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Pakistan

• Christian woman forced into slavery

  Ejaz Masih, his children, and other family members organized a sit-in, demanding that police intervene. Photo from AsiaNews

  A group of Muslims recently abducted Sana, a Christian mother of two, in Fatehpuh Kasur, Pakistan. Ejaz Masih, Sana's husband who works as a labourer, took out a loan in order to provide medical treatment for his ill father. When his Muslim landlord heard about the loan, he demanded that Ejaz repay it within two weeks, saying, "We'll come and take your wife and children to work for us as slaves. You have no choice [but pay].... You are lowlife and will always be our slave. We Muslims are superior to any other religion." A few days later, on September 3, a group of armed Muslims confronted the family, throwing Ejaz to the ground, abducting his wife and beating his father. When his mother called for help, neighbours came out but no one tried to stop the kidnappers. His brother contacted police but they refused to register the complaint. (Source: AsiaNews)

  Pray for Sana's release. Pray for wisdom and comfort for her family. Ask God to help them to respond in a Christ-like manner to this injustice. Pray that Christians in Pakistan will exemplify the love of God through consistent love and prayer for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:43-48).

  For more on the trials facing Christians in Pakistan, go to thePakistan Country Report.

• Family in hiding following accusations of blasphemy

  A Christian man, Tanvir Masih, and his family are in hiding after Muslim militants accused him of blasphemy. On July 28, Muslims in Bahawalnagar district, Punjab province discovered Tanvir, who is a cleaning worker, using a broom covered with a pharmaceutical firm's advertisement cards bearing a verse from the Qur'an in Arabic that read, "God is the best healer!" They then accused Tanvir of "defiling Muhammad." Tanvir tried to explain that others had given him the cards, which were written mostly in English, and that he did not understand English. The Muslims continued to verbally abuse him and brought the matter to Tanvir's employer, a physician, and a district health officer. The two decided that Tanvir committed no blasphemy -- a decision his accusers appeared to accept. However, as Tanvir came out of the clinic he found irate Muslims had swarmed the road. In fear for his life, Tanvir fled the scene. At last report, he and his family have gone into hiding at an undisclosed location. (Source: Compass Direct)

  Pray for safety and courage for Tanvir and his two young sons. Pray that Tanvir will be able to stand firm in his faith, despite the difficulties he is facing. Pray that those who falsely accuse Christians of blasphemy will repent of their unjust ways and come to know Christ as Lord.

  To find out more about Christians suffering for their faith in Pakistan, visit thePakistan Country Report.

• Update: Christian exonerated of blasphemy charges

  Rubina Bibi with her son Photo from Compass Direct

  Rubina Bibi (25), a Pakistani Christian woman who has been imprisoned since March for blasphemy (click here for more information), was recently acquitted. Rubina was accused of blasphemy by a local Muslim shopkeeper following a dispute they had over a food product she had purchased and tried to return. Rubina was arrested and imprisoned in the Gujranwala jail along with her 18-month-old son, Joshua. On August 11, a judge dropped the charges against her and she was released. Had she been convicted, she would have faced the mandatory death penalty. Her accuser had reportedly offered to settle the matter out of court if she agreed to convert to Islam. Rubina, her husband and their three children have since relocated to an unknown location for their safety. (Source: Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement)

  Thank the Lord that Rubina has been acquitted! Pray that her family will continue to trust the Lord in all things. Pray that persecutors in Pakistan will know Christ's love, forgiveness and blessing through the lives of Christians (Romans 12:14, 21).

  For more information about persecution in Pakistan,click here.

• Two Christian girls raped in Punjab

  Two Christian girls in Pakistan's Punjab province were brutally raped in recent weeks. On July 22, a group of madrassa (Islamic school) students gang-raped a 12-year-old Christian girl in Gujar Khan, Rawalpindi district. A teacher who reportedly witnessed the rape stated: "Three or four Christian girls were washing dishes near a pond.... These guys ran towards them, and the girls started running. One of them fell on the ground, and these madrassa students got hold of her and took her in the fields. I tried to stop them, but they were 15-16 in number." Seven or eight of the boys reportedly then raped the girl while the others looked on. Before the attack began, the teacher overheard one of the students say, "We will teach these Christians a lesson they will never forget." The Christian girl, whose name has been withheld, was left in the field until some villagers eventually took her home to her family. The girl's father and the teacher have attempted to file a complaint but the officer in charge has refused to comply. Another officer has since admitted that they are under pressure from Muslim leaders and extremists to refrain from filing a report. The madrassa students had reportedly been harassing believers in the surrounding villages, beating and threatening Christian children to convert to Islam or leave the area.

