Shaukat Masih and his wife Kiran live in Lahore, Pakistan, with their three children, ages thirteen, nine and seven. The Christian couple has been accused of desecrating the Quran after loose pages fell from the rooftop of their house, even though they were not home at the time of the incident. As a result of the accusations, the couple has been detained. Without family members available to look after their three school-aged children, the accused parents arranged for the children to stay with another Christian family in the area.
Shaukat and Kiran are uncertain how the Quran pages could have fallen from their rooftop. A local Muslim man spotted the pages on the street by their house and began investigating. After being approached for an explanation, Kiran mentioned to him that perhaps her children had unintentionally thrown something down without realizing its significance. She then gave him access to their home.
When the man went up to the rooftop, he discovered a bag containing pages of the Quran tucked behind a water tank. In addition to threatening physical violence against the family, he immediately called the police. The man also called for others to join him, resulting in attempts to physically harm the Christians. Although the police were able to intervene, and thankfully diffuse the situation, they then took the couple into custody.
The lawyer representing the accused couple is confident that they will be found innocent, since there is no evidence that they committed a deliberate act of desecration. Shaukat was at work at the time and Kiran had been at a neighbour's house, returning home only after hearing the commotion. She claims that the bag containing the pages had been given to her by a Muslim employer to sell to a scrap vendor.
The three children are reportedly very upset about the situation and face various challenges. The eldest child, Sarar, suffers from a disease known as rickets, while nine-year-old Sundas is mentally handicapped. The youngest, Ruby, clearly misses her detained parents. For other reports on the persecution of Christians in Pakistan, go to our country report.
Prayerfully remember Shaukat and Kiran during their detention. May this Christian couple receive greatly needed peace through the presence of God's Holy Spirit, confidently entrusting Him with the outcome – especially as it concerns their children. Please also pray for Sarar, Sundas and Ruby during this difficult time of separation from their parents, asking that they would be granted comfort, provision and protection by their loving Heavenly Father. May the judicial officials dealing with this case realize that there are no valid charges against Shaukat and Kiran, and thus release the couple so they can soon be reunited with their children.
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