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Pakistan

  • Land Dispute Leads to Death of Baby for Christian Family

    The persecution facing Christians in Pakistan frequently comes from a lack of equal treatment by authorities. Such appears to be the case for the family of Mansha Masih in the village of Gadi Wind in the Kasur district south of Lahore.

    Mansha and his family are poor labourers.  He lives in a home that has been in the family for forty years. Recently, however, a prominent Muslim businessman named Nazar Mohammad has laid claim to the property. The dispute is currently before the courts but that did not stop Nazar from taking matters into his own hands, apparently with the approval of the authorities.

    According to a report received from VOMC sources on June 26, Mansha's wife, Arshad Bibi, was alone at home with their two-year-old daughter and newborn son when Nazar Mohammad and several others, accompanied by some police officers, entered the home. They beat Arshad and began throwing the belongings out of their home and then bulldozed the building. Sadly, the newborn son was on a bed when it was thrown out of the house and died from chest injuries. When the baby was found dead, the police officers fled the scene.

    When Mansha attempted to file a complaint on the incident with the local police, the police superintendent threatened him if he said anything. Mansha then took the baby's body to the hospital, but Nazar was already there speaking with the doctor and consequently, the death was ruled to be from starvation. The family is now left without a home and Nazar has begun construction on the land.

    Pray that Mansha and his wife will find comfort in the fact that they will see their little one again (2 Samuel 12:23). Pray that Arshad will find both physical and emotional healing from the attack and that the family will find a safe place to live. Ask God to strengthen them to forgive their persecutors and maintain a consistent testimony before them (Matthew 5:16, 43-44).

    For more information on the persecution of Christians in Pakistan,click here.
  • Prisoner Released

    Seven years ago on February 5, 1999, Amjad Masih was arrested on vagrancy charges in the Pakistani town of Jhang. While in police custody, he was accused of burning the Quran and charged under Pakistan's blasphemy law.

    The only witnesses were the police who supposedly saw the incident. A High Court in eastern Pakistan upheld the sentence in August 7, 2003. Amjad claimed that police set up him and another Christian prisoner after they refused to pay a bribe.

    The Voice of the Martyrs learned today that Amjad Masih was released from the Central Jail in Faisalabad on the evening of May 30, 2006. He is now at home but reclusive. Previous reports had indicated that Amjad was suffering from depression during his long incarceration.

    Please pray as local Christians seek to minister to him and his family. Praise God for his release. Pray for his continued safety as those accused of blasphemy often face danger upon their release from Islamic militants.

    For more information on the persecution of Christians in Pakistan,click here.
  • Pastor's Home Vandalized

    Four people have been arrested on suspicion of vandalizing the home of a Presbyterian pastor in Stonsabad, Pakistan, about 370 kilometers south of Islamabad.  According to a report by the Indian Catholic, the attack took place on the afternoon of April 4 while Pastor Saul Yousaf was away in Multan.  The vandals took a Bible, a sound system, some furniture and other things outside of the building and set them on fire.  The building, which also serves as a place of worship, was also damaged in the attack.

    A few days earlier, a group of people also raided a church in the neighbouring village of Nathu Walli and tried to burn it down.  The building and some of the furniture were damaged in the arson attempt.

    Pray that the churches in Stonsabad and Nathu Walli will rest in the fact that God's Word stands firm, regardless of any attempts to silence it (Isaiah 40:8). Pray that they will be able to meet in safety.

    For more information on the persecution facing Christians in Pakistan,click here.
  • Prisoners Tortured for Holding Bible Study

    On April 7, Christian prisoners at the central jail in Sahiwal , Pakistan gathered for prayer and Bible study.  Muslim prisoners passing by began to make derogatory comments when two of the jail staff approached.  According to a VOMC source in Pakistan , the two prison staff joined in the attack of four prisoners, Chand Munawer, Ijaz Gulzar, Riaz Gulzar and Pervaiz Rehmat.  They stripped the Christians of their clothing and physically tortured them.  The four were then locked up in solitary confinement.

    This treatment is not unique to this prison.  Reports of similar abuse from Kasur and Lahore prisons were also given.  If Christian prisoners threaten to take action, they face increased persecution and so they generally remain silent.

    Pray that these men will fully rely on God’s strength to keep them faithful to Him (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). Pray that the Lord will restore their bodies to health and that they will be renewed in their minds through His Word.

