Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin: March 2020

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

RLPB 542. March 2020 Update, incl. Pakistan, Sudan, Iraq, Iran, Finland, Nigeria, Turkey

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 542 | Wed 25 Mar 2020
RLPB is published weekly to facilitate strategic intercessory prayer.

Please forward this prayer bulletin widely and encourage others to sign up to the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog. "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:16 NIV)

By Elizabeth Kendal

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing many Christians in the free world to experience - possibly for the first time in their lives - what many persecuted Christians in the non-free world experience every day of their lives: the menacing reality and uncomfortable closeness of suffering and death. The difference is that Christians in the free world who test positive for COVID-19 will have a supportive state doing everything it can to help them. On the other hand, Christians in the non-free world who are persecuted for their faith rarely receive any support from their state. Despised as infidels, rejected as untouchables, condemned as state enemies, they are routinely denied medical care, even when their lives depend on it. Furthermore, threatened Christian communities now face the prospect that hostile state and non-state actors will exploit security vacuums opened up by COVID-19 to advance their own agendas. As Christians in the free world (like myself) gain insight into what it is like to live under the shadow of suffering and death, may it help us to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters with genuine empathy and unifying, sanctifying love.

'A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another' (John 13:34-35 ESV).

MARCH 2020 UPDATE - during this period we prayed concerning

* PAKISTAN [RLPB 539 (3 March)], where Christians continue to suffer crippling discrimination and severe persecution. Christian couple Shafqat Emmanuel Masih and his wife, Shagufta Kausar, were imprisoned for blasphemy in 2013 and sentenced to death in 2014. The couple was found guilty of sending a blasphemous text to an Islamic cleric, though they both are illiterate, and their confession was extracted under torture. After six years in jail, the couple - who have four young children - will finally have their appeal heard in the Lahore High Court on Wednesday 8 April. Please pray.

UPDATE ON THE CASE OF HUMA YOUNUS [RLPB 538 (26 Feb)]

Huma Younus

Huma Younus (14) of Karachi, Sindh, was abducted in October 2019, transported some 600 km north into Punjab, forcibly Islamised and married against her will to her Muslim abductor. In a desperate effort to get their daughter back, Huma's parents filed a petition with Sindh High Court seeking annulment of the marriage under the Child Marriage Restraint Act which forbids marriage under the age of 18 years. To their horror, the judge ignored the law of the land and on 3 February ruled the marriage valid on the basis of Islamic Sharia law. The case was adjourned until 4 March. On 4 March, as the case was adjourned yet again, the court ordered investigation officer, Akhtar Hussain to present Huma to the court at its next hearing on Sunday 29 March so that a medical examination can be conducted to determine her age. The family suspects that police are colluding with the abductors to circumvent justice. Please pray.

* SUDAN [RLPB 540 (11 March)], after a failed assassination attempt on new Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok exposed the simmering resistance to his government's ground-breaking reforms. The amount of hostility simmering below the surface cannot be underestimated.

UPDATE: SUDAN CONTINUES ON 'THE PATH OF CHANGE'

On 11 March Sudan's new Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasr al-Din Mufreh, signed an order abolishing the committees imposed on churches under former president Omar al-Bashir. 'All government-appointed committees are abolished as of today [11 March],' he announced. Sources told Morning Star News that, while further legal action will be needed to regain control over church properties lost under committees imposed on churches by the old regime, this is a good step forward on the path to restoration. On Friday 20 March Nasr al-Din Mufreh also confirmed that his ministry has formed a committee that will work with the relevant authorities to investigate reports of multiple attacks on the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC) in Jabarona, on the outskirts of Khartoum. He said the government would take all necessary measures to protect the church and arrest all those found responsible, reaffirming his government's keenness to ensure and protect religious freedoms. Praise God! May the Lord protect and bless all the brave Sudanese who are working to bring peace, justice, racial-religious equity and religious liberty to Sudan. Please pray.

