RLPB 601. Pakistan: Acquitted but still imperilled.

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 601 | Wed 9 June 2021
RLPB is published weekly to facilitate strategic intercessory prayer.

To subscribe (free), or to view or search archives, visit the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog.  

DIARY
Saturday 12 June: Algeria's parliamentary election. Please pray for the Church in Algeria.

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PAKISTAN: ACQUITTED BUT STILL IMPERILLED
by Elizabeth Kendal

top: Shafqat and Shagufta (undated),
children: Danish, Zain, Sara, Yeshua (2016)

On Thursday 3 June the Lahore High Court accepted the appeal of Christians Shafqat Emmanuel (49) and his wife Shagufta Kausar (52) and acquitted them of the charge of blasphemy. Arrested in 2013, the illiterate couple were accused of sending blasphemous English language text messages to a local Islamic cleric. While the phone did belong to Shagufta, it had been missing for a month and sources suspect a spiteful neighbour might have framed the couple. Shafqat and Shagufta were sentenced to death in 2014 on the basis of Shafqat's 'confession', which he provided when police threatened to torture his wife. This was after their torture of Shafqat had proved unsuccessful [see RLPB 568 (23 Sep 2020)]. According to the couple's attorney, Saif ul-Malook (who also represented Asia Bibi), the couple were acquitted on the basis of 'adulterated evidence and manipulated testimonies of the prosecution witnesses'. Malook's main concern now is the family's safety. A source in the government told Morning Star News (MSN) that security agencies have been directed to ensure protection of the couple and their lawyer. Regardless, Shafqat, Shagufta and their four children will need asylum abroad.

Along with competent and trustworthy security, the most immediate need is that of medical care. Partially paralysed and confined to a wheelchair since fracturing his backbone in 2004, Shafqat has spent most of the past eight years confined to a prison bed with minimal assistance or medical care. Visitors have reported seeing him 'covered in bedsores'; many thought he would die in prison. In April 2021 Amnesty International reported: 'The health of Shafqat Emmanuel … is rapidly deteriorating … his pain is worsening every day. In March, his family alleges, he was in a coma for three days and was not taken to the hospital.' Separated from each other and their four children, both Shafqat and Shagufta have struggled with depression. Speaking to MSN, Bishop Azad Marshall, president of the Church of Pakistan, said, 'While it is heartening to note that the court has delivered justice after eight years, our hearts are weeping over the suffering the poor family has endured all these years. This atrocity in the name of religion must end now. Mere allegations are enough to destroy the lives of the accused and their families, and it's time the Pakistani government deals with this critical issue [problematic blasphemy law] on priority.'

Dealing with Pakistan's blasphemy law - Penal Code, Chapter XV (offences relating to religion), Article 295 - has always proved extremely difficult. Attempts to amend the legislation are normally met with death threats, assassinations, destructive riots, and paralysing 'sit-ins' courtesy of Pakistan's inordinately powerful Islamic fundamentalists. Bishop Marshall believes that nobody should be permitted to register a police report of blasphemy before the accusation has been thoroughly investigated by an independent and impartial authority. He also believes that the law should mandate harsh punishments for those found to have issued vexatious accusations and provided false witness. The fact that it does not, means impunity reigns.

In December 2017 the European Union (EU) warned Pakistan that its GSP+ Trade Agreement with the EU - which removes import duties (enabling Pakistan to earn billions of dollars of trade income) - would be at risk should Asia Bibi be denied justice. By linking its moral stance against injustice to its considerable economic leverage, the EU has played a major role in securing justice for Asia Bibi, shining a spotlight on the blasphemy law and helping victims like Shafqat and Shagufta. Determined to maintain its pressure on Pakistan, the EU passed a motion in April 2021 to review Pakistan's GPS+ trade status. While the EU's action is right and good, nobody should be tempted to put their faith in politics. God expects those in authority to 'speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy' (Proverbs 31:8,9 NIV). Whilst we are obliged to encourage them to do so - through our advocacy - we'd be foolish to put our faith there. 'It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man' or 'princes' (Psalm 118:8,9 ESV). After all, the EU might matter today but not tomorrow and unless the Lord builds the house, we labour in vain (Psalm 127:1). And so we pray!

PLEASE GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD OUR GOD:

* that this long-suffering family has finally received justice in the courts; may the Lord bless Shafqat and Shagufta with healing and peace; may this family receive all the security, medical care and assistance they require; may the family unit - so cruelly torn apart - be knit back together, overcoming all obstacles through God's all-sufficient grace (2 Corinthians 12:9); may a place of refuge be made available overseas.

* for the courage and faithfulness of attorney Saif ul-Malook who has defended accused and persecuted Christians despite protests against his work and threats on his life; may the Lord grant him the greatest gift and open his heart to receive the Gospel.

