Pakistani Christian Parents worry about ‘the next Rimsha’

Hushed conversations amid the country's renewed debate

LAHORE, Pakistan, Sept. 3 (Open Doors News) — Nabil was out pretending to wash his father’s car, as an evening breeze cut through Pakistan’s monsoon humidity. Together with his father and a Christian neighbor, they had made their way out of the house late last week on this everyday pretext. In reality, they were trying to prevent their Muslim neighbors and the women in their families from overhearing or worrying over their conversation.

As he wiped the car, Nabil spoke in hushed tones to their friend from two blocks away and his father, a pastor in Lahore. Nabil had come home to spend the summer with his family. Natrually, the topic was Rimsha Masih, the young Islamabad Christian girl arrested Aug. 16 after Muslim neighbors told police she was carrying burned pages of Quranic texts.

Because of the vulnerability of Christians in Pakistan, especially when questioning the country's blasphemy law, Open Doors News is not publishing his real name.

"I live and work in the Middle East, so I am able to send my children to school here in Pakistan," Nabil said. "But I am seriously thinking of coming back now. What happens if my little Zari becomes the next Rimsha, or my wife the next Aasiya (Bibi, the first woman sentenced under Pakistan’s blasphemy law)? What good is school, if she will only graduate into prison?”

Nabil’s conversation echoed questions being raised across Pakistan. He said there is little that will change in terms of Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy law.

"God’s word has told us that there will be trials and tribulations, and that there will be persecution for Christians,” he told the neighbor, who questioned how Pakistani Christians could have any hope for a future.

"That is our future before we go to heaven. Either we accept that difficulty will come, or we pretend we have the right to something outside of the Word of God. Let us just seek His grace and hope.”

The conversation continued in low tones. All three were afraid their voices might carry to the neighbors. Nabil’s family lives on the second floor of a home that belongs to a Muslim landlord who lives directly below them. He is always concerned that his children will say something to cause them to be falsely accused of blaspheming against the prophet Mohammad, the Quran, or Islam.

The story of Rimsha has shaken Christian families across Pakistan, and has re-ignited national debate on the blasphemy law. Immediately after Rimsha's arrest, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari warned against misuse of the law. The Sept. 2 arrest of a Muslim cleric on suspicion of placing the religious texts into the girl's possession has elevated tensions to a high pitch.

"President Zardari has finally spoken! Thank goodness someone came to the rescue, although it seems a meager and useless attempt,” the neighbor said with some skepticism, because Rimsha’s ordeal follows three particularly devastating cases.

After being falsely accused and arrested in June 2009, Aasiya Bibi became the first woman in Pakistan sentenced to death under the blasphemy law. She has been languishing in a Pakistani prison and solitary confinement ever since. Her controversial case prompted criticism of the blasphemy law from Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and Federal Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, who were subsequently assassinated. Threats also have been leveled at Sherry Rehman, the Pakistan Ambassador to the United States.

END

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Copyright 2012 Open Doors News

United Nations crisis meeting on Syria ends in failure

(Photos courtesy SAT-7)

Syria (SAT7/MNN) ― The United Nations gathered last week to try to come to some solution to the Syrian violence.

Even as the world's leaders puzzled over the lack of safe zones and supporting refugee camps, rebels kept the government forces occupied with a barrage of attacks in Aleppo, and the violence spilled over the border into Tripoli, Lebanon.

That led to requests for U.N. help from Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon, which are bearing the brunt of the mounting refugee crisis.

SAT-7, a Christian satellite television ministry to the Middle East and North Africa, has studios in Beirut. "The condition in Lebanon is becoming more and more difficult for everybody. There aren't a lot of opportunities for young people," says Naji Daoud, Executive Director of the SAT-7 studio in Beirut. The unrest has added to the challenges facing the region, both acknowledged and answered by SAT-7.

About 30,000 Syrian refugees have flowed into Lebanon since the uprising against the regime of President Bashar Assad. According to Naji, wealthy Syrian refugees typically rent hotel rooms or apartments, while poor Syrian refugees live in tents in substandard conditions. Many of the poorer refugees are alienated from the assistance of Lebanese who support Syrian President Assad.

