Pakistan
The influence of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda has significantly worsened the circumstances for Pakistani Christians. The network of Islamist madrassahs has poisoned the youth of Pakistan against both indigenous believers and the West. Muslim militants have banned girls’ education, forced women to wear the veil, and enforced the jizya tax for non-Muslims. Shariah law has been partially implemented as well. Blasphemy or “disrespect to the Prophet” carries a mandatory death sentence, and a life sentence is prescribed for desecration of the Koran. False charges against Christians are rampant and often result in long prison sentences.
One girl’s leg was severed because she tried to go to school. A blasphemy accusation led to a riot that ended with 60 Christian homes destroyed, seven Christians burned to death in their homes, and dozens severely injured. A Christian reports, “They used trucks to break the walls and petrol to start the fires…. We saved our lives only by hiding in the fields until three in the morning, when relatives arrived with vehicles to collect us. The children cried all night.” Pakistani pastors have been sent an ultimatum by the terrorists: convert to Islam, pay the jizya tax, or they “would be killed, their property and homes would be burnt to ashes and their women would be treated as sex slaves. And they themselves would be responsible for this.”
Prayers for persecuted Christians in Pakistan
Woman Still Under Death Sentence
UPDATE: A Christian woman under a death sentence for blasphemy in PAKISTAN is still awaiting appeal in prison. She asks for continued prayers. She testifies that she has forgiven the Muslims who put her in prison.
Ask God to sustain her and her family. Pray for her release. “Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear.”
The Prayers of Many
Asia Bibi (also known as Asia Noreen) was arrested in June 2009 and sentenced to death for blasphemy in November 2009 in Pakistan. Those who receive the prayer guide have been praying for Asia since 2009.
False Charges against a Christian in Pakistan
One day Khuram Masih, a 23-year-old low-income laborer in Pakistan, had a dispute with his landlord about the rent for the house where he, his wife, and five other families live. But while this Christian was gone later that day, the landlord and other Muslims circulated a rumor that he and his wife had burned pages of the Koran to make tea. A crowd gathered outside the house and shouted anti-Christian slogans. As mosques made announcements of the alleged crime, Christians in the area began to panic.
Christian Charged with Blasphemy
Following a dispute about rent between a Christian and his Muslim landlord in PAKISTAN, Muslims falsely accused the believer of burning pages of the Koran to prepare tea. These blasphemy charges are punishable with life imprisonment.
Pray for courage for this Christian. Ask God for his release. “The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
Evangelist Receiving Death Threats
An evangelist in PAKISTAN has received death threats after sharing the gospel with Muslims and making a statement to a newspaper condemning the assassination of a Christian leader. He and his family were forced into hiding. He says, “I trust in Jesus. If I die, it will be for Christ.”
Pray for continued courage. “Blessed be the LORD! For He has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.”
Unshaken Trust
Arif Ferguson and his family lost their jobs and are in hiding because a regional branch of the Taliban threatens to kill him.
Blasphemy Charges Threatened
Two Christian leaders who spoke out against the misuse of the blasphemy law in PAKISTAN have been threatened with blasphemy charges. They and their families have been forced into hiding.
Ask God to be their strength and refuge. “...they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.”
Believers Killed and Wounded in Attack
Following a dispute between a Muslim and a Christian in late November, thousands of Muslims attacked Christians in a village in PAKISTAN. Two believers were killed, and three others severely wounded. Over two dozen Christian-owned shops were looted and burned, as well as eight homes.
Pray for comfort and provision for the grieving. “But you have come….to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”
Land Seizure, Believers Attacked
In PAKISTAN on November 25, Muslims attempting to seize Christians’ land beat two women and shot at others who came to their aid.
Ask God to encourage and strengthen them. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Evangelist Shot to Death
A Christian evangelist was shot to death by suspected Islamists in November in PAKISTAN. Pray that his testimony will lead many to Christ.
Ask God to comfort and provide for his widow and children. “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”