Persecution more intense in Pakistan than previously reported

Photos courtesy Christian Aid Mission

Pakistan (MNN) ― Recently, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released a report detailing Pakistan's history of violence against religious freedom.

The findings are deeply troubling: in just the last 18 months, the commission documented 203 incidents of violence in the name of religion, resulting in some 1,800 casualties and more than 700 deaths. Sarla Mahara is the director for South Asia for Christian Aid Mission. She says those findings are likely the result of the use of the blasphemy law. "The perception is correct, that it's being used practically every day."

Mahara observes that while the numbers are high, they're probably not telling the whole story. The big stories--like the March attack on the Joseph Colony near Lahore--grab headlines, but the reality is, "Even common people are using this to get back at their neighbors perhaps that they have had a quarrel with, or sometimes, there's jealousy. Even business competitors will use this."

What does seem common is that small sparks provoke huge reactions. Are they as out of proportion as they seem? Mahara explains, "Sometimes their neighbors will perceive them as somebody who is spying on them.

So, there's a much deep-rooted distrust." With that kind of distrust already in play, "When they look at Christians, they look at a foreign influence. That image of Christ being foreign is very, very strong. So it's not only that they're trying to hurt their own neighbors, but their hatred really is toward Christians.

"Faith in Christ in a place like Pakistan means life and death. You do the wrong thing, or you're perceived as being forceful or something, [and] they can use it against you," says Mahara. Under that kind of pressure, it's only natural for Christians to seek redress from the law. However, in Pakistan, that's unlikely to end in justice.
Last week, International Christian Concern reported that Christians in Pakistan staged a protest in Lahore, protesting against police discrimination and inaction. According to their report, local governments do little to protect their communities against mob violence, muggings, assaults, and kidnappings. In fact, they assert that police actively intimidate the Christian community to keep them from reporting incidents of violence.

Enter: frustration. Though the constitution guarantees religious freedom, Christians increasingly suffer under Pakistan's blasphemy laws. Conviction under Section 295-C of the blasphemy law for derogatory comments about Muhammad is punishable by death or life imprisonment, which in Pakistan, is 25 years.

And yet through prayer, Mahara says God is strengthening indigenous believers who resolved to place His Word into the hands of 100,000 Pakistani people over a 20 year period. "This ministry not only gives away the Bibles, but they also do other kinds of literature. They do seminars where they do discipleship training.

They have an extensive ministry in church planting, and they run schools, so they have a lot of outreach programs."

With the antipathy in play, how does that affect local Gospel workers? Mahara admits they have to be careful. "Even when people come asking for something, they have to be very, very cautious because they don't know if it's somebody who's really genuinely inquiring about faith or if it's somebody who is spying on you." However, the intimidation campaign has not cowed the Church into silence.

"In spite of all the upheavals around us, God blessed our ministry in many ways this year," a leader reported. "The hallmark of this year's ministry was the achievement of our 20-year goal to give 100,000 Bibles into the hands of the masses in Pakistan. The Bible is the epicenter of our ministry. We believe there is no alternative to verbal proclamation of the gospel, followed by the written Word of God."

According to Christian Aid Mission, your link to indigenous missions, during the year 2012 there was an acute shortage of Bibles due to political reasons. "However, we were blessed to have an adequate stock of Scriptures for our ministry through the generosity of friends at Christian Aid," a missionary wrote. "You are a vital part of this ministry. Because of your active support, we have been able to be effective for the kingdom of God in Pakistan.

"The recent events in the Muslim world demand from us a serious reconsideration of communicating the truth in love," he added. "Jesus tells us to share the Truth. The Truth sets people free, and yet, how do we do this?

One way is to offer them a copy of Scriptures, which explain God's love. That is why, throughout the year, our dedicated evangelistic teams have been going out, in spite of the most volatile situation and immense heat. They were able to sell 406 Bibles, 139 New Testaments, and 1010 portions of Scriptures to people in various areas during a two-month trip."

Missionaries sell the Bibles and other Christian literature so they won't be considered as proselytizing. People buy out of their own free will. Missionaries purchase the Bibles and literature and sell them for a fraction of the cost to be legally safe.