Naji says that churches, on the other hand, are helping these individuals. At the same time, while there has been an influx of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, there has also been an exodus of Lebanese Christians. The exodus is in response to the lack of job and educational opportunities in Lebanon, and the decline in state services.

"Bridges," a SAT-7 show broadcast from its Beirut studio, is confronting Lebanon's challenges head-on. An entire episode was dedicated to the effect of Syria's conflict on Lebanon. Tapping into widespread concerns, the show host posed the question, "Are Christians in danger?" Show guest Gussan Hejar said of Christians, "They fear the unknown today."

SAT-7 USA President Rex Rogers weighs in on importance of their during crisis times. "We broadcast also, in terms of live programming, sometimes panels of individuals who talk about how to protect yourself, how to exercise your 'rights,' so to speak, how to be salt and light in a society that isn't open to Christians doing that kind of thing, typically."

Rogers goes on to say that as viewers also minister to the staff, another picture is emerging. "I think God is drawing the Church (capital C) together in the Middle East, and they're performing an incredible function of connecting with these folks and helping them to get through a very, very difficult time."

Building the Church remains SAT-7's goal, while at the same time offering a message of comfort and hope to all through the presentation of a Christian worldview. That extends far beyond the borders of the Middle East and North Africa, explains Rogers. "It makes the American Christian community a little more aware, that is to say the region is more salient, it's more on their mind, and they understand more so they respond more quickly."

Despite uncertainty, the team at SAT-7 has no plans to go anywhere. That sends a strong message to their viewers: they're committed to the community. Developing future projects sends the message that they're sending down roots. Rogers says, "We have a new initiative, or project, we call the TEACH project: TEACH stands for Theological Education for Arab Christians at Home, and it's simply Bible instruction and discipleship. It's helping people who've recently come to the Lord to be able to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord."

With Syria's violence in the foreground, it may be some time before the fighting stops and things settle down. In the meantime, SAT-7, along with its entire sister channels, SAT-7 PARS, SAT-7 KIDS, SAT-7 ARABIC, SAT-7 TURK and SAT-7 PLUS are all working to bring a measure of peace that passes understanding.

Christians still suffering in Orissa state

Tens of thousands still homeless following 2008 violence.
 (Image courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Canada)

India (MNN) ― As if being terrorized by Hindu extremists and watching their homes burn to the ground wasn't enough, believers are still waiting for justice and compensation after four years.Voice of the Martyrs Canadasays 10,000 believers are still homeless after radicals destroyed over 5,000 homes and hundreds of church buildings throughout late 2008 and early 2009.

Pray for these suffering believers.

India's Orissa state (now called Odisha State) has always been a hotbed for anti-Christian violence. But it reached a new peak following the assassination of Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati on August 23, 2008. Saraswati was the leader of India's radical Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). Although a Marxist group claimed responsibility for Saraswati's death, the VHP pinned the blame on Christians and launched vehement attacks.

As the attacks increased in severity and frequency, it became clear to the worldwide community that this situation was beyond violent protests: it was genocide.

Eventually, India's Supreme Court stepped in and ordered authorities to protect believers. Change in leadership at the national level and new protections for religious minorities seemed to bring hope to oppressed believers.

But it's hard to remain hopeful in your fourth year of desperate homelessness.

According to a fact-finding visit by a group of journalists, activists, and writers, there's been no justice for victims and even less compensation for lost homes and churches. And according to AsiaNews.it, India's government isn't planning to pay. Hundreds of churches and Christian facilities destroyed by Hindu radicals will remain in rubble.

What's bright side of this dark situation? You can help.

Pray for persecuted believers in Orissa state. Pray for boldness and strength as they face continuous adversity for their faith.

Give online to VOMC's Relief and Development Fund. Voice of Martyrs Canada helps Orissa Christians rebuild their lives through skills training, micro-loans, and discipleship training for church leaders. VOMC also cares for children orphaned by the violent attacks, providing a safe home, education, clothing, food and medical attention.