* IRAQ [RLPB 541 (18 March)], where tit-for-tat missile strikes between US troops and Iranian proxies were raising fears that Iraq could become a battlefield for a US-Iran proxy war. Conflict would raise the threat level for Northern Iraq's Assyrian Christians, because conflict would provide cover under which the genocide of the Assyrians could be completed. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic could also provide cover for a genocide to take place. One person's crisis can be another's opportunity; and Kurds (Sunnis) and Shabaks (Shi'ites, proxies of Baghdad and Tehran) will no doubt be eager to exploit any opportunity to complete their land grabbing in the Nineveh Plains (the Assyrian homeland for millennia). Please pray.

UPDATE: IRAN PROXY UPS THE ANTE IN IRAQ

On 17 March the newly formed Usbat al-Thayireen (League of the Revolutionaries) released a video in which it threatened US troops in Iraq. Having already claimed responsibility for the deadly 13 March attack on the US base in Taji, the League threatened to strike again, boasting it possessed 'long range weapons'. Everything indicates that the group is aligned with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC routinely creates front groups with new names when undertaking sensitive operations. That way, the front group can perpetrate terror, claim responsibility and issue threats, while the IRGC and its other proxy militias maintain plausible deniability. Iran may be poised to up the ante in Iraq convinced that the COVID-19 crisis presents it with an opportunity to advance its own agenda at reduced risk. Please pray for Iraq's gravely imperilled Christians.

'Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen' (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV)

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FOR MORE on the subject of how the COVID-19 pandemic might impact the persecuted Church, please see: 'The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Persecuted Church,' Religious Liberty Monitoring (25 March 2020).
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MARCH 2020 ROUND-UP - also this month

* FINLAND: THREAT TO CHRISTIAN WITNESS

Alliance Defending Freedom

In June 2019, after the board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELC) of Finland announced its official partnership with the LGBT event 'Pride 2019', evangelical church member Päivi Räsänen took to social media to question her church's decision. Her query - 'How can the church's doctrinal foundation, the Bible, be compatible with the lifting up of shame and sin as a subject of pride?' - would probably have gone unremarked except that Räsänen is a Member of Parliament and a former Minister of the Interior. To Räsänen's dismay, the police launched an investigation against her. On 4 November 2019 the Prosecutor-General announced that police would also investigate a pamphlet she had written in 2004 explaining the ELC's teaching on human sexuality. Then, on 5 March 2020, Räsänen was informed that the Prosecutor-General had opened two more investigations: one about comments she made on a TV show in 2018 in which she was asked about her personal beliefs; the other concerning comments she made during a radio interview on 20 December 2019. For her promotion of Biblical morality and wisdom, Räsänen stands accused of 'inciting hatred on the basis of sexuality' - a hate speech crime in Finland. This is a huge case for freedom of religious expression in Finland. Please pray.

* IRAN: PRISONERS RELEASED

The Iranian regime has granted temporary release to some 85,000 prisoners to curb the spread of COVID-19 through the prison system. About 10,000 of those prisoners will be pardoned and will not be required to return to prison. Those granted temporary release include 'security-related' (political) prisoners serving sentences of less than five years. In its persecution of Christians, the regime usually starts with intimidation (raids, fines and threats). If further deterrence is required, the regime will progress to short-term imprisonments. Repeat offenders - committed pastors and evangelists who refuse to be silenced and refuse to retreat underground - face long prison terms (10 years and more) on security-related offences. It is highly unlikely that Christian prisoners who remain incarcerated will receive treatment if they get infected with COVID-19. Please pray.

UPDATE ON MARY MOHAMMADI [RLPB 536 (12 Feb)]

In answer to the prayers of many, Fatemeh (Mary) Mohammadi - imprisoned for her faith in the notorious Qarchak Prison - was released on bail on 26 February, pending a court hearing scheduled for 2 March. On 3 March Middle East Concern reported that Mary's hearing was postponed, apparently due to the spread of Coronavirus. Taking to social media, Mary thanked all those who have been praying for her: 'I am grateful for all of you dear friends who have been concerned and followed my situation with concern.' Please pray.

