The very next day, a 35-year-old Christian auto-rickshaw driver, Sagheer Masih, was robbed, beaten, and poisoned by three Muslim men and one woman. Sagheer, being the only Christian rickshaw driver in his community, was targeted because of religious hatred, prejudice and apparent jealously of his success.
Qaiser Ifrahim Saroya, a former member of the provincial assembly of Punjab, told International Christian Concern (ICC), “Incidents of Christian persecution occurring reflect the plight of religious minorities in Pakistan. Unfortunately, a wave of religious intolerance against Christians seems to be on the rise. Christian teenage girls are the most vulnerable in this regard. They are consistently abducted, raped, and in an attempt to cover-up the crime, forcefully converted to Islam.”
Recently, social media has been used to share incidents of discrimination against Christians and is helping spread the word in Pakistani communities. For example, in Karachi, a Christian named Kashif Masih, was tortured by police, leaving deep marks on his lower back which are evident on the picture shared on social media. Also, in a video uploaded on social media, a Christian nurse along with her colleagues narrated how they were forced into sex slavery in Nisar Medical Complex, in the district of Rahimyar Khan.
To exacerbate the already troubling situations, reports indicate that several Christians who are already in prison are prohibited from expressing their faith. In one incident in early May, Muhammad Abdul Razaq, a Muslim prisoner in the Central Jail of Kot Lakhpat in Lahore snatched a Bible from a Christian inmate and tore it to pieces.
Saroya also commented on the events that often lead to Christians being imprisoned, saying, “False allegations of blasphemy to settle personal scores remind us how little has been done by the government regarding abuse of blasphemy laws. Such incidents occur with impunity which create a sense of vulnerability…and a lower class citizen among members of minority community.”
While lamenting about the persecution Christians face, it is important to highlight that there is cause for celebration. After 10 years of serving a blasphemy sentence she didn’t deserve, on May 8, 2019, Asia Bibi was set free and left Pakistan for asylum (self-exile) in Canada. In October 2018, the Supreme Court of Pakistan acquitted her based on insufficient evidence, though she was not allowed to leave Pakistan until the verdict was reviewed. Her release sets precedent for others who are imprisoned to hopefully be released as well. Please join us in praying for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Pakistan.
For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: [email protected]