Christians across Pakistan protest and call for the ‘urgent release’ of a 14-year-old girl arrested in a ‘fabricated case’ of blasphemy

It follows the arrest of an imam charged in a ‘Quran plot’ of planting evidence

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

Pakistani Christians carry crosses during a protest against the imprisonment of Rimsha Masih, a Christian girl accused of blasphemy, in Hyderabad, Pakistan, Sunday

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- Following the news that a Pakistani imam has been remanded in custody, accused of planting pages of the Quran among burnt pages in the bag of Rimsha Masih, a 14-year-old Christian girl, Christians across Pakistanis have held a protest rallies demanding her immediate release.

The protests came after the media reported that Imam Khalid Chishti had allegedly told a witness, after tampering with the girl's bag, that this was a “way of getting rid of Christians”, a prosecutor said, and now he will himself face charges of blasphemy.

The imam was arrested after his deputy Maulvi Zubair and two others told a magistrate he added pages from the Quran to the burnt pages brought to him by a witness,” an investigator Munir Hussain Jaffri said.

He said Mr. Zubair and some others had told the imam not to interfere, urging him to “give the evidence to the police as he got it”.

The accused Imam being brought blindfolded into court

According to Mr. Jaffri, Imam Chishti had told them: “You know this is the only way to expel the Christians from this area.”

The investigator said the cleric had been arrested at his home on Saturday under Pakistan's blasphemy law.

“By putting these pages in the ashes he also committed desecration of the Holy Quran and he is being charged with blasphemy,” he said.

The girl's lawyer told AFP news agency that Rimsha “should be acquitted immediately”, as it had been “fully proven that it was a conspiracy”.

Protesters in Rawalpindi

Now ANS has been told by Shamim Masih, an ANS correspondent in Pakistan and also a human rights activist, a group called the Pakistan United Christian Movement (PUCM) organized a Demonstration on Sunday, September 02, 2012, outside of St. John’s School, Rawalpindi.

Mr. Masih told ANS that Albert David, Chairman of the Executive Committee of PUCM, appealed to the Pakistan government to immediately release Rimsha saying, “The real culprit has been arrested yet the girl is still in jail.”

He went on to say, “Failure to do so, points to a bleak future for the minorities in this country.

The time has come for Christian in Pakistan to be treated equally in all spheres of life.”

Mr. Masih said that the rally protestors were holding placards and banners, demanding equal citizenship for Christian and the ending of discriminatory practices.

He added that PUCH made a number of recommendations to the government which included steps to be taken for solve the problems that all minorities in the country face in accordance with the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

It also called for the various blasphemy laws should be “revisited” an also the victims of blasphemy allegations that have not yet been proved, should be released.”

Shamim Masih added there were with other Christian, religious and social reformers, who also made speeches there at the rally.

Another large protest rally took place in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on Sunday, when Christians carrying crosses called for justice for the young girl.

Also reports are coming into ANS reveal that other protest rallies have taken place across the United Kingdom and also outside the United Nations in New York and if she is not free immediately, the groundswell of protests are expected to spread around the world.

Pakistan ‘Quran plot’ imam remanded in blasphemy case of Rimsha Masih

She ‘should be acquitted immediately’ says her lawyer

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- In an extraordinary development in the case of Rimsha Masih, a young Pakistani Christian girl accused of blasphemy, a Pakistani imam has been remanded in custody, accused of planting pages of the Quran among burnt pages in her bag.

1) There was a heavy police presence as Khalid Chishti was lead into court (Photo: Reuters)

The case, which has sparked international condemnation, relates to the girl, who is said to be about 14 years old and has learning difficulties, who was detained two weeks ago near the capital Islamabad after an angry mob demanded she be punished.

Now, comes an incredible twist in the case as, according to the BBC, prosecutors say Imam Khalid Chishti will himself face charges of blasphemy.

Imam Khalid Chishti allegedly told a witness, after tampering with the girl's bag, that this was a “way of getting rid of Christians”, a prosecutor said.

Earlier this week, a court extended Rimsha's detention at a maximum-security prison by a further two weeks.

“Her father has said he fears for his daughter's life and for the safety of his family. He has called on Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to pardon her,” said the BBC.