* NIGERIA: DISSOLVING IN INSECURITY

(1) ADBUCTION FOR RANSOM

Bishop Idris Ado Zubairu
with his wife Saratu

On 10 March gunmen laid siege to the Christian community of Gidan Mato in Bari, Kano State, where the Anglican Cathedral and Bishop's Court are situated. They looted the church properties and much of the town. The Bishop of Bari Diocese, the Rt Reverend Idris Ado Zubairu, was visiting neighbouring Plateau State at the time. The bishop's wife, Mrs Saratu Zubairu, and a diocesan secretary identified as Deborah were abducted. A large ransom was demanded. On Friday 20 March the Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), The Most Rev. Nicholas D Okoh announced that both women had been freed. Kidnapping for ransom is out of control across Nigeria. Christians in the volatile Middle Belt and Islamic North are especially vulnerable. Please pray.

(2) ABDUCTION FOR ISLAMISATION

Sadiya with her mother
(HACFO)

In early January Fulani raiders abducted Sadiya Amos (15) from her home in northern Kaduna. Muslims then dragged her father, Amos Chindo, before a Sharia court and accused him of refusing to let his daughter convert to Islam. As Mr Amos reminded the court, his daughter is a minor and he is Christian, therefore not accountable to the Sharia court. The trial was adjourned until 14 January, at which time the judge announced that Sadiya was now a Muslim and married to her abductor. Despite all their efforts, the Hausa Christian Foundation (HACFO) was unable to secure Sadiya's release; there was nothing left to do but pray. On 12 March HACFO announced: 'While praying to God for open doors to speed up her freedom, the Power of our God went ahead and completed the work all to His glory.' As it turned out, the Fulani charged with guarding Sadiya had fallen asleep without locking the door, enabling her to escape and return to her parents. Praise God!

But as HACFO laments, the abduction of Christian girls for forced Islamisation is endemic in Northern Nigeria. HACFO regards it as 'another form of jihad'. HACFO thanked God for his divine intervention while exhorting believers to persevere in prayer because there are so many 'other Christian girls in Islamic captivity', including Leah Sharibu. 'This fight is becoming intense and the damages are overwhelming,' it said. 'May God have mercy on Nigeria and bring his perfect will to pass in Jesus' Name. Amen.' Please pray.

* TURKEY: ABDUCTION FOR ELIMINATION

Şimoni (65) and Hourmouz (71) Diril

Hourmouz (71) and Simoni (65) Diril were the only Assyrians living in the Assyrian village of Mehr in Turkey's south-eastern province of Sırnak. While the Turkish government wanted Mehr abandoned, it was the Dirils' intention and hope that Mehr might yet again be home to a thriving Assyrian community. When their son - Istanbul-based Assyrian priest Remzi Diril - visited Mehr on 12 January, his parents were nowhere to be found. An eyewitness claims to have seen the Dirils being led away from their home on 11 January [see: RLPB 534 (29 Jan)]. On Friday 20 March the body of Mrs Simoni Diril was found in a river not far from Mehr. Mr Hourmouz Diril remains missing. Please pray.

Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. (Isaiah 40:10 ESV)

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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

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

RLPB 541. Iraq: Christians facing increased risk

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 541 | 18 Mar 2020
RLPB is published weekly to facilitate strategic intercessory prayer.

Please forward this prayer bulletin widely and encourage others to sign up to the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog. "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:16 NIV)

IRAQ: CHRISTIANS FACING INCREASED RISK
by Elizabeth Kendal

click here for video and transcripts.
Recommended:
testimony of Reine Hanna,
Assyrian Policy Institute.

Today, fewer than 200,000 Assyrians (the indigenous people of Mesopotamia) remain in Iraq; most are displaced and destitute [see: RLPB 507, Christian Crisis in Mesopotamia (19 Jun 2019) and RLPB 493, Decimation to Elimination (13 Mar 2019)]. On 26 September 2019 the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) held a hearing entitled Religious Minorities' Fight to Remain in Iraq. As USCIRF Vice-Chair Gayle Manchin noted in her appeal for international support, Christian 'communities are now questioning whether there is any genuine hope of returning to safety and security in their homeland'.

As ISIS was driven from the Nineveh Plains - the Assyrian heartland for millennia - the security vacuum was filled by armed Kurds (Sunni Muslims) and Shabaks (Shi'ite Muslims, backed by Baghdad and Tehran) who rapidly colonised what is now known as the 'disputed territories'. Today, Baghdeda/Qaraqosh - the largest Christian town in the Nineveh Plains - is completely surrounded by Iran-backed Shi'ite militias. Bartella, the second-largest town - previously 95 percent Christian - is now majority Shabak. Furthermore, while Shabaks control the local government, Shabak militias control 'security' and operate checkpoints. Christians are abused as second-class citizens while their businesses face extortion, boycotts and criminality committed with impunity.

