 Shaheen Bibi and her father Manna Masih Photo by Compass Direct |
A Christian mother of seven in Lahore, Pakistan, was recently freed from her Muslim captors after being kidnapped last August, drugged, raped, sold into marriage, and threatened with death if she did not convert to Islam. Forty-year-old Shaheen Bibi was taken from her place of employment to a nearby city, drugged and raped. When she awoke, her kidnappers told her that she had been sold into marriage to one of them. She told them she was a Christian, and they gave her a prayer rug and tried to get her to convert to Islam by reciting a Muslim prayer.
The kidnappers demanded a ransom ($1,170 CAD) from Shaheen's father, Manna Masih, by March 5. Local police refused to help Masih rescue his daughter, claiming that the area she was being held in was too dangerous. Masih then sought help from a human rights organization. On March 6, a team managed to rescue Shaheen from her captors, who handed her over on the condition that they not be the targets of further legal action. After her release, Shaheen reported that there were at least 10 other women in captivity with her. Some of the women had their hands and legs broken because they refused to be forced into marriage.
Thank the Lord for Shaheen's release. Pray for God's comfort and peace to govern her as she recovers from her brutal assault. Pray the other women will also be freed from their captors. Pray for the hope of Christ to radiate in their hearts and minds, even as they suffer. Ask God to bring their captors to repentance and lead them to salvation in Christ.
Find out more about the trials facing Pakistani Christians at the Pakistan Country Report.
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