Christian Woman Killed After Resisting Rape in Pakistan
A Muslim man has been taken into custody to be questioned for the attempted rape and shooting of an 18-year-old girl in Pakistan.
Amariah Masihn was shot and killed on Nov. 27, 2011 after she attempted to resist rape. The girl was traveling on a motorbike with her mother to collect drinking water from the channel in Faisalabad, 25 miles outside of her village home in Tehsil Samundari.
Her mother reported to Asia News that Arif Gujjar took possession of their bike, grabbed the girl and attempted to escape. When the girl put up a struggle and attempted to release herself, Gujjar opened fire, killing her instantly. He later attempted to conceal the body.
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The young woman’s father, Mansha Masih, returned to the scene where he found his daughter’s body and claimed Gujjar was still in the area. It is unclear who reported the incident to the police, but authorities were alerted and Gujjar was taken into custody shortly after the incident.
According to Asia News, the son of a wealthy landowner nearby reported that Gujjar was a “young drifter and drug addict." With Gujjar in custody, the girl’s father thanked the police but asked that justice be served stating that he and his family were “victims of a cruel act.”
Asia News also reported that the girl’s family held a Christian funeral, which was attended by a Muslim delegation to “express solidarity and bring harmony and peace within the community.”
The incident follows many other rapes and attacks on women in Pakistan. Mukhtaran Bib, the victim of a brutal gang rape in 2002, became well known after she later prosecuted her rapists. The rape was carried out by a tribal council who allowed its members to rape Bib as a punishment to her younger brother for stepping outside his caste.
The trial resulted in six of the rapists receiving the death sentence. However, in 2005 a higher court acquitted five of the men and reduced the sixth man to a life sentence in prison. The Pakistani Supreme court upheld all six sentences this year.
According to a survey conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Pakistan is the world’s third-most dangerous country for women. The Humans Rights commission stated that 2,900 women were reportedly raped in 2010 alone.
