This morning, the Voice of the Martyrs learned of the brutal rape of seven-year-old Sharee Komal by a Muslim man near her home in Lahore, Pakistan. Sharee and her mother live in a hut near a Christian graveyard. Just as she was preparing to leave the house in the mid-morning of May 29, Sharee's mother noticed that her daughter was missing. Thinking she had gone outside to play, she looked in the nearby graveyard, but Sharee was nowhere to be found. Seven hours later, the little girl was finally found, bruised and bleeding from a vicious rape. She told her mother that Abid Ali, who lives nearby, had kidnapped her, luring her away with a promise of buying her toys. He then took her in a dark room where he tortured and raped her. Abid Ali threatened to kill her if she revealed the crime and his identity.
Talking to representatives from All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), Sharee's grandmother Karmi Bibi said, "How these people can be so brutal to rape a 7-year-old girl? We are not safe. Next time one of our other Christian daughters will be raped and we will be as helpless as we are now. Where do we go now? The law is not even on our side."
The rape of Christian women by Muslim men is an ongoing travesty. Perpetrators are rarely arrested and almost never convicted. APMA chairman, Shahbaz Bhatti is asking that Christians around the world pray for the psychological and physical recovery of Sharee Komal and that justice be given in this case.
For more information on persecution in Pakistan, click here.
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
