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Pakistan

• A Healing Journey Ahead for Arzoo Raja

  

  On October 13th, Arzoo Raja was abducted from her family home. She was forced to convert to Islam and marry her kidnapper, even though she was only 13 years old. On November 5th, a court ordered that her age be determined and, in the interim, she be moved to a shelter. (More information on this incident is available here.)

• Hope for Young Teen Forced into Marriage

  

  According to Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights, the Sindh High Court has ordered that Arzoo Raja, a 13-year-old Christian girl, be recovered by police and moved into a shelter. This comes almost a month after she was abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married against her will to a 44-year-old Muslim neighbour.

• Family in Hiding After Verdict

  

  Marilyn and her four young children have had to flee for their lives after her husband, Asif Pervaiz, was sentenced to death for blasphemy on September 8th (read more). Typically, even the families of those accused of blasphemy are targeted with acts of violence by opposing community members. In an effort to stay safe, Marilyn and her children are now in hiding.

• Christian Acquitted of Blasphemy

  

  After spending more than six years in prison, and being sentenced to death for blasphemy, Sawan Masih was acquitted on October 5th by the Lahore High Court. He was arrested in 2013 after a neighbour accused him of calling Mohammed a false prophet during a conversation. Sawan denies the accusation, claiming that it was part of a plot to drive Christians from the community and seize their properties for industrial use.

• Beaten for Refusing to Convert to Islam

  

  Anika Shehzad, an 18-year-old Christian teen, worked as a domestic servant in Ferozwala, Pakistan. She comes from a poor family and took on the job to help support them. However, after a few days, Anika began to face pressure to convert to Islam. The more she resisted, the more the employers pressured her, until she could no longer work in the home.

• Zafar Bhatti Recovers from Heart Attack in Prison

  

  Zafar Bhatti has been in prison since 2012 after being charged with sending blasphemous text messages. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2017. Diagnosed with diabetes, the 56-year-old Christian had two minor heart attacks in 2019 and suffers from eyesight problems. It was recently reported that he had another heart attack on September 3rd. Though he received swift medical attention in prison, there are ongoing concerns for his physical and mental health, as well as apprehension over the medical care he is receiving outside of the hospital setting.

• Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy

  

  In 2013, Asif Pervaiz was working in a garment factory where he was reportedly pressured by his supervisor, Muhammad Saeed Khokher (also referred to as Saeed Ahmed Khokher), to convert from Christianity to Islam. After Asif sent text messages resisting the supervisor's demands, the father of four was accused of blasphemy and taken into custody where he has since been awaiting trial for seven years.

• Teen Girls Kidnapped for Forcible Marriages

  

  On April 28th, 14-year-old Maira Shahbaz (also referenced as "Maria") had been abducted at gunpoint by Mohamad Nakash and his two accomplices while she was walking to her home near Faisalabad. She was then forced to convert to Islam and marry her abductor. The teen girl's parents challenged the validity of the marriage but Mohamad presented a marriage certificate falsely stating that Maira was 19 years old. The kidnapper has also issued death threats against Maira and her family if they continued to pursue this action.

• Teen Girls Kidnapped for Forcible Marriages (Sample)

  

  On April 28th, 14-year-old Maira Shahbaz (also referenced as "Maria") had been abducted at gunpoint by Mohamad Nakash and his two accomplices while she was walking to her home near Faisalabad. She was then forced to convert to Islam and marry her abductor. The teen girl's parents challenged the validity of the marriage but Mohamad presented a marriage certificate falsely stating that Maira was 19 years old. The kidnapper has also issued death threats against Maira and her family if they continued to pursue this action.

• Man Charged with Blasphemy

  

  A Christian man was beaten and charged with blasphemy on August 5th, following comments made on his Facebook account about the Islamic celebration of Lailat al Miraj. The celebration involves eating sacrificial meat. In response, Sohail Masih allegedly posted: "It is not possible that the blood of goats and bulls can wash away sins. The incident of Miraj is based on a lie." The post came to the attention of a mosque leader, who claimed that "Muslims were extremely hurt" by the comment.