Rimsha Masih

“Rimsha's parents have been taken into protective custody following threats, and many other Christian families have fled the neighborhood.

“Pakistan's strict blasphemy laws are often used to settle personal vendettas, correspondents say. Last year two leading politicians were assassinated after speaking out against the legislation.”

“Proven conspiracy”

Imam Chishti appeared in the Islamabad court with a white blindfold and shackled hands.

There was a large police presence as he was ushered into the building.

“The imam was arrested after his deputy Maulvi Zubair and two others told a magistrate he added pages from the Quran to the burnt pages brought to him by a witness,” an investigator Munir Hussain Jaffri said.

He said Mr. Zubair and some others had told the imam not to interfere, urging him to “give the evidence to the police as he got it”.

According to Mr. Jaffri, Imam Chishti had told them: “You know this is the only way to expel the Christians from this area.”

The investigator said the cleric had been arrested at his home on Saturday under Pakistan's blasphemy law.

“By putting these pages in the ashes he also committed desecration of the Holy Quran and he is being charged with blasphemy,” he said.

The girl's lawyer told AFP news agency that Rimsha “should be acquitted immediately”, as it had been “fully proven that it was a conspiracy”.

If this charge against the imam is proven true and he did plant evidence that could have Rimsha sentenced to death, it is absolutely shocking that this so-called religious leader would pick on this simple girl who couldn’t fight for herself.

We now hope that Rimsha will be immediately released and Pakistan will make sure that she and her family are given full protection. However, with the country's abysmal  record in protecting people speaking out against the blasphemy law (or having been charged with it), I have grave doubts about what will happen to this poor girl and her family.

North Korean leaders shaping new leader's image

(Images courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs USA)

North Korea (MNN) ― North Korea's new leader has been photographed smiling. He has a wife. He even rode a roller coaster. Don't be fooled, says Voice of the Martyrs USA spokesman Todd Nettleton. 

"Photographically, he is drawing comparisons--not to his father, Kim Jong Il, but to his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea."

What's happening in North Korea is cultivation of an image. "He's doing that in his hair style, he's doing that in his clothing. For us, looking on from the outside, we don't necessarily think that immediately; but to the people of North Korea who ultimately are his audience, they would see that instantly."

A modern face to go with modern ideas? According to contacts working with the Voice of the Martyrs, it's pretty much the opposite. Nettleton explains the connection being made. "This is Kim Il Sung's grandson. This is the founder of our country coming back and taking control and leading us to prosperity and greatness."

The reality is: North Korea faces even more than usual food shortages when drought was followed by devastating floods. Without China's help, mass starvation is likely. Yet, that has done little to challenge the ideology that has shrouded North Korea in secrecy. Nettleton explains "The government is built on the idea of 'juche,' which is their word for 'self-reliance' and really, it is a religious system that is designed to deify the leaders."

The other thing to remember is that the people behind the scenes have not changed. The generals who installed Kim Jong Un as leader are still controlling the strings. Promises of reform are misleading, at best.

Nettleton doesn't think much will change for Christians, either. "When you say 'I'm a Christian,' it's not just the wrong religion: you're really undermining the government. It's really a treasonous thing to say 'I'm not following juche. I'm not worshiping our leaders. I'm following Jesus Christ.'"

Already the most hostile country in which to live and practice the Christian faith, there are still reports of Christians being arrested. According to Open Doors, it's thought that at least a quarter of the nation's believers are languishing in labor camps for their refusal to worship founder Kim Il-Sung's cult.

Anyone with "another god" is automatically persecuted, which is why the 200,000-400,000 Christians in this country must remain deeply underground. Traditional discipleship and evangelism methods do not exist in the totalitarian regime.

However, Nettleton says they've found other creative ways to float the Gospel into North Korea...literally. "We have been sending balloons into North Korea for decades. It's based on some of the technology developed for weather balloons. We can now actually attach a full New Testament to a balloon to float it across into North Korea."

Although many crews pick up the balloons and dispose of the literature, Nettleton says it's still working. "We are hearing stories of these balloons and these New Testaments reaching people and changing lives." Keep praying that the seeds of God's Word will be planted deeply and take root.