Muslim Men Kidnap Pakistani Christian Girl to 'Purify Her'

Four Muslim abductors in Saleem Colony, within the jurisdictions of Shisharwali Police Station Satellite Town, Gujranwala City in the Punjab Province of Pakistan, allegedly kidnapped a Christian girl identified as Mehek (aged 14 years and 8 months), on Wednesday, August 17, 2011.

AsiaNews reports that the girl was taken by the main Muslim man so he could “purify her” to make her “Muslim and my mistress.”

ANS was apprised of this crime by Rashid Masih, a Christian laborer and father of six, including Mehek, who all live in a rented house.

According to our ANS investigation, the names of Rashid Masih’s family are: Mrs. Nasreen Bibi, his spouse, Masih’s abducted daughter Mehek, also daughter Soha, and sons Saul Masih and Usman Masih.

The abductors were said by eye-witnesses to be a young Muslim man, and his four accomplices who claimed they were armed with deadly weapons. They allegedly forced their way into the house of Rashid Masih brandishing their weapons in the air. The attack took place in broad daylight, and the assailants were said to have pointed a gun at the head of Mehek, and then forced her to climb aboard a white car.

ANS has learned that the alleged abductors were chased by the eye-witnesses, but the armed Muslim men threatened them telling them to desist otherwise they would kill them. They also were said to have used a derogatory word for female Christians.

On hearing the news, workers from the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), led by Khalid Gill, went to the local Police station, where, they said, police "reluctantly" registered the case against the perpetrators.

On the instructions of the Station House Officer, a sub-inspector was deputed to probe into the issue.

However, APMA sources said they were “concerned” that although the case was lodged, no efforts were apparently being made to "nail" the alleged Muslim culprits.

ANS was also told by locals that APMA head Dr. Paul Bhatti, has expressed his solidarity with the victim Christian family and pledged to extend all possible support and help towards them.

Interviewed by AsiaNews, the Archbishop Emeritus of Lahore and former president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops' Conference Mgr. Lawrence John Saldanha stresses that such cases are “common in Pakistan,” and families “can do little or nothing” to save the victims from their captors. He adds: “The Muslim family has an advantage, because the law favors them.”

Rashid Masih, along with his family, had moved from Bawarey Village to Gujranwala city for the education and bright future of his Children, unaware that he would have to face such a fateful situation.

Source

Blasphemy accused Aslam Masih dies in jail

A Christian man accused of blasphemy in Pakistan died of tropical fever in prison on Sept. 9, after the prison authorities refused him treatment, The Christian Post has learned Tuesday.

Aslam Masih died reportedly of the dengue virus, an infectious tropical disease.

Jonathan Racho, the Regional Manager for South Asia at the International Christian Concern (ICC), an advocacy group, told The Christian Post that a local human rights organization had appealed to the prison authorities to provide Masih with proper medical treatment, but the authorities refused, quoting security reasons.

“We’ve received the information last week, but we needed to confirm it with our local contact,” Racho told The Christian Post.

“If somebody’s in jail,” he commented on the incident. “The prison authorities have an obligation to provide that person with medical treatment. Otherwise it’s a violation of human rights. This was a preventable death.

The blasphemy law is one of the most controversial laws in Pakistan, according to Racho. It says that whoever offends Prophet Muhammad will face capital punishment.

 For offending the Quran, the punishment is a lifetime prison sentence.

Masih was reportedly arrested in 2010 after having been accused of blasphemy by two members of the Tablighi Jammat, an Islamic group.

“Once again, Pakistan has shown its contempt for the lives of its religious minorities,” Racho wrote in a press release. “We urge the international community to pressure Pakistan protect the rights of Christians and other vulnerable groups in the country.”

Racho told The Christian Post that people are held accountable to the blasphemy law regardless of their religion, including Muslims, but that it is most often used to persecute religious minorities.

The incident added to a row of deaths and arrests related to the persecution of Christians in Pakistan in the past years.

In March, a Pakistani Christian man sentenced to a lifetime in prison for blasphemy was found dead in prison. The authorities said he had died of natural causes.

The man, Qamar David, had been accused of blasphemy by his business partner.

One of the most famous cases of the persecution of Christians in Pakistan is the case of Asia Bibi, the first woman in that country to be sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy.

Bibi, still awaiting the solution of her case, had been accused of blasphemy by fellow field workers. A mother of five, she was sentenced to death by hanging for allegedly speaking ill of Prophet Muhammad. She denied the charges.