Imam Khomeini school, Bartella

One Assyrian shopkeeper in Bartella told America Magazine (27 Feb 2020), 'Frankly speaking, if they [the Shabak] had the chance, they'd take everything from us. If they have the chance to attack, they'd do more damage than ISIS did.' This raises the question: What could provide the Kurds and the Shabak with that 'chance to attack'? Answer: total chaos! The Kurds and Shabak could complete the Assyrian genocide if provided the cover of total chaos. Today, as Iraq faces political paralysis from the largest anti-government protests in its history and the horrific prospect of becoming a battlefield for a US-Iran proxy war, the ultimate, but not inevitable, Christian crisis (genocide) looms larger than ever.

by Elizabeth Kendal

All three imperial nations surrounding Mesopotamia - Iran, Turkey and the Arabs - desire the elimination of 'the Fertile Crescent of Minorities' which has for 100 years served as a buffer zone limiting Persian, Turkish and Sunni Arab regional aspirations. If the West were truly interested in regional security, it would not support any of these imperial powers. Rather, it would support the consolidation of Mesopotamia as a safe place for ethnic and religious minorities. Russia (with its long history of Christian-Muslim relations) understands this; the West (which lacks experience and historical understanding) seems not to! If Iraq dissolves into chaos, the Sunni Kurds and Shi'ite Shabaks would have the cover they require to complete the genocide of the Assyrian people in Iraq.

While this looks inevitable, there are, however, two unknowns. (1) It is unknown how the COVID-19 pandemic will influence events: it could increase the likelihood of war (as failing tyrants employ conflict as distraction) or it could induce restraint. (2) It is also unknown how God might yet intervene, in answer to the prayers of many, to redeem all suffering and 'turn back the battle at the gate' (from Isaiah 28:5-6).

PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR ALMIGHTY GOD WILL

* intervene in the fragile, volatile and threatened nation of Iraq to bless, protect, sustain and preserve his precious Church; may all Christians living in Iraq - be they indigenous Assyrians or Muslim converts - draw ever closer to the Lord; may they trust him with their future and grow in grace and faith every day.

* thwart every evil plot to steal Assyrian land and even eliminate the Assyrian presence; may such an evil plan never come to pass and may the Lord intervene, in answer to prayer, to 'turn back the battle at the gate' (from Isaiah 28:5-6)

* redeem these days of serious hardship, political upheaval, geopolitical tensions, military threat and deep uncertainty to draw many hearts towards peace, and to prepare many hearts to receive the Gospel. 'For nothing will be impossible with God' (angel to Mary, Luke 1:37 ESV).

* reveal the plight of the four aid workers abducted in Baghdad on 20 January; no ransom demands have been made, and the whereabouts of the three French nationals and one Iraqi, who were serving with the French Christian charity SOS Chretiens d'Orient (SOS Christians of the Middle East), remain unknown to all but the Lord.

SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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CHRISTIANS FACING INCREASED RISK IN IRAQ

Today, fewer than 200,000 indigenous Christian Assyrians remain in Iraq, their future uncertain. While ISIS was being driven from the Assyrian heartland, Kurds and Shabaks were flooding in, exploiting the security vacuum. Throughout Northern Iraq's Nineveh Plains, Assyrian towns have been colonised and taken over either by Kurds (Sunnis) or by Shabaks (Shi'ites, supported by Baghdad and Tehran). Consequently, historic Assyrian towns are no longer safe for Assyrians. Meanwhile, Iraq is growing increasingly volatile. Late last year, Baghdad was rocked by the largest anti-government protests in Iraq's history. Tensions are soaring, especially now it also appears that Iraq could become the battleground for a US-Iran proxy war. Should that eventuate, the Kurds and Shabaks would doubtless move to complete the genocide of the Assyrian people under the cover of chaos. Please pray.

