 Dildar was accused of "abusing Islamic holy words." |
A Pakistani Christian man, who rescued his eight-year-old nephew from an attack by a group of Muslim boys, has been acquitted of blasphemy charges. The 27-year-old father of two, Dildar Masih, was cleared of all charges on March 26 due to a lack of evidence.
Dildar said despite being called to court three times, not a single accuser stepped forward at the hearings to testify against him. "You cannot imagine my joy when the prison officials told me that I had been acquitted by the court," he said.
The original charge came after his young nephew, Ihtesham, was passing by a nearby madrassa (an Islamic religious school) when a group of boys from the school began to beat him for refusing to convert to Islam (for more, click here). Dildar saw the attack and rushed to the boy's aid. A short time later, a Muslim mob of about 55 people converged on Dildar's home while he was at work saying Dildar had been heard "abusing Islamic holy words."
Dildar said that despite threats of violence during his imprisonment, he stood by his faith. "I kept on telling God that I had complete faith in Him and would wait for the day when He would set me free," he said.
Praise God for Dildar's release and for his faithfulness while imprisoned! Please pray that his faith will be a testimony to others who were in prison with him, and that they too will place their faith in Christ. Pray for other Christians in Pakistan who are facing false accusations of blasphemy.
Go to the Pakistan Country Report to learn more about our persecuted brothers and sisters in Pakistan.
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