    For more information on the persecution facing Christians in Pakistan ,click here.
  • Parvez Masih Released from Prison

    VOMC sources in Pakistan have reported that Pakistani Christian, Parvez Masih, has been found not guilty of blasphemy and has been released after five years in prison.  Masih was arrested in April 2001.  As the headmaster of a Christian school in Lahore , he was accused of blaspheming Mohammed after some of his students asked him about Mohammed's nine-year-old wife Aisha. He simply mentioned her name and told them to find more information in the Quran. We praise God for his long overdue release.
  • Church Burned

    On the evening of March 30, unidentified attackers attempted to burn down a church in Mian Channu, a town approximately 100 km east of Multan, Pakistan.  Local residents quickly extinguished the fire that destroyed some of the church's furnishings.  Although there were no injuries, Pastor Nathaniel Barkat is asking for police protection for local Christians who were shaken up by the attack. Local authorities believe the motive may have been an attempt by militant Muslims to stir up conflicts between Christians and Muslims in the community.

    Pray that the congregation in Mian Channu will not be overcome by fear but remain triumphant in faithfulness (Rev. 2:10). Pray that the authorities will be able to maintain order in this region. Ask the Holy Spirit to enable the believers to entrust themselves to the God of Justice and not take matters into their own hands (Rom. 12:17-21, 1 Peter 2:23).

    For more information on the persecution of Christians in Pakistan,click here.
  • Pastor Kidnapped and Tortured

    At about 10:30 a.m. on February 16, Rev. Joseph Praim was walking to his bank in Lahore, Pakistan to pay a bill when a car stopped near him. Islamic preachers jumped out and grabbed him. A handkerchief was placed over his mouth and he immediately lost consciousness. According to VOMC sources, the pastor of the Full Gospel Assemblies was robbed and woke up in a dark room where he was tied up, beaten and threatened with death.  His abductors told him, "You belong to Christianity and your Christian brothers made derogatory cartoons of Prophet Mohammad in Denmark; that's why we are going to kill you."  After five days without food or water, he was finally left on the road, tied up.  Pastor Praim is now in hiding as he recuperates from his captivity.

    Pray that Pastor Praim will find new strength in the Lord as he continues to recuperate. Ask God to lead the attackers to repentance and bring them into the family of God.

    For more information on the persecution of Christians in Pakistan,click here.
  • Yousaf Masih Acquitted On November 12, over 1000 angry Muslims destroyed various churches and other buildings after Yousaf Masih was accused of setting fire to a room full of Islamic books, including copies of the Quran.  Masih was accused of blasphemy. On February 12, all charges against Masih were dropped for lack of evidence
  • Christian Institutions Attacked in Violence over Cartoons
    St. Michael's Convent School, one of the
    schools damaged in the attacks
    Violent protests in Pakistan against the cartoons of Mohammad have tended to centre on businesses and institutions of Western origin.  Local Christians have also been targeted in recent days.  On February 13, Muslim college students and Islamic militants vandalized the missionary-run Edward's College in Peshawar by smashing windows in various buildings.  Two days later, protestors in Peshawar damaged St. Michael's Convent School, St. Elizabeth Girls' College and a mission hospital run by the Church of Pakistan.  A United Presbyterian girls' school in Kasur was also damaged by a mob of several thousand Muslims.  The mob also tried to attack the city's Catholic church but were stopped by police.  Father Yaqoob Barkat told Compass Direct that Christians were the only target in Kasur.

    The Voice of the Martyrs condemns these acts of violence being perpetuated on local Christians by Muslims who are angry over the Danish cartoons.  "I am firmly of the position," said Glenn Penner, spokesman for VOMC, "that this continuing violence is being fueled by militants who have no real interest in defending Islam.  There is an agenda here that is wicked and should no longer be pandered to by well-intentioned Westerners who insist that we must keep apologizing for freedom of expression that we value and who advocate apologetic self-censorship. We cannot give in to this kind of terrorism."

    Pray for our brothers and sisters in Pakistan and around the world as they face such senseless and opportunistic violence. Pray that their response will put to silence the ignorance of foolish men (1 Peter 2:15).

    For more information on Pakistan and the difficulties facing Christians there,click here.
  • Two Churches Burned
    		 
      
    On the evening of February 19, hundreds of angry Muslims ransacked and burned St. Mary's Catholic Church and St. Xavier Church in Sukkur, Pakistan. According to reports from Asia News, Irfan Gill, who had converted to Islam from Christianity a few years before, had burned part of a Quran in an attempt to frame his father-in-law with whom be had a dispute.  Even after Gill was arrested, the mob attacked and burned the church buildings.  No injuries, however, were reported in the attack.

    "Here we have yet another example," said Glenn Penner, VOMC spokesman, "of Christians suffering for actions that they are not even responsible for.  A Muslim desecrates a Quran and Christians are punished. Does this make any sort of sense?"

    Thank God that there were no injuries. Ask Him to continue to provide safety for the Christians in Sukkur.

    For more information on the persecution of Christians in Pakistan,click here.

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