A Christian was sentenced to death for allegedly insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammed, and a human rights activist Friday urged Pakistan's president to spare his life.

"I met with Younis Masih at a jail in Lahore, and he told me that he respects Islam and its prophet," Bhatti said, adding Masih told him that dozens of Muslims thrashed him on Sept. 10, 2005, when he asked them not to sing loudly because his nephew had died, and his body was still lying at home.

"It was Younis Masih's only mistake," Bhatti said, adding that a group of Muslims began beating him and handed him over to police, which registered a case against him under blasphemy laws.