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HagiaSophia
Guest
The Vicious Persecution of Pakistani Christians
By Gary Lane
Chief International Correspondent
January 7, 2005
CBN.com – LAHORE, Pakistan - The country of Pakistan is one of America’s top allies in the war on terror. But some militants in the Muslim-dominated nation are not demonstrating much friendship or tolerance for Christians. Many believers suffer discrimination and persecution, and most are deprived of basic human rights.
Radical Pakistani Muslims shout ‘Death to America!’, but many sympathetic to the Taliban and Osama bin Laden target their Christian countrymen for attack. That is because they view Christians as pro-Western and anti-Islam.
Many Pakistani churches now resemble armed fortresses, because of bombings, attacks and threats against them.
Christians are a small minority in Pakistan – only about two percent, in a population of 160 million people. Many are treated as second and third class citizens in this Muslim-dominated society. Poor and uneducated, many Christians are forced to work at pottery factories or labor as brick kiln workers, earning no more than the equivalent of two dollars per day.
So it is for believer Shaukat Masih. His boss threatened to beat him up if he continued to attend church services. Rather than report to work on Sunday mornings, Shaukat told his boss he would be happy to work each Friday, the Muslim sabbath day, instead. Shaukat told CBN News he was convinced that God wanted him to go to church each Sunday, and was not afraid of the boss’s threat.
Masih said, “Nobody is bigger than God. My boss is the owner of the brick kiln only, but God is the owner of my life. That’s why I’m not afraid.”
When Shaukat reported to work, after attending church services last September 19th, he was greeted by three managers who beat his body and face with brass knuckles.
Shaukat explained, “My teeth were broken from inside, they punched me in the cheek and it became infected. It was very painful.”
Because Shaukat is a Christian and unskilled, he has few work options available. He continues to labor at the brick kiln. The photographer who took photos of Shaukat at work was also beaten immediately after he snapped the pictures. His camera was nearly destroyed in the scuffle, but not the photos. He sent them to CBN News.
cbn.com/cbnnews/news/050107a.asp
By Gary Lane
Chief International Correspondent
January 7, 2005
By Gary Lane
Chief International Correspondent
January 7, 2005
CBN.com – LAHORE, Pakistan - The country of Pakistan is one of America’s top allies in the war on terror. But some militants in the Muslim-dominated nation are not demonstrating much friendship or tolerance for Christians. Many believers suffer discrimination and persecution, and most are deprived of basic human rights.
Radical Pakistani Muslims shout ‘Death to America!’, but many sympathetic to the Taliban and Osama bin Laden target their Christian countrymen for attack. That is because they view Christians as pro-Western and anti-Islam.
Many Pakistani churches now resemble armed fortresses, because of bombings, attacks and threats against them.
Christians are a small minority in Pakistan – only about two percent, in a population of 160 million people. Many are treated as second and third class citizens in this Muslim-dominated society. Poor and uneducated, many Christians are forced to work at pottery factories or labor as brick kiln workers, earning no more than the equivalent of two dollars per day.
So it is for believer Shaukat Masih. His boss threatened to beat him up if he continued to attend church services. Rather than report to work on Sunday mornings, Shaukat told his boss he would be happy to work each Friday, the Muslim sabbath day, instead. Shaukat told CBN News he was convinced that God wanted him to go to church each Sunday, and was not afraid of the boss’s threat.
Masih said, “Nobody is bigger than God. My boss is the owner of the brick kiln only, but God is the owner of my life. That’s why I’m not afraid.”
When Shaukat reported to work, after attending church services last September 19th, he was greeted by three managers who beat his body and face with brass knuckles.
Shaukat explained, “My teeth were broken from inside, they punched me in the cheek and it became infected. It was very painful.”
Because Shaukat is a Christian and unskilled, he has few work options available. He continues to labor at the brick kiln. The photographer who took photos of Shaukat at work was also beaten immediately after he snapped the pictures. His camera was nearly destroyed in the scuffle, but not the photos. He sent them to CBN News.
cbn.com/cbnnews/news/050107a.asp
By Gary Lane
Chief International Correspondent
January 7, 2005