  A 16-year-old Christian girl, whose name has also been withheld, was raped by three men on July 21 in Farooqabad. The three men, who work for the same Muslim employer as her father, overpowered her while she was at home. They then raped her while threatening that they would shoot her in the forehead if she screamed for help. The next morning, the girl's father, Ghafoor Masih, went to the police station to file a report but the Station House Officer Inspector refused his requests. However, due to pressure from a superior officer, the Inspector finally registered the complaint on July 29. While Ghafoor was on his way home from filing the report, two other Muslims who work for his employer reportedly intercepted and kidnapped him. The men took Ghafoor to their employer's home where they and another employee shackled and tortured him, leaving him in critical condition. At last report, several of the perpetrators had been arrested. "Muslim landowners and their relatives see Christian girls or women as their chattel," the national director of the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement said. "Such vicious incidents are not being stopped by the government, and day by day the rate of rapes of Christian girls is escalating instead of plunging." (Source: Compass Direct)

  Pray that the Lord will heal the physical, emotional and spiritual wounds of these two girls. Pray that their families will be a source of compassion and strength. Pray that those who perpetrated these violent attacks will repent and turn to the Lord for forgiveness. Pray that attacks on young Christian girls in Pakistan will stop.

  For more information on the plight of Pakistani believers, go to thePakistan Country Report.

• Christian nursing student brutally assaulted

  Photo from Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan

  Magdalene Ashraf, a 22-year-old Christian nurse trainee, was brutally attacked on July 13 by several Muslim men who raped her and threw her from the fourth-floor window of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center in Karachi, Pakistan. A fellow nurse tricked Magdalene into visiting the office of a Muslim doctor by telling her that he wanted to talk to her about a class assignment. The doctor, Abdul Jabbar Memon, reportedly has a history of sexually abusing Christian nurses in the hospital. Once she was inside the room with the nurse, Dr. Jabbar and at least two other men then attacked her. Describing the assault, Magdalene said: "When I resisted and tried to escape, nurse Fatima slapped both my cheeks and pushed me into Dr. Jabbar. I cried out but no one arrived there to rescue me. They not only gang-raped me, they also tortured me physically and ruthlessly beat me." After several torturous hours, Magdalene was thrown out the window by the men. At last report, she was hospitalized in an intensive care unit. Her family members have reportedly continued to receive threats from Dr. Jabbar, though he has been arrested. (Source: Compass Direct, Sharing Life Ministries Pakistan).

  Ask God to give Magdalene healing from the emotional and physical scars of her assault. Pray that her attackers will be brought to justice. Pray that she and her family will trust in the Lord as their protector and guide. Pray for justice for Christian nurses facing similar abuse in Pakistan, where such rape cases frequently go unreported or are ignored by officials.

  For more on the persecution of Pakistani Christians, visit thePakistan Country Report.

• Two Christians murdered after accusations of blasphemy

  Rev. Rashid Emmanuel following the murder Photo from Compass Direct

  Rev. Rashid Emmanuel (32) and his younger brother, Sajid Emmanuel (30), were shot and killed on July 19 after they were accused of blaspheming the prophet Muhammad. The two men, leaders of United Ministries Pakistan, were being returned to jail under police custody when they were attacked and shot by several masked men. Sajid was instantly killed, while Rashid later died from his injuries. The bodies of the two reportedly bore cuts and other signs of being tortured while in police custody.

  Rashid was arrested for blasphemy on July 1 at a train station, where he went to meet with a stranger who had requested to see him. When Rashid arrived he was surrounded by police, who showed him copies of a three-page document that insulted Muhammad and was supposedly signed by Rashid and Sajid. Police arrested Sajid three days later. On July 14, handwriting experts notified police that the signatures on the blasphemous document did not match the brothers' writing. Sources believe the brothers were likely to be exonerated of the charges.

  When news of the murder reached the brothers' neighbourhood of Dawood Nagar, Faisalabad, Christians gathered to protest. Police fired teargas cannons at the protestors, who in turn threw stones. The situation quickly became volatile, with indiscriminate shooting occurring between Christians and Muslims. At last report, a curfew had been initiated in the area.