Ninety-five percent of Pakistan’s population is Muslim, with 75 percent Sunni and 20 percent Shia. Only five percent practice Christianity and Hinduism, according to the CIA fact book.

800 Christians left homeless

Lahore-  800+ Christians from 104 families living in the Ittehad Colony slum along the Rohi Nullah have nowhere to go after the Nishtar Town administration demolished their homes two weeks ago to make way for an alternate road to the new fruit and vegetable market.

The slum area situated beside Ferozepur Road, was  given only a day’s notice to vacate their homes. 

“We were in the process of dragging out our belongings when the bulldozers arrived…the authorities did not even give us time to pack our stuff properly and started demolishing our homes,” a resident said. However, army bunkers and a church located in the area were not demolished after the residents said they would not tolerate desecration of their church. 
“We let them destroy our homes but they will have to demolished

We let them destroy our homes but they will have to demolish the church over our dead bodies,” Rani, a resident, told Pakistan Today. “We built the church with our own hands over the last seven years. It is the pride and centre of our community,” she added. As the bulldozers tore down houses and moved towards the church, some women gathered in front of the building while others took shelter inside, weeping and chanting slogans. Their protest forced the authorities to postpone the demolition of the church, at least for now. 
Police officials present on the scene said they had been instructed to protect the church and assured that it would not be demolished. Residents said Ittehad Colony was settled when residents shifted from Sabzazar 13 years ago when the same families were rendered helpless in another anti-encroachment operation ordered by the Sharif brothers. Another resident, Hakim Naseer said, “They should have stopped us from settling here in the first place or relocated us, but they did no such thing and we are undergoing the same process again.”

After the operation, residents sat on their salvaged possessions with tears in their eyes. Sitting on a small stool, a young girl, Fauzia said, “We are Pakistani, and are loyal to it, but if they don’t want us here they should just throw us out of the country.” Residents expressed their helplessness as they slept without cover last night, and look forward to these nights continuing since most cannot afford rents. Hakim said, “If we had been given a month or two’s notice and been allotted an alternate location, we would have been able to make alternative arrangements.” 

Ittehad Colony President Salamat Pardesi said, “A meeting with the AC was scheduled on Friday but we were later told he was out of city. We asked for time but an official came to the colony the same day and told us our houses would be destroyed at 8am on Saturday.” He said, “We had no forewarning and would have asked for more time and an alternate location. We were already relocated from Sabzarar under similar pretexts.” Kahna Police Sub-Inspector Saeed said they had been officially assigned to provide security to the bulldozers and TMO staff.
He claimed that the residents had been warned to vacate the area a few weeks ago. Residents, however, deny that they had been issued any official notice other than the one-day warning. “They are lying…if we had received the notice a week ago we would have surely made alternate arrangements,” Pardesi said. Usman Liaqat, revenue officer of Nishtar Town, said he was not aware of the status of the residents, adding that he had only carried out the instructions of the Model Town AC.
Model Town Assistant Commissioner Irfan Memon said the operation was conducted to clear the Rohi Nullah of illegal settlements to construct a road from Ferozepur Road to Defence Road to aid traffic to the relocated fruit and sabzi mandi at Katcha Kahna. He said the residents had been informed at least three times last month to relocate but they had not heeded the warning. He said the settlement had no legal status and was situated on irrigation land. He also claimed that 30-40 houses were destroyed by the residents themselves.
He said that there was no resettlement plan for the residents since it was an illegal settlement, however, he said residents had been asked to file an application for the consideration of the authorities’ concerned. He said further that the Christians had also agreed to demolish the church themselves.

Mentally-ill Christian charged with 'blasphemy' in Sahiwal

Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law has again claimed another victim, this time in Chichawatni under Sahiwal district where a mentally ill Christian youth 25-year-old Babar Masih; son of Iqbal Masih a resident of Shakir Colony.

Clerics gathered an angry mob outside the Masih family's residence and demanded he be handed over to them for justice, a case was filed against Babar on May 2nd 2011 at the local police station. The mobs threatened to attack and force their way into the house of the alleged blasphemer. Police then from another entrance to the house took him into a police van.
As soon as someone from the mob noticed all the policemen moving towards the road they then realized that Babar was out of the house; the mob chased the vehicle shouting slogans and demanding Babar to be handed over to them.

