2/14/2024　Pakistan　(Morning Star News) Pakistan’s Supreme Court reprimanded the Punjab Province government over its progress report on anti-Christian attacks in August last year, terming it “worthy of being thrown into the dustbin.” The attacks left multiple churches and homes of Christians ransacked and burned after two Christians were falsely accused of desecrating the Quran. Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa said that he felt ashamed after seeing report. Isa noted that the report lacked relevant information such as the registration of FIRs in regard to offenses, the number of suspects named, the status of the cases, names of the relevant courts where cases were pending and the progress made so far. He said it appeared that the police and Punjab government were not interested in punishing the culprits. Isa ordered the Punjab Police to conduct a new and thorough investigation and to ensure prosecution of the accused, warning that officials would be suspended if they failed to yield results. He also directed the Punjab government to submit a report on the progress of the reconstruction work on church buildings and compensation paid to victims. The court added that all citizens deserve to be treated equally. Please pray… Praise the Lord […]

2/1/2024　Pakistan　(Morning Star News)   Please pray…

1/16/2024　Pakistan　(Morning Star News) Police in Pakistan refused to file charges in the case of a Christian mother who lost her unborn child in a Muslim co-worker’s attempt to rape her. Rakhil Nadeem Masih was eight months pregnant when a co-worker at a brick kiln where she works attacked her on Nov. 6, said her husband Nadeem. He found her bleeding, but after he took her to a government hospital, a doctor who stated that the violence led to her baby’s death refused to sign the medical report due to the influence of the Muslim kiln owner. The kiln owner also influenced police. The couple’s three children witnessed the attack. Doctors performed an emergency C-section on her to remove the couple’s dead son. When Nadeem went to the police station to file a complaint against the Muslim worker, he was told he need a legal medical certificate from the doctor, but when they went to get it the doctor refused to sign the document due to pressure from the Muslim kiln owner. Cases of sexual violence against women and children are common at brick kilns in Pakistan. Please pray… Pray that the Lord will heal Rakhil of the emotional and physical […]

1/12/2024　Pakistan　(Morning Star News) Musarrat Bibi was acquitted along with Muslim gardener Muhammad Sarmad they were charged with desecrating pages of the Quran while cleaning a storeroom at a girls high school in April. Bibi said she was suspended from work after she was taken into police custody, and it is impossible to get her job back due to the stigma and risk attached to blasphemy accusations. The impoverished Bibi said she was implicated in the case by a Muslim teacher who bore a grudge against her after she refused to clean a toilet some days before the alleged incident. The judge in the court case acquitted her and the gardener because they had no idea there were pages from the Quran in the trash. She has had to move from her home and continues to move from place to place so those who want to kill her cannot find and her daughter, and has no means of supporting herself at this time. Please pray… Pray that the Lord will protect Musarrat and her daughter and help them to find a permanent place to live. Pray that Musarrat will be able to find a job to support her daughter and herself. […]

11/19/2023　Pakistan　(Morning Star News) A Muslim shot and killed a 20-year-old Christian in Pakistan on the night of Nov. 9 in the latest case of a religious minority killed for unknown reasons with police slow to act. Farhan Ul Qamar was killed by Muhammad Zubair, who has not told the people why he killed Farhan. He argued with Farhan the previous day because some bricks that were being used in the construction of Farhan’s house were piled up along the road by the builders. The police have detained Zubair but have not yet charged him with the murder. He has not told the police why he murdered Farhan. His family is very poor and they are worried that they will not be able to pursue the case in court. Please pray… Pray for the Lord’s comfort for Farhan’s family as they grieve the loss of Farhan. Pray that the police will pursue the case fairly, arresting Zubair and charging him with murder. Pray that the courts will pass a fair and just judgment in the case and that Farhan’s family will be able to pay a lawyer if they need one.

