As many as six men with semi-automatic rifles entered St. Paul's Church in Patoki, Pakistan during an evening prayer service on January 25 and opened fire. No one was injured in the attack, but several rounds were fired as they shouted, "We will teach you a lesson and even demolish your church."
Shahbaz Bhatti
According to the pastor, Rev. Saleem Gill, three of the men (Azad Hussein, Mohammad Ali and Amanat Ali) owned a butcher shop across the street and had caused problems in the past by throwing animal parts into the compound, playing loud music to disturb the services and shouting obscenities. When church leaders asked them to stop on January 24, they threatened to destroy the church. According to people in the area, these men have caused problems with Christians in the past, especially since September 11, 2001. According to a report received on January 29 from Shahbaz Bhatti of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, no arrests had yet been made, despite knowing the identity of the men.
Pray that these men who attacked the church will see the love of Christ. Pray for peace and emotional healing for the members of St. Paul's Church.
VOMC partners to train Christian women in sewing skills throughout Pakistan to provide a sustainable source of income for their families and encourage them in their faith and witness for Christ.
Religion (%) Islam (96.5), Other - Christian and Hindu (3.5)
Leader President Asif Ali Zardari (2024)
Government type Federal parliamentary republic
Legal system Common law system with Islamic law influence
Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for Pakistan
Pray that amendments will be made to Pakistan's existing blasphemy laws so that the country's citizens – including its children – will be protected from injustice and abuse. May our Lord's mercy and justice prevail, not only in the judiciary system but also in the hearts of the country's militants. Ask Him to transform their "hearts of stone" into hearts that are receptive to His love, mercy and the workings of His Holy Spirit – not only for the purpose of protecting the Christian minority but also for the salvation of their own eternal souls.
A protest against Pakistan's blasphemy laws. Photo: Wikipedia / Vivek Ravikumar (cc)
While accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan are common and can be motivated by interpersonal conflicts or business disputes, there has been a nofigure increase in allegations based on social media posts. (To read previously published reports about Christians who have been charged with blasphemy, go to our country profile.)
According to the research findings of the AFP news agency, many such cases are taking place as a result of organized "vigilante groups" led by lawyers and the support of volunteers scouring the Internet for offenders. In some cases, unsuspecting social media participants are duped by strangers into sharing content that could be deemed blasphemous, resulting in police reports being filed against them.
Zimran Asim with his lawyer. Photo: Christian Daily International-Morning Star News
The previous week's Persecution & Prayer Alert reported on an unusual case in which bail was granted to Saima Masih, a Christian woman who was accused of blasphemy in Pakistan. (Read the previously published report.) While Saima has been freed from prison, she remains in danger from the avenging violence of militant vigilantes who are seeking to achieve what they falsely perceive as "justice." Remarkably, this past October, two similar blasphemy cases came before the Pakistani courts in which other accused Christians were also released on bail.
Diya Iftikhar (third from left) with her parents and attorneys. Photo: Christians True Spirit
On September 12th, 16-year-old Diya Iftikhar was abducted from her family's home by three men who are well-known for their opposition to Christians. In a video message to her parents four days later, Diya stated that she had converted to Islam and married Ghazaal Jutt, one of her kidnappers. (Review a previous report.)
In August of this year, two Christian sisters were accused of blasphemy when a Muslim man claimed to find ruined pages of the Quran amongst garbage, stating that one of the sisters had discarded them. Both sisters denied his allegation, believing that the pages were purposely placed there by the man himself because of the personal vendetta he had against them. (More about the situation is available here.)
Population
