The girl was arrested for burning pages with verses from the Quran. Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) says it is not even certain the girl could read. "In this case it seems like there was a Muslim mob that marched through the village. They basically demanded the arrest of this little girl," Nettleton reports. "Her parents were also taken into what the police are calling protective custody." The three were arrested in a Christian slum of Islamabad and are to be in custody for two weeks. "What we understand is that all of the other Christians from the village have fled the village because they felt threatened by these charges and by the radical Muslim mob that was marching through the village as well," the VOM spokesman explains. The case has garnered international attention, prompting Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to ask the interior ministry to investigate and submit a report. Nettleton points to the case of Asia Bibi, a Christian who was arrested more than three years ago on a blasphemy charge. She was given the death penalty and remains in prison today.
Voice of the Martyrs is calling for prayer for the girl and for her family members, as well as continued prayer for Asia Bibi.