Seizing the opportunity, the rest of the Masih family ran for their lives as they know the mob would soon come back to vent their anger. The Masih family is now in hiding. Three families related to Babar have fled their homes to save their lives; they are also the only Christians in the neighborhood. 

Amjad the brother of the accused said that many neighbours had informed him that local clerics had forced and pressured many people to provide false testimonies to the police to build up a case in order to register an FIR.

Babar is being accused of blasphemous and abusive words (or language) towards the Prophet Mohammed, Babar being a mentally ill person is an easy target for those wanting to fabricate blasphemy law cases.

It is being said that Babar was walking along the side of a mosque and used abusive language and insulted the Prophet and the local cleric is a witness; however the FIR is not registered by any person from the mosque but a dairy farmer named Zeeshan Arain who resides in the same lane as the Masih family.

Christian leaders has tried to reach an agreement with the clerics unsuccessfully who were reluctant to withdraw the case and accept Babar as a mentally ill person.

Sahiwal is a small city in Punjab known for it's dairy farms where the literacy rate is still low: about 30% overall and 51% in the city of Sahiwal. Sahiwal has also given Pakistan Abdus Salam, Pakistan's only Nobel Prize winner who was born in Santokdas, District Sahiwal.

The late Zia-ul-Haq introduced blasphemy laws in Pakistan that till today hang over the minorities as a guillotine framing them with fabricated cases for revenge or personal enmity.

Will Babar be given justice or will be police bow down to Mullahcracy ?

Blasphemy accused Younas Masih killed in Prison

According to a report by Spero News,  Younas Masih, a shop owner in Faisalabad’s Chak Jhumra district, was shot dead yesterday. Two men entered his business to buy cigarettes and shot him in cold blood after an argument broke out over payment.

Another man, also called Younas Masih, died in prison from the injuries he sustained in jail last Thursday at the hands of fellow inmates. He was in prison since 2005 when he was arrested on blasphemy charges. In 2007, he was convicted and sentenced to death. Inside, he had to endure threats by other prisoners.
Following his death, prison authorities denied any responsibility in the incident. By contrast, Fr Mark Lucas, a priest in Faisalabad, blames prison officials for not stopping inmates who threatened him repeatedly and for allowing some of them “to reach him”.
It also appears that Masih was not provided with proper medical care and died from an excess loss of blood on his way to hospital.

Protests & attacks in Gujranwala on Christians

The situation in Punjab's city of Gujranwala has been tense since a month after two Christians; a father and a son were accused under Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law. Christians of Gujranwala praised the Punjab police for controlling mobs and planned attacks guarding the residence of the accused Mushtaq and Farrukh Gill as well as many other Christian properties including the Christian Technical Training College where Mushtaq was a faculty member.

In earlier reports it seemed as if both father and son were arrested in a fabricated case however it was not the case as Police had taken them into protective custody for their own safety. Police and Elite force monitored protests last week where a senior police officer asked the leader of the 100 gathered to step forward and immediately the protests dispersed. Since then those behind framing Mushtaq and Farrukh have been planning to carry out attacks and protests with warnings and threats to Christians of Gulzar Colony and other areas forcing many Christian families to move to their relatives or other safer locations outside Gujranwala.

What seemed to be a controlled situation soon took a twist with Reverend Issac being wanted in questioning and involved in the case also. Clerics and supporters demanded the arrest of Rev. Issac who went into hiding, and then escaped Police custody as reported by many individuals. There are many reports about Rev. Issac and it is still unclear why he is being dragged into this.

A Christian, Tariq Masih said "Rev. Issac is a prominent figure in his neighbourhood and is accompanied by armed bodyguards and many muslim neighbours either fear or feel inferior to him. First master Mushtaq and now Issac, the case is not of blasphemy anymore, these clerics want some damage done to the Christian community and no matter what they want to cause harm, fear and declare they are dominating"

It is being said many Christians are planning to move out of their properites and have considered selling them and shifting to safer locations.

 The Blasphemy law was introduced by the late Zia-Ul-Haq and since then it has been a noose waiting to lynch some innocent citizen of Pakistan, Muslims and Christians have been subjected to false accusations and baseless evidences or witnesses can file an FIR to arrest any individual for personal gain or enimity.

 Clerics gathered people yesterday and brainwashed them with false information and ordered them to attack Christians in Gujranwala. They damaged the windows of Christian Technical Training College and also tried to unsuccessfully burn the Christian seminary and Church heavy managing to hurl stones at windows, there was reported firing going on in the Christian colony. Protestors also clashed with police on Sialkot road.