8/31/2023　Pakistan　(VOM, Morning Star News) On Aug. 16, a mob of 5,000 Muslim extremists rampaged through a city in the Faisalabad district, reacting to allegations that two young Christian men had desecrated a copy of the Quran and insulted the prophet Muhammad. Rioters burned or severely damaged 89 Christian homes and 25 churches throughout the city. Hundreds of Christians fled because their homes and belongings were destroyed or stolen, and in fear of further attacks. The mob dispersed hours later only after police and soldiers were sent into to the area by the government. The two young Christian men have been arrested and charged under the district’s blasphemy laws. Blasphemy allegations are common in Pakistan and have often been used to persecute Christians. The government has promised to provide financial assistance to those who lost their homes and possessions. The police have arrested 130 of the rioters. Please pray… Pray that the Lord will strengthen and comfort those who have lost their homes and all their possessions. Pray that the government will follow through on its promise to provide financial assistance to those who lost homes and to the churches. Pray that the government will prosecute and punish the rioters as a […]

8/31/2023　Pakistan　(Morning Star News) On August 29, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the government to respond to a petition to stop courts from allowing forced conversion and marriage of minority girls in verdicts that protect perpetrators of child rape. The justices gave the order in response to a petition challenging the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision to send then 13-year-old Christian girl, Nayab Gill, to live with her Muslim “husband” two years ago. Saddam Hayat (30) was accused of kidnapping her and forcibly converting her to Islam, but the court rejected her parents’ plea for custody. The courts do not admit official birth documents and supporting evidence submitted by parents as proof of their daughter’s age. In Nayab’s case, she was threatened by Hayat to tell the court she was 19 years old and had married Haya after converting to Islam of her own free will, despite the fact that she was kidnapped and forced to marry him. It is hoped that the Supreme Court will rule against the common practice of forced marriages and conversions of Christian and other minority girls. Please pray… Pray that the Lord will move the hearts of the Supreme Court justices to make a moral […]

7/31/2023　Pakistan　(Morning Star News) A third accusation of blasphemy in less than a month resulted in Christians fearful of Islamic retribution to flee their homes in an eastern city in Pakistan. The situation was already tense after two Christians were arrested and charged with blasphemy this month (Morning Star News, Morning Star News), but this incident has put the security of the entire community at risk. The 3,500 to 4,000 Christian families living in the city panicked when they heard the announcement that posters reportedly lauding the desecration of the Koran in Sweden last week were posted on the wall of a mosque located near the Christian settlement. Nearly half of the Christian population in the area fled their homes fearing attacks by Muslims. The Lahore-based Center for Social Justice noted that 171 blasphemy cases were reported in 2022 and about 60 so far in 2023. Please pray… Pray that the police will carry out a fair investigation of this incident and protect the Christians from attacks. Pray that the Lord will strengthen and encourage Haroon Shahzad, Zaki Masih, and Imran Rehman, and the many others in jail because they have been accused of blasphemy. Pray that the Lord will work in […]

7/3/2023　Pakistan   (Morning Star News) A Christian family in Pakistan is seeking justice and protection after four Muslims abducted, gang-raped and killed a widow for refusing to convert to Islam and marry the primary suspect. Forty-year-old Shazia Imran was killed in June. The assailants slashed her neck and doused her with acid. The primary suspect has confessed to the killing. Shazia’s husband was killed 18 months ago, and the family has seen no justice in that case either. The primary suspect, Noman Gujjar, is a notorious area criminal and had been pressuring her to convert to Islam along with her children and marry him. Her body was found after she did not return home from work, and a forensic examination revealed that she had been gang-raped before being killed. Police arrested Gujjar, but officers seemed uninterested in arresting three suspected accomplices, Gujjar’s brother and two cousins. The family is very influential and have been threatening  Shazia’s family to withdraw the case. Please pray… Pray that the Lord will comfort  Shazia’s  three children, ages 18, 7 and 6, who are being taken care of by her parents. Pray that the police will carry out a thorough investigation and arrest the other three men who took part in Shazia’s rape and killing. Pray […]

5/31/2023　Pakistan   (Morning Star News) A court in Pakistan handed the death penalty to a 22-year-old Christian on an unsubstantiated conviction under the country’s blasphemy laws. Lazar Allah Rakha, attorney for Noman Masih, said that the sessions court announced its verdict though the prosecution failed to provide evidence of the blasphemy charge against Noman. The lawyer will file an appeal against the verdict. Noman was arrested, along with his cousin, four years ago, and the past four years have been extremely difficult for the family, both emotionally and financially. Noman was sleeping in his house when he was arrested, but the police have alleged that he was in a park showing blasphemous images to 9-10 people at 3:30 a.m. Noman and his cousin were arrested after police cited “secret information” and filed cases against them. This information was not presented in court. Please pray… Pray that the Lord will strengthen and encourage Noman and his family at this difficult time and provide the money they need for legal fees. Pray that the lawyer who is helping them will have wisdom in dealing with the court and the police. Pray that Noman, and other like him who have been falsely accused […]