Speaking out against persecution could paint target on believers

VOM’s Greg Musselman recently spoke with Mission Network News (MNN) about increasing persecution in Pakistan and the targeting of believers who speak out against persecution.

Musselman told MNN that Pakistan has always been a difficult place for believers to live, but as the blasphemy law (in which anyone can be sentenced to death for negatively portraying the prophet Muhammad or Islam) has come to international attention, tension has dramatically increased.

The case of Asia Bibi—a woman sentenced to death for allegedly blaspheming Muhammad while sharing her faith—has created particular outrage among Muslim and Christian communities alike, albeit often for opposing reasons. Believers are so perturbed by the injustice that they are willing to hold a vigil, but Musselman says this could be asking for trouble.

"You could be painting a target on yourself, and that could give the militant Islamists an opportunity—especially when they know that this event is coming."

It would seem that believers in Pakistan are in the midst of a catch-22. If no one speaks out against their persecution, attacks will continue unchecked.

Musselman anticipates many more church bombings (like the one that went off in Sarhadi Lutheran Church in Mardan) in the future. But if Pakistani believers do speak out against the injustice being done to them, they will also be persecuted further. Consider both Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti and Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who were assassinated for their positions on the blasphemy law.

As a result, some believers have already started to flee the country or go into hiding. Musselman says new converts live in extreme caution. "Those that come to Christ from Muslim backgrounds have to be very careful. They come late to the [church] service and leave early."

Pakistani Christians have always had to live under the radar, but now it seems as though "anybody that comes out against the blasphemy law or speaks out against Muslims and the treatment of Christians—they will find themselves in difficulty," explains Musselman.

Read the full story here.

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Pakistan. Pray any vigils that occur on Asia Bibi’s behalf would not incite more violence but would be an effective time of prayer and peaceful protest. Pray the Lord would guide each believer as to whether he should stay in the country or flee, and as to when he should speak up or be silent. Pray our fellow kingdom workers would courageously continue to live out Christ's love, reaching out even to those who persecute them the most.

Asia Bibi fears she's next, after Pakistani minister’s slaying

Asia Bibi fears death following
assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti,
a supporter.

Agenzia Fides posted a story on Tuesday about Asia Bibi and her fears following the March 2 assassination of Pakistani Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, one of her supporters. Her lawyer recently spoke with the news agency.

From her jail cell in Sheikhupura, Punjab province, Asia expressed her “pain and concern for the death of Minister Shahbaz Bhatti.” She is also saddened by the death of a person who “like Governor Taseer, defended her publicly, and paid with his life.”

The lawyer said, “Asia says that part of her hope died with Bhatti, but there are other things that give her hope: the support of all Christians in Pakistan and around the world; the visit of her children, made possible recently after bureaucratic problems.”

Asia is still afraid, given that she could be the next target of radical Islamic groups. Inside the jail in Sheikhupura, posters have appeared with images of Taseer and Bhatti with a large question mark and the phrase, “Who will be next?”

You can read the full report here.

Please continue to lift up Asia and her family in your prayers. Pray for physical protection and strength as well as spiritual strength.

Asia Bibi facing threat of suicide attack

Officials are concerned there may
be a suicide attack on the prison
where Asia Bibi is being held.

Asia Bibi, the Christian woman who triggered a blasphemy furor in Pakistan and in whose defence Punjab province Governor Salman Taseer lost his life, is facing a threat of a suicide attack inside a jail, where she is currently lodged, reported ASSIST News Service on Tuesday.

According to a story by Z News, a militant organization known as the “Moaviya group” plans to mount a suicide attack on Sheikhupura district jail, where Asia is being held. An intelligence report issued last week has corroborated threat to her life.

Punjab police and jail authorities have reportedly beefed up security due to the intelligence report and the assassination of Taseer.

The Z News story said that 131 people are being held in jails across Punjab on blasphemy charges. Eleven of them have been sentenced to death, including Asia, who is the first woman to be given the penalty.

“Though no one has been executed after being convicted under the controversial law, 35 people, including Taseer, who were accused of committing blasphemy or defending those charged with blasphemy have been killed between 1990 and 2011,” said Z News. “They were either victims of extra-judicial killings or found dead in prison in suspicious circumstances.”

Last week, we told you that Asia’s family has been receiving threats from anonymous callers. Her husband Ashiq Masih insists that his wife is innocent and will be freed, but he worries about what will happen if she is released. "When she comes out, how she can live safely?" he asks. "No one will let her live. The mullahs are saying they will kill her when she comes out."

Please pray the Lord will protect and provide for Ashiq Masih and his children. May the entire family know the Lord's strengthening presence. Pray the Lord will use Asia's situation to bring about change in Pakistan for His glory. Pray for her release.

Governor of Pakistan’s Punjab province assassinated

CNN is reporting the governor of Pakistan's Punjab province, Salman Taseer, was assassinated by his own security guard Tuesday, according to Interior Minister Rehman Malik, apparently because he spoke out against the country's controversial blasphemy law.

You can read the full report here.

Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws have again catapulted into the international spotlight following the arrest of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman. She was sentenced to death under the blasphemy laws on November 8, and she is awaiting an appeals court hearing, which has not yet been set.

Asia has received many death threats since her arrest and sentence, and protesters against amendments to the law recently held a 24-hour strike on December 31. One Muslim cleric was quoted as saying, “Pakistan’s blasphemy law will change over our dead bodies.”

Please pray for the nation of Pakistan and its believers. Pray they would not be fearful but rather filled with peace. Pray for their safety and well-being. Pray God would do a work in the hearts of the officials in charge of Asia’s case.