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Tuesday, March 10, 2020

RLPB 540. Sudan: 'Path of change' is dangerous and fragile

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 540 | 11 Mar 2020
RLPB is published weekly to facilitate strategic intercessory prayer.

Please forward this prayer bulletin widely and encourage others to sign up to the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog. "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:16 NIV)

SUDAN: 'PATH OF CHANGE' IS DANGEROUS AND FRAGILE
by Elizabeth Kendal

#SudanPMHamdok survives
assassination attempt, 9 March 2020

On Monday 9 March Sudanese Prime Minister (PM) Abdalla Hamdok (64) was en route to his office when his motorcade was attacked, first with a car bomb, then with gunfire. While the government's armored SUVs were damaged, the PM survived the attempted assassination, essentially unscathed. Whilst nobody has claimed responsibility, arrests have been made. A veteran economist, Hamdok was appointed Prime Minister in August 2019 after an agreement was signed between Sudan's ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC), which had ousted former president Omar al-Bashir, and the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), which continued to press for civilian-led democracy [see RLPB 516 (21 Aug 2019)]. After the attack, PM Hamdok took to twitter to assure the nation that he was 'safe and in good shape'. He even posted an image of himself, working at his desk as the television in background screened news of the incident. 'What happened will not stop the path of change,' he assured the nation.

source: Middle East Media Research Institute

Since August 2019 Sudan's new government has undertaken numerous bold steps aimed at initiating Sudan's transformation from Arab-Islamist military tyranny to pluralist-secular civilian democracy. On 21 August Raja Nicola Eissa Abdel-Masih, a Coptic Christian woman and judge in Sudan's Ministry of Justice, was appointed to serve on Sudan's 11-member Sovereign Council. On 7 September, in a televised interview on the Al-Arabiya Network, Sudan's new Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasr al-Din Mufreh, explained that Sudan is a pluralistic nation ruled by secular law and invited Sudanese Jews to return and reclaim their Sudanese citizenship. In a remarkable interview published on 3 November in the international Arabic newspaper, Asharq Al-Awsat, Mufreh said Sudan would fight extremism in mosques and empower women in society. He reiterated his invitation to Sudanese Jews and lamented past persecution of Christians, saying property stolen from Sudanese Christians would be returned through court proceedings. 'Christians and all people of other faiths and religions are free to practise their rituals,' he said.

Sudanese Christians celebrate Christmas
outside a church in Khartoum, 25 Dec 2019.
(MEE/Mohammed Amin)

So it was that in December 2019 Sudan's transitional government initiated a phenomenal reversal when it declared Christmas Day a national public holiday. On 25 December, Mufreh and other senior government officials visited Christmas Day services in several churches across Khartoum, including the long-persecuted Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church. Nyaball Ezikel, a South Sudanese woman living in Khartoum, described it as the best Christmas in the 30 years since al-Bashir took power, adding, 'This is also a good step towards the unity of the Sudanese people.' Khartoum University student Amna Azhari (18) told Middle East Eye that it was her first time visiting a church. 'I'm very optimistic and I feel not just the political change but I also feel that we as Sudanese, we are all changing positively,' she said. 'We are becoming more tolerant and loving towards each other. This is the legacy of our great revolution.' On 5 March Sudan's new Minister of Education, Mohamed Al-Amin Al-Toam, told church leaders in Khartoum that the government will consider no longer holding student exams on Christian holidays and Sundays. Furthermore, it will even consider appointing Christian teachers to teach Christianity nationwide. (The announcement actually triggered such a backlash that Christians are unsure what to make of it!) The government has also expressed its intent to abolish the punishment (death) for apostasy on the grounds that it 'puts freedom of opinion and belief at risk and undermines social peace and stability'. A draft of the Miscellaneous Amendments for 2020, which repeals the apostasy punishment, was tabled on 9 March.

Al Jazeera English 9 March 2020

PM Abdalla Hamdok has vowed to press ahead on 'the path of change', a transition supported by millions of amazing and courageous Sudanese civilians. But resistance is growing: resistance from Islamists; resistance from military men determined to retain their power and wealth; resistance from a deeply imbedded Islamist-militarist Deep State 30 years in the making; and resistance from purged, marginalised and disaffected pro-Bashir loyalists (local and foreign), infuriated by the treatment of their hero, patron or partner. Prominent activist Khalid Omar, secretary-general of the Sudanese Congress Party, was doubtless correct in his assessment that the attempt on Hamdok's life is but the opening of a 'new chapter in the conspiracy against the Sudanese revolution'.

PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR ALMIGHTY GOD WILL

* go before all those seeking to bring justice, peace and liberty to Sudan; may Yahweh Sabaoth (the Lord of hosts / the commander of heaven's angelic armies) clear and defend Sudan's 'path of change', that the 'door for the word' (Colossians 4:3) might remain open in Sudan.

'The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein ... Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in' '(from Psalm 24).

* bless those who bless his people; above all, may they be blessed with insight and revelation, so that Sudan's transformation might be not just political, but profoundly and wonderfully spiritual.

* grant divine wisdom, insight, grace and courage to Sudan's long-persecuted Church as she navigates a new and unfamiliar path - a dangerous and very fragile 'path of change'.

SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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SUDAN'S DANGEROUS AND FRAGILE 'PATH OF CHANGE'

On 9 March Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok (64) survived an assassination attempt. PM Hamdok leads Sudan's transitional government tasked with leading the country to democracy. In August 2019 a Coptic Christian woman (a judge) was appointed to the Sovereign Council. In September, and again in November, the new Minister for Religious Affairs publicly advocated for religious freedom, lamented past persecution of Christians, promised justice and invited Sudanese Jews to return and reclaim their citizenship. Christmas Day was declared a national public holiday and on 25 December senior government officials attended services across Khartoum. On 9 March a draft bill was tabled that will repeal the death penalty for apostasy (leaving Islam). However, resistance is growing: from al-Bashir loyalists, Islamic fundamentalists, a divided military and security sector and Sudan's Deep State. Please pray.

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Tuesday, March 3, 2020

RLPB 539. Pakistan: Blasphemy and Murder

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 539 | 4 March 2020
RLPB is published weekly to facilitate strategic intercessory prayer.

Please forward this prayer bulletin widely and encourage others to sign up to the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog. "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:16 NIV)

PAKISTAN: BLASPHEMY AND MURDER
- the battle for Pakistan continues.
by Elizabeth Kendal

'Free at Last'.
Asia Bibi with Anne-Isabelle Tollet

On Wednesday 31 October 2018 the Supreme Court of Pakistan made history when it acquitted Christian woman Asia Bibi of blasphemy. By that time Asia - a married mother of five - had already spent more than nine years on death row in appalling conditions. Currently in Canada, Asia and her family will soon take up residence in France, where Asia will join her long-time advocate, biographer and now friend, journalist Anne-Isabelle Tollet, in the ongoing campaign to liberate all those unjustly imprisoned in Pakistan who have been accused maliciously of blasphemy. The battle for justice in Pakistan is far from over! However, after decades of struggle, it just might have moved to the next level. Consequently, it is imperative that momentum be maintained.

On 8 April 2020, six years after being sentenced to death for blasphemy by the Lahore High Court, Shafqat Emmanuel Masih and his wife, Shagufta Kausar, of Gojra, Punjab, will have their appeal heard by the Lahore Court of Appeal. The Christian couple, who have four children, were imprisoned for blasphemy in 2013 and sentenced to death in 2014. They stand accused of sending English language blasphemous texts to an Islamic cleric. Shafqat - who is paralysed from the waist down - was tortured during interrogations yet only 'confessed' after authorities threatened to torture his wife. Under extreme pressure from Islamists, the court deemed the couple guilty, despite both being illiterate. Their health has deteriorated markedly whilst in prison [RLPB 512 (24 July 2019)].

Shafqat and Shagufta.
Sentenced to death.

