Young Christian Student Ashbeel When a teenager can be arrested and charged with a criminal offense punishable by death for discussing religion with a classmate, democracy is in grave decline. The health of democracy in Pakistan has been failing for some time, but this most recent case of blasphemy indicates an urgent need for intervention...
Give Hope to the Least of These! March 5, 2024 As we journey through life, the Lenten Season invites us not to forget the poor and the vulnerable of our world. We are focused on those living in poverty who are persecuted because of their beliefs. In Pakistan, many people are living in such situations. While endeavoring to help,...
Beyond the Border - A First-hand account “If my country had not experienced the hardships it has, life would be easier. I am a young Afghan girl from the persecuted Hazara ethnic group, who at the age of eighteen find myself residing in Pakistan with no family members. This is my story.I was raised in...
Emergency Relief Distribution to Jaranwala Persecution Victims The small town of Jaranwala, District Faisalabad, Pakistan, turned chaotic for the Christian residents as they woke up to inciting announcements amplified on a mosque loudspeaker and through social media, leading to panic, mob violence, destruction and displacement. Burning of Christian houses and churches began at 9:55 a.m....
More Than 20 Churches, Over 200 Homes and Shops Burnt and Destroyed Misuse of Blasphemy Law Continues; Radical Mob Sets Christian Community Ablaze August 16, 2023: In Jaranwala, a district of Faisalabad, Punjab, the Christian locality was attacked and set ablaze over allegations of blasphemy by a local Muslim. The controversy erupted on Wednesday morning after...
Christians in Mariam Town Flee Homes After Blasphemy Accusations Three separate cases of blasphemy accusations against Christians in Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan, occurred in less than a month in July 2023, sparking violence and leaving Christian residents anxious for their safety.The latest occurred on July 16 in the village of Chak No. 50, called ‘Mariam Town’....
Christian Woman Murdered A Christian widow and a mother of three, Shazia Imran of Lahore, was abducted, raped, murdered, and her body doused with acid by four Muslim men after she reportedly refused to convert to Islam and marry one of the accused.Shazia Imran, 40, lived with her three children in a rented house in...
Social Media Post Leads to Blasphemy Charges July 4, 2023, In Village 49 NB, District Sargodha, Pakistan, Christians are a minority and face different types of threats and discrimination. But sometimes the suffering is caused by certain sections within the Christian community. Often the interpretation of Bible verses on certain issues, without reference to context,...
Muhammad Buta After one year and nine months, the court of Sahiwal Additional District and Sessions Judge Ghazala Yasmeen sentenced Muhammad Buta to life imprisonment for the crime of raping an eight-year-old Christian girl, Aliza, in village 134/9L, near Ghala Mandi police station.On September 2, 2021, at around five o’clock in the evening, the family...
REFUGEE CRISIS Thousands of Pakistani families have left the country to escape the false accusations of the infamous blasphemy laws and resulting attacks, target killing, and other discrimination. They fled to neighbouring countries on temporary tourist visas and attempt to seek asylum through a UNHCR office. Several thousands have reached Azerbaijan, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka,...