The mission in Pakistan continuously trains new leaders for the work of evangelism. Seventy students have been discipled through the years, while 100 young people attended a recent training seminar. The ministry provides temporary housing and discipleship for believers rejected by their families because of their faith. The mission also has a flourishing Christian school for 125 children through fifth grade. And, due to the desperate plight of earthquake and flood victims, ministry leaders have established a relief and rehabilitation branch, where more than 100 shelter rooms were built for people whose houses were washed away during vast flooding.

Indigenous missionaries set goals, count the cost, and follow the Lord to the finish. Mahara notes, "Whatever form of outreach that they are doing--going door-to-door or talking to a neighbor, pray for their safety. Pray for God's special anointing for these people that they will have the wisdom."

This year they hope to raise $5000 to erect a simple building for worship in a poor area where believers now are worshiping in a makeshift tent made of plastic bags. Pray, too, that the Christian population will continue to grow. There's already a steady but significant trickle of Muslims joining churches.

Open Doors USA Launches Campaign to Support Girl Accused of Blasphemy

SANTA ANA, Calif., Sept. 13, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- On Aug. 16, Rimsha Masih, a young Christian girl with possible learning disabilities, was arrested on charges of "blasphemy" in Islamabad, Pakistan. Open Doors USA announced today it has launched a campaign on her behalf.

Rimsha, allegedly between the ages of 11 and 14, was accused of burning pages of the Quran, a serious crime under Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws. Following her arrest, angry crowds threatened to burn Christian homes in the area. Many Christians were forced to flee. After an initial court appearance, Rimsha was held in prison and some reports say that her parents were placed in protective custody.

Last Friday a Pakistani judge granted bail to Rimsha. Judge Mohammad Azam Khan set bail at $10,500. It's rare that bail is granted in a blasphemy case, partly for the defendant's own safety, but Masih's lawyers pleaded that she was a juvenile, according to Open Doors News.

The girl was released Saturday from a prison in Rawalpindi, a city near Islamabad, and taken away by helicopter accompanied by tight security.

Robinson Asghar, aide to the Minister for National Harmony, told Reuters Rimsha is expected to re-join her family in a secret location. Asghar said there are no plans to send Rimsha abroad. Prosecution lawyers said this was a risk as a result of the prominence the case has received in international media. Asghar's boss, Minister Paul Bhatti, is concerned with the girl's security after his brother Shahbaz, then Minister for Minorities, was shot dead in March 2011 for challenging the blasphemy laws.

"Even though Rimsha was released, she and her family will be in grave danger and likely will not be able to return to their home," says Open Doors USA Advocacy Director Lindsay Vessey. "Vigilante killings of those accused of blasphemy are common in Pakistan."

"Even with her release, she still faces blasphemy charges and a possible trial. Those charges against her should be dropped immediately. Like other victims of this unjust law -- including Aasyia Noreen (Bibi) who has been in prison for four years under a death sentence for blasphemy -- Rimsha needs the support and prayers of Christians worldwide."

Vessey says the Open Doors USA campaign could make a difference for Rimsha. Christians can help her case by contacting Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, asking Pakistan to protect Rimsha and ensure justice for her.

To send an email to Ambassador Rehman, visit the Open Doors Advocacy website to take action. Included on the site is a sample letter.

Prayer Requests:

• For safety and justice for Rimsha and her family


• That the displaced Christians will be able to resettle in safety in their homes


• For other Christians facing blasphemy charges such as Aasyia Noreen (Bibi)

Nearly 70 percent of the world's 6.8 billion people live in countries with little or no freedom of religion. Open Doors is an organization that for over five decades has come alongside Christians in 60 of these restrictive, dangerous countries, campaigning for the freedom to believe from the gulags in North Korea to the halls of Congress. Open Doors' outreach to more than 100 million persecuted believers includes delivery of Bibles and other materials, training of indigenous leaders in the Word, Christian community development, prayer and advocacy. To partner with Open Doors USA, call toll free at 888-5-BIBLE-5 (888-524-2535) or go towww.OpenDoorsUSA.org. 