10 people have been injured so far that includes some policemen and Christians,
25 arrests have been made, crowds were shot at by police to disperse them. It is being said if the situation goes out of control then Punjab rangers will impose a curfew.

A protest was announced the night before but then cancelled; however burnt pages of the Quran were found in a graveyard next morning at 7 am and they are trying to frame Rev. Issac for it, no matter what- they want Issac to be arrested.
His property too has been attacked at 8 am.

 A banner was hung on Katcha Fatomabad chowk that said :

In Aziz Colony Gujranwala, We strongly condemn the ghastly incident of Burning Quran and blasphemy against Prophet by these Christians, Sons of Bitches

A Christian on Facebook answered a discussion thread with this Bible verse:

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2- Timothy 3:1

لیکِن یہ جان رکھ کہ اخِیر زمانہ میں بُرے دِن آئیں گے۔ ۲۔ تِیمُتھیُس 3 : 1

Those of you who do not know how Farrukh was arrested and what was the evidence based upon, a child went to a local mosque and handed a letter from an unknown person; the letter read "Farrukh Gill has burnt a Quran"

Is that evidence ? You be the judge.

Blasphemy case fabricated against father & son in Gujranwala [Mushtaq & Farrukh Gill]

Farrukh Mushtaq Gill and his father Mushtaq Gill, have been arrested for blasphemy friday evening from their residence in Gujaranwala. Farrukh is being charged with burning a Quran.
The father of the accused Mushtaq Gill, is an Elder of Presbyterian Church and a teacher at the Christian Technical Training Center in Guranjawala. Farrukh is employed at National Bank of Pakistan. This incident reports back to 2-3 months ago when someone charged Farrukh with desecrating the Quran however the Police did not proceed with the case.
Yesterday in a preplanned move a mob consisting of several clerics and locals pressured the police to arrest both the father and the son, seeing the present situation the police had no other option but to arrest the two men to control and please the mob, Police then assigned several officers in front of Gill's residence and on the roof-top as well to avoid any attacks. Christians residing in Gulzar Colony had moved to their relatives or friends houses in fear of being targeted by angry mobs. One of the residents said "This must be the lamest excuse in Pakistan that a Christian has burnt a Quran, the lawmakers and everyone else too knows it's a fabricated case and no Christian in Pakistan would do this but officials are either bribed or threatened by clerics backed by extremists"

Farrukh Gill was instructed by Church officials in the last incident to resign and search for another job as it could be possible someone was discriminating and targeting him as he was the only Christian employed there. Farrukh reported he has no enmity with anyone but many colleagues were not in favour of a Christian in their midst. However Farrukh had thought the problem was now over.
Yesterday rumors arose of an attack at Christian technical training center but the situation has been calm in the city since yesterday and all reports of attacks have been dismissed as false. Apparently it is claimed some mosques announced the incident and gathered more people however a few Christians claim they heard no such announcements in the area that they reside. Friday is an important prayer for Muslims and it is then that they have the most number of attendees.

The reason behind the false charges against Farrukh are still unknown and whether he is being framed due to discrimination or professional jealousy is unclear, however there seems to be no other motive at present.

Recently the blasphemy cases against Christians are on the rise with Arif Masih of a village near Chak Jhumra, Faisalabad being arrested last week in a fabricated case for property. Most are accused under the controversial blasphemy law of Pakistan for which Christians and many Muslims have protested against, Salman Taseer the outspoken brave Governor of Punjab was assassinated a few months ago over his support of the release of Aasia Bibi an accused of the Blasphemy case. Following Taseer was the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian who held the position of Minorities minister and was in support of repealing the Blasphemy law. The 295-c law has many Christians as well as muslims arrested under false cases for personal grudges or enmity and even professional jealously, usually there is no procedural inquiry and without lack of evidence and statements of a few clerics or persons an FIR is registered.

In 2010 the Rashid brothers from Faisalabad, the country's third-largest city were released without lack of evidence by the court. Both brothers had been charged under the blasphemy law for distributing anti-Islam material, Rashid and Sajid Emmanuel were both shot by unknown assailants outside courtroom. The hatred in Pakistan has gradually increased against Christians due to the ignorant actions of Florida's Pastor Terry Jones who burned the Quran and planned the 'Burn a Koran day", Several Church officials had condemned his un-Christian actions and demanded his removal by the Church of America.