  In the days before the murder, Muslims organized large demonstrations calling for the death penalty for the brothers. Islamic extremists reportedly led the protests, which were attended by hundreds of Muslims. A church building was damaged and believers hid in their homes or fled the area. Announcements were also broadcasted from mosque loudspeakers, calling on Muslims to "burn the houses of Christians." (Source: Compass Direct)

  Pray for all those mourning the loss of Rashid and Sajid. Pray that those who perpetrated this attack will repent and come to know the Lord. Pray that, even in the midst of such injustice, Christians will respond with grace and love.

  To learn more about persecution in Pakistan, please visit the Pakistan Country Report.

• Churches attacked by Islamic militants

  St. Filian's Church Photo from Compass Direct

  Christian communities in two areas in Punjab province came under attack in recent weeks. On July 1, an unidentified motorcyclist tossed a grenade in front of the gates of St. Filian's Church of Pakistan located in Sargodha. Thankfully, the explosive did not detonate and was safely removed from the site. High-ranking police officials have cordoned off the area and declared Sargodha under "High Red Alert."

  On July 5, Islamic extremists threatened that they and local police would demolish the Apostolic Church Pakistan building in Lahorianwali, Narang Mandi with a bulldozer. They also threatened to destroy homes belonging to believers. Christian leaders contacted district police and were able to intervene in the planned attack. "[The militants] said that if we ever tried to rebuild the walls or renovate the frail Apostolic Church building, they would create a scene here like Gojra," said local Christian Zulfiqar Gill, referring to August 2009 attacks that left at least seven Christians dead (click here for more information). (Source: Compass Direct)

  Please pray these Christians will remain faithful and will not give up meeting together. Pray for the safety of believers in Pakistan. Pray that their bold witness will draw many to Christ.

  For more on the persecution of Pakistani Christians, go to thePakistan Country Report.

• Muslims kill Christian woman and children

  A Christian woman and her four children were murdered by a Muslim mob in Jhelum, Pakistan after her 11-year-old son was accused of committing blasphemy. On June 21, the Christian boy went to the local store to buy laundry detergent. The shopkeeper, upon learning the boy was a Christian, refused to sell any products to him. When the boy returned home and informed his mother of the incident, she phoned her husband -- Jamshed Masih -- and asked him to rush home from work. Before he was able to return, Muslim residents arrived at the family's home and accused the boy of committing blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad. When Jamshed's wife argued against the accusation, they killed her and the children -- two boys and two girls. Authorities are reportedly too fearful of the local Muslim leader to file charges. The family had earlier been warned by the Muslim leader to leave the predominately Muslim area. (Source: Compass Direct)

  Please pray the Lord will comfort Jamshed. Pray that he will not despair but be strengthened by God's Word. Pray the Lord will bring His peace amid this terrible injustice. Pray the Lord will give wisdom to those in authority to know how to deal with the violence and injustice being perpetrated against the Christian population.

  Learn more about the plight of Pakistani Christians at thePakistan Country Report.

• Family rescued from mob, accused of blasphemy

  A Christian family in Lahore, Pakistan was rescued from an angry mob on July 5 after being accused of blasphemy. Hundreds of Muslims surrounded their home in response to a call from mosque loudspeakers accusing the family of blaspheming against the Qur'an. Yousaf Masih and his wife Suria Bibi, along with their daughters and son-in-law, sought refuge in a relative's home and called for help from a VOM partner. A rescue team managed to track down the family and, though the vehicle was reportedly chased, they were able to escape unharmed.

  The accusations follow a discovery that the family had made a temporary roof for their bathroom out of a banner which, unknown to them, bore a verse from the Qur'an. Yousaf, Suria and their son-in-law, Zahid, now face charges under Section 295B of Pakistan's blasphemy laws.

  Pray for protection for Yousaf, Suria and their family. Pray that all charges against them will be dropped. Pray that they will be a testimony of God's grace to those around them.

  For information on the persecution of Christians in Pakistan, go to thePakistan Country Report.

• Update: Court hearings continue for detained Christian

  Asia on a rare visit with her girls

  Asia Bibi (38), a Christian woman arrested for blasphemy in Pakistan's Punjab province in June 2009 following a heated discussion about Islam between her and several Muslim women (click here for more information), faced another court hearing on June 22, 2010. Once again, her accusers were not present in the court and sources are hopeful that the negligence of the witnesses will make a positive impact on Asia's case. Asia had another court hearing on June 29. At last report, the outcome of the hearing was not yet known.

  Pray that the outcome of this hearing will be positive and the charges against Asia will be dropped. Pray that she will soon be reunited with her husband and daughters. Pray that she will continue to look to the Lord for her strength during this difficult time.

  You can learn more about the plight of Pakistani Christians by visiting thePakistan Country Report.