Pakistani Christian Accused of ‘Blasphemy’ after Billiards Dispute

Pakistani Christian Accused of ‘Blasphemy’ after Billiards Dispute:

LAHORE, Pakistan, May 22 (Compass Direct News) – Police in Pakistan have charged a young Christian man with “blasphemy” after he had an argument with Muslims over a billiards game in Punjab Province’s Sheikhupura district, his cousin said. Farooqabad Police arrested Sajid Inayat, 20, on Friday (May 18) and charged him with desecrating the Quran under the country’s controversial blasphemy laws after area young men accused him of setting on fire “holy pages” placed in a box on an electricity pole, Irfan Manzoor said. Inayat was charged under Section 295-B, which makes willful desecration of the Quran or use of an extract in a derogatory manner punishable with life imprisonment. Manzoor told Compass by telephone that his cousin had been falsely accused because he had had an argument with some local Muslim boys over a billiards game just two days before the alleged incident. Sheikhupura District Police Officer Haider Ashraf said that authorities had sent Inayat to jail on judicial remand. Ashraf said the matter was serious and that police were investigating from all angles.

Read more...

Life Sentences for ‘Blasphemy’ in Pakistan Overturned

Life Sentences for ‘Blasphemy’ in Pakistan Overturned: "Prosecutors find no evidence for charges against Christian couple.

LAHORE, Pakistan, May 18 (CDN) — A court acquitted a Christian couple of “blasphemy” charges yesterday, overturning their life sentences, their lawyer said.


Chaudhry Naeem Shakir told Compass that Justice Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi of the Lahore High Court accepted the couple’s appeal because prosecutors failed to prove allegations that 32-year-old Munir Masih and his wife Ruqayya defiled the Quran or insulted Muhammad on Dec. 8, 2008. "

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Pakistani Woman Charged with ‘Blasphemy’ for Refusing Islam

Relatives who became Muslims try to force her to renounce Christian faith.

FORT ABBAS, Pakistan, March 12 (CDN) — A young mother has been falsely accused of “blaspheming” Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, because she rebuffed attempts by relatives who had converted to Islam to force her to renounce her Christian faith, family members said.


Police in Khichiwala, Bahawalnagar district, in Punjab Province, charged 26-year-old Shamim Bibi, mother of a 5-month-old girl and resident of the village Chak No. 170/7R Colony, in the Fort Abbas area, under Section 295-C of Pakistan’s “blasphemy” statutes after neighbors accused her of uttering remarks against Muhammad. She was arrested on Feb. 28.


Speaking ill of Muhammad in Pakistan is punishable by life imprisonment or death under Pakistan’s internationally condemned blasphemy laws.


The young woman’s brother, Ilyas Masih, and her brother-in-law, Shahbaz Masih, told Compass that she had been wrongly accused because she had resisted pressure to convert to Islam four days before her arrest.


“Nazeeran, sister of Shamim’s husband Bashir Masih, and her nephew Nadeem and niece Bella accepted Islam on Feb. 24 and called on her to do the same,” Masih said. “She refused, telling them that she was satisfied with Christianity and did not want to convert.”


He said the newly-converted Muslims persisted in trying to force her to convert, but she resisted.


“Shamim told them that she had complete faith in a living God, and that there was no reason for her to start ‘worshiping graves,’” Masih said.


That remark was not the one deemed “blasphemous.” Rather, on Feb. 27 her neighbors accused her of making derogatory remarks – as yet unknown – on a separate occasion about Muhammad while in her courtyard.


Ansar Ali Shah, a local prayer leader in Chak 170/7R Colony, claimed that Shamim Bibi’s neighbors, Hamad Ahmed Hashmi and Abdul Qayyum, told him and other Muslims that they had heard the Christian woman making derogatory remarks about Muhammad in her courtyard, according to the First Information Report (FIR No. 30/12) registered by the Khichiwala police station. But there is no indication in the FIR of what, exactly, Shamim Bibi was alleged to have said.


As word of the allegation spread, a large crowd of villagers besieged her house and demanded “severe punishment for the infidel,” claiming she had hurt their religious sentiments, sources said.


Shahbaz Masih, her brother-in-law, told Compass that Qayyum, one of the two men named in the FIR as witnesses, has denied hearing anything from Shamim Bibi that supports the charge.


“Qayyum told police that he wasn’t even present in his house at the time of the alleged incident and had come to know about it from Hamad, the other witness,” Shahbaz Masih said.


Hamad Ahmed Hashmi, a motorized-rickshaw driver, also was not present at his house at 3 p.m., the time of the alleged remark, Shahbaz Masih said, based on information gathered from Shamim Bibi’s neighborhood.


“Hamad transports schoolchildren and could not have been in his house at the time of the incident, as it was just after school closing hours,” he said.


