared they might kill us. We were all crying. My daughter was very upset."
The family said the girl's 14-year-old sister was also traumatised.
"A lot of people had gathered," the BBC quoted her as saying, "and they were saying: 'We will cut off the hands of the people who burnt the Quran.' [she] wouldn't come out of the bathroom. Later the police came and took her away."
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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