* for the courage and moral conviction displayed by Justice Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh who ruled rightly, despite threats and intimidation from Islamic fundamentalists. Surely this courage was a gift from God 'in answer to the prayers of many' (2 Corinthians 1:11).

AND PLEASE PRAY FOR PAKISTAN:

* that the God of all grace will mercifully intervene to bring transformation to this dark, chaotic and needy land; may Islamic terrorism, jihadism and rabid fundamentalism cease; may the blasphemy law, the abduction of religious-minority girls and religious discrimination, repression and violent persecution all come to an end. May Pakistan's Muslims be totally disillusioned with Islam and graciously awakened to the way of God our Saviour 'who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth' (2 Timothy 2:4 ESV).

SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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CHRISTIAN COUPLE ACQUITTED BUT STILL IMPERILLED IN PAKISTAN

On 3 June the Lahore High Court accepted the appeal of Christians Shafqat Emmanuel (49) and his wife Shagufta Kausar (52), acquitting them of the charge of blasphemy. In prison since being falsely accused in 2013, the couple have been on death row since 2014. Their appeal was handled by attorney Saif ul-Malook (who represented Asia Bibi). They urgently need trustworthy security, medical care and asylum overseas. Partially paralysed since 2004, Shafqat has spent the last eight years confined to a prison bed with minimal assistance or medical care. He is covered in painful bedsores and is seriously unwell; many feared he would die in prison. Separated from each other and their four children, Shafqat and Shagufta have suffered depression. Please pray for this family and for the Church in Pakistan.

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Elizabeth Kendal is an international religious liberty analyst and advocate. She serves as Director of Advocacy at Canberra-based Christian Faith and Freedom (CFF) and is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology.

She has authored two books: Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today (Deror Books, Melbourne, Australia, Dec 2012) which offers a Biblical response to persecution and existential threat; and After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding the Christian Crisis in the Middle East (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016).

See www.ElizabethKendal.com 

RLPB 600. Afghanistan: Christians Imperilled as West Withdraws

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 600 | Wed 02 June 2021
RLPB is published weekly to facilitate strategic intercessory prayer.

To join this mailing list, or to view or search archives, visit the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog. 

Please forward this prayer bulletin widely and ‘Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves . . .’ (from Proverbs 31:8-9 NIV). 

DIARY UPDATE

•     Postponed: Ethiopia's general election has been postponed to Monday 21 June. The future of Ethiopia hangs in the balance [see RLPB 589 (17 March)].
•     12 June: Algerian parliamentary election [see RLPB 588 (10 March)]. Islamist parties are expecting to make great gains as pro-democracy forces boycott the polls.
•     18 June: Iranian presidential election. A total sham, with candidates hand-picked by the ruling Guardian Council who believe they control the whole show. However ...

'The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord' (Proverbs 16:33 ESV) 'who works all things according to the counsel of his will' (from Ephesians 1:11 ESV).

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AFGHANISTAN: CHRISTIANS IMPERILLED AS WEST WITHDRAWS
by Elizabeth Kendal

Famous photograph of Afghan
  women in Kabul, 1970s.

In the late 1970s, Islamist agitation rose across the Middle East as fundamentalist Muslims revolted against their either US- or Soviet-aligned and insufficiently Islamic, modernising dictators. The trend culminated in 1979 in the Islamic Revolution in Tehran and the Siege of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. With Iran on its western border and Saudi-allied Pakistan to its south and east, the trend was bound to bleed into Afghanistan. In 1979 Afghanistan's communist government appealed to its long-time ally, the Soviet Union, for help to contain an Islamic insurgency. Seizing the opportunity to wage a proxy war against the Soviets, the US armed and backed the mujahideen. In 1989, as communism collapsed across Europe, the Soviets opted to abandon Afghanistan. Into the resulting power vacuum rushed an array of warring groups. Seizing the opportunity to expand its strategic depth, and needing to secure its trade routes into Central Asia, Pakistan trained, armed and backed the Pashtuns, many millions of whom also live in the tribal regions of north-west Pakistan. The Pashtun students of jihad became the Taliban (Taleban being Pashto for 'student'). For many Afghans, the Taliban might have been brutally repressive, but they were preferable to the criminal warlords who exploited and terrorised the people with impunity.

On 11 September 2001 the US suffered a spectacular terrorist attack. The attack was organised by al-Qaeda from its sanctuary in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and was designed to draw the US into a long war of attrition inside Afghanistan. The US campaign commenced on 7 October 2001. By the end of 2001, Bin Laden had escaped, the Taliban had collapsed and an interim government had been established. By March 2002 the US had shifted its focus to Iraq. In the summer of 2005, al-Qaeda facilitated the influx into Afghanistan of thousands of foreign jihadists. As violence escalated, the Afghan government moved to appease the Taliban by ramping up Islamisation and cracking down hard on apostasy [RLPB 059 (9 June 2009)]. 