Bahawalnagar Superintendent of Police Investigation Irfan Ullah acknowledged that one of the two witnesses had admitted to not being present at the alleged “crime” scene at the time of the alleged remark.


“Qayyum told us that he hadn’t witnessed the incident and his name had been included in the FIR by the locals, but still that does not prove that Shamim did not commit blasphemy,” Ullah told Compass by phone. “The other witness is standing by his claim, and she has produced nothing so far which can prove her innocence.”


He vehemently denied that police had caved in to pressure from local Muslims and had registered a case in undue haste.


“I visited the village twice, and so far nothing has come up that suggests that the people have accused Shamim wrongly,” Ullah said. “We registered a case against her on the directions of the district police officer.”


Bahawalnagar District Police Officer Salman Ali Khan could not be reached for comment.


Shamim Bibi’s family and her infant daughter, meantime, may have to wait for a long time for her return. While no one has been executed for blasphemy in Pakistan, most are freed on appeal after suffering for years under appalling prison conditions.


Vigilantes have killed at least 10 people accused of blasphemy, rights groups estimate.


Section 295-C of Pakistan’s blasphemy law states: “Whoever by words, either spoken or written or by visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.”


END

Pakistan government fails to protect religious minorities says Amnesty

The Pakistan Government has failed to protect religious minorities from systematic campaigns of violence and vilification, Amnesty International said yesterday (1 March) on the first anniversary of the assassination of Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti.

The only Christian member of the federal cabinet and one of a handful of Pakistan’s leading politicians to call for changes to the country's controversial blasphemy laws, Bhatti died after armed men opened fire on his car as he travelled to work in the capital, Islamabad.

Although Shahbaz’s brother Dr Paul Bhatti was made a special adviser to the President for religious minorities after his death, no one has replaced him as Minister for Minorities.

Sam Zarifi, Asia-Pacific director at Amnesty International, said:“Pakistani officials should honour Bhatti’s legacy by challenging the systematic campaign of vilification and attacks on minorities.
“The ministerial post remains vacant at this critical time, a sad reflection of the government’s inaction in the face of continued violence against minorities.

“A year has passed since Bhatti was assassinated yet the perpetrators remain at large with no clear sign that they will be brought to justice any time soon.”

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for killing Bhatti over his criticism of the country’s blasphemy laws – British-era criminal sanctions that were amended in the 1980s under the rule of General Zia ul Haq, making it an offence to defile the Quran or Prophet Muhammad punishable by life imprisonment or death respectively.

Religious minorities have been disproportionately accused of blasphemy, but the largest proportion of victims are mainstream Muslims, reflecting the danger these laws pose to all members of Pakistani society and the rule of law.

In 2009, a year after replacing military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, the current government pledged to review “laws detrimental to religious harmony,” which includes the blasphemy laws.

But the government fell silent after former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer was assassinated in January last year by one of his own security guards over his criticism of the blasphemy laws.

Sam Zarifi, said: “After Taseer’s assassination, Minister Bhatti remained resolute in his criticisms.

“Since Bhatti’s death, the Pakistan government has allowed itself to be intimidated into silence. Pakistani officials must break that silence and speak out against those who seek to harm others because of their religion.”

This year a coalition of extremist and militant religious groups has openly called for the murder of Shi’a and some Sufi Muslims, Ahmadis and Christians, and have held large rallies across Pakistan’s major cities.

On Tuesday 28 February, 18 Shi’a Muslims were brutally shot dead in the Kohistan district of Pakistan’s north-west, after the perpetrators stopped their bus and singled them out from other passengers because of their religion.

Amnesty says the Pakistani government must do all it can to protect its citizens regardless of their religious background, especially where perpetrators candidly speak of committing violence against them.

Sam Zarifi, said: “The failure to bring Bhatti’s killers to justice or protect the most vulnerable citizens from violence while extremist groups publicly call for them to be killed tells the perpetrators of abuses that they will go unpunished if they disguise their crimes as the protection of religious sentiments, even when the targets are senior government officials.

“Violence against religious minorities is leading to a breakdown in the rule of law and increased tension within Pakistan’s diverse society."

He concluded, “The Pakistan government must take urgent, concrete measures to improve the quality of police investigation, and reform laws like those on blasphemy that promote abuses against religious minorities.”

[Ekk/4]