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.)
When Saima, a widowed mother of two, was taken into custody, her sister Sonia managed to flee the village with her family after the allegations had surfaced. Sonia is presently living in hiding with her three children. Although the investigating officer did not find her guilty during his inquiry, Sonia remains in grave danger from those who may impose their own forms of punishment upon her. Furthermore, the charges against her have not been fully dismissed.
In an unusual court decision, Saima was granted bail on September 10th. For security reasons, news of her release was withheld until she was able to find safety. Like her sister, Saima and her family remain in danger from militant vigilantes.
The lawyer representing the two women is filing an application to have the charges dropped. At last report, the court filing is pending. For more reports addressing the persecution encountered by Christians in Pakistan, go to our country profile.
Praise God that Sonia and Saima are not being detained in prison at this time. Pray that God will guide their lawyer as he works to build his case, so that all charges against these Christian women will be dropped. May these two sisters – along with the many other Christians in Pakistan who are in danger simply because of their faith in Christ – be protected from those seeking to harm them. Throughout the process, may they also receive renewed courage, hope and strength from the Lord.
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