Kabul

By 2011 the US was talking about pulling out of Afghanistan, despite escalating Taliban violence [RLPB 155 (18 April 2012)]. By 11 September 2021, 20 years after al-Qaeda triggered the war, US troops will have withdrawn. As in 1989, the power vacuum will be filled by an array of warring groups. Afghans face the prospect of civil war: the Afghan government (which is weak) vs regional warlords (who control the drug trade) vs the Taliban (which is backed by al-Qaeda) vs Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) which cites a prophetic hadith (an alleged saying of Muhammad) to justify its claim on Afghanistan. As in 1989, outsiders - including Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, Iran, and China - will move to exploit opportunities and either defend or advance their strategic interests. The biggest losers will be the Afghan people, in particular Afghan women, children, and Christians. Despite severe repression and persecution, a 2013 estimate put the number of Christians in Afghanistan at between 2000 and 3000, up from a couple of hundred a decade earlier. Most converted while living outside of the country.  

The US-led campaign in Afghanistan achieved little in terms of enduring freedom. However, it did open a window of opportunity, enabling some amazing Afghans to achieve amazing things. In an article for World News Group, Mindy Belz gives some insights into what may be about to be lost. Concerning the Christian community, a foreign worker inside Afghanistan told her: 'Among Afghanistan's non-Muslims are Christians who have seen a revival of faith and rapid growth since the US-led liberation from the Taliban in 2001. There are basically three types of believers: those who have been forced to leave the country, those who survive by exercising their faith underground, and those who are dead.' Yet, as Belz writes, Muslims continue to come to faith across the country. 'Internet access coming even to remote parts of the country has brought online evangelism and private discipleship. Some Afghan church leaders became Christians while living as refugees abroad and they teach online or have returned to disciple others.' Furthermore, 'Conversion from Islam continues to carry a high cost in the Afghan honour-and-shame culture. It often means loss of family, inheritance, and a job.'

source:
  Cause to fear a Taliban victory,
By Salman Rafi Sheikh,
Asia Times, 26 April 2021

'For these reasons,' continues Belz, 'fellowship among believers can be rare, often taking place in online chat rooms accessed through VPNs [Virtual Private Networks], a secure connection to the internet that makes the user hard to trace. When believers do gather, they do so in small groups over lunch at an office or behind curtains in a safe house in an otherwise nondescript neighbourhood of dusty streets. Bibles are usually contraband, so Scripture is shared using the internet or with cell phone SIM cards. For all the risks, bold church leaders evangelise Muslims and baptise new believers.' In Afghanistan, as in most places where Islam has brought nothing but repression, misery and death, many Muslims are yearning for a different way or path, and increasingly they are open to the way of Jesus Christ as imaged or modelled by Christians who love them. As researcher David Garrison has observed, 'Something is happening, something historic, something unprecedented. A wind is blowing through the House of Islam.' And as Jesus explained to Nicodemus, 'The wind blows where it wishes ...' (John 3:8). Whilst nothing can stop the mission of the Spirit, the Afghan Church will need our prayers.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL:

* give Afghan Christians all the wisdom and understanding they will need to navigate these darkening days; in particular praying for those who lead his imperilled Church, along with those who work with them and advise them, including from afar (Proverbs 2:6-8); may the Lord preserve his Church in Afghanistan.

* give everyone who works with or ministers to Afghans inspirational creativity so they might always stay ahead of - or be able to overcome - every evil scheme designed to silence, crush and eliminate the Afghan Church. 'I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it' (Jesus, from Matthew 16:18 ESV).

* redeem these terrible days of fear and uncertainty; may more and more Afghan Muslims seek and find that better way - the way of Jesus Christ.

'For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.' John 3:17 ESV

SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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AFGHANISTAN: CHRISTIANS IMPERILLED AS WEST WITHDRAWS  

The US-led campaign in Afghanistan (2001-2021) achieved little in terms of enduring freedom. However, it did open a window of opportunity, enabling some amazing Afghans to achieve amazing things. Despite severe repression and persecution - from the government, the Taliban and Muslim society - a 2013 estimate put the number of Christians in Afghanistan at between 2000 and 3000, up from a couple of hundred a decade earlier. As Western troops withdraw, that window will close. Afghans face the prospect of civil war: the Afghan government vs regional warlords vs the Taliban vs Islamic State Khorasan Province. Outsiders - including Pakistan, Russia, Turkey and China - will move to exploit opportunities and either defend or advance their strategic interests. Please pray for the Afghan Church, and that disillusioned Muslims will seek and find Jesus.

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Elizabeth Kendal is an international religious liberty analyst and advocate. She serves as Director of Advocacy at Canberra-based Christian Faith and Freedom (CFF) and is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology.

She has authored two books: Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today (Deror Books, Melbourne, Australia, Dec 2012) which offers a Biblical response to persecution and existential threat; and After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding the Christian Crisis in the Middle East (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016).

See www.ElizabethKendal.com