According to Catholic media, the couple's appeal will be presented by Catholic lawyer Khalil Tahir Sandhu. A former politician and long-time minorities' advocate, Sandu has defended more than 40 cases of Christians falsely and maliciously accused of blasphemy, including that of Asia Bibi who for a time occupied a prison cell adjoining Shagufta's. According to Sandhu, there are currently 25 Christians in prison for blasphemy in Pakistan, six of whom are sentenced to death. Sandhu is confident that Shafqat and Shagufta will be acquitted as 'there is no clear evidence against the two of them'. Actually, the October 2018 Supreme Court decision to acquit Asia Bibi has fueled hope that a pivotal victory may have been won and a precedent set. It is important to note, however, that the Supreme Court ruling to acquit Asia Bibi was not made freely in the absence of international pressure. As the EU’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (2016-2019), Mr Jan Figel repeatedly warned Pakistan that its GSP Plus Trade Agreement with the EU – which brings in billions of dollars of trade income – would be at risk should Asia Bibi be denied justice. Consequently, it is imperative that pressure be maintained!

Meanwhile, the source of the problem remains! Pakistan has undergone immense Saudi-sponsored radicalisation since 1979, the fruit of which is extreme intolerance which expresses itself in violent persecution of all religious minorities. Today it is common for Pakistan's madrassa-educated fundamentalist Sunni Muslims to view their Christian neighbours as kafir (infidels), dhimmis (subjugated infidels) and najis (unclean). Asia Bibi's problems all started when she fetched water for her co-workers, who then refused to drink water 'polluted' by an unclean infidel. On 28 February Christian farm labourer Saleem Masih (22) died in Lahore's General Hospital from injuries sustained during a savage beating and torture session instigated by the Muslim proprietor. On 25 February, after Saleem finished his tasks, he rinsed himself off in the proprietor's tube well. [A tube well (image) taps into underground water which is then used to irrigate crops and water livestock; children play in it, men cool off in it ... but apparently Christians, being najis, can only pollute it.]

Saleem Masih,
hospitalised on 25 Feb.
He died three days later.
photo: MSN courtesy
Pakistan Center for Law and Justice

Saleem's father, Ghafoor Masih - a member of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian (ARP) Church USA - arrived at the property to find his son unconscious and police watching on 'like spectators'. Ghafoor told Morning Star News that the four Muslim perpetrators insisted the beating was justified because the 'filthy Christian' had 'polluted' the well. Interestingly, after Saleem's death was reported in Pakistani news media, social media lit up with Pakistanis using the hashtag #JusticeForSaleemMasih to speak out against the incident and protest the abuse of Pakistan's religious minorities. The battle for Pakistan will be long, arduous and costly! Consequently, it is imperative that prayer be maintained.

PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR ALMIGHTY GOD WILL

* intervene to secure justice and liberty for Shafqat Emmanuel Masih and his wife Shagufta; may the Lord bless, guide and protect their lawyers - in particular, Khalil Tahir Sandhu - and prepare the court bench to issue a right judgement.

* comfort the family of murdered Christian Saleem Masih (22); may justice be secured and all suffering redeemed; may all the family's needs be supplied.

* sustain, bless and continue to grow Pakistani's vulnerable and persecuted Christian Church that she may be a blessing to that nation (Genesis 12:3).

* have mercy on Pakistan (Jonah 4:11)! May the Spirit of God awaken Pakistanis to the shame and disgrace of injustice and intolerance and embolden them to pursue justice, equity, peace and dignity. May the sovereign Lord raise up lawyers, writers, teachers, politicians and other community leaders and activists who will lead Pakistan to a better path. We pray especially for Prime Minister Imran Khan, who desires reform and has imprisoned dozens of radical Islamist leaders and agitators; may the Lord grant him courage, determination and success in the face of overwhelming opposition.

'…let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream' (Amos 5:24 ESV).

SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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'BLASPHEMY' AND MURDER IN PAKISTAN

Twenty-five Christians are in prison for blasphemy, six with death sentences. They include Shafqat and his wife, Shagufta. On 8 April the Christian couple will have their appeal heard by the Lahore Court of Appeal. Sentenced to death in 2014, the court found them guilty of sending blasphemous texts to an Islamic cleric, even though their 'confession' was extracted under torture and both are illiterate. Catholic lawyer, Khalil Tahir Sandhu, will present the appeal. On 28 February Christian farm labourer, Saleem Masih (22), died in Lahore's General Hospital after being beaten and tortured by Muslims who accused the 'filthy Christian' of 'polluting' a well. Outraged Pakistanis have been using the hashtag #JusticeForSaleemMasih to speak out against the incident and protest the abuse of Pakistan's religious minorities. Please pray.

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