Who will stop Christian persecution in Islamic Countries?

What most Christians don’t realize is that the “Islamic World” was once the Christian world. Some of the most well-known and influential leaders in the early church hailed from North Africa and the Middle East – like the warring theologians Athanasius and Arius, and the apologist Tertullian.  It was for the library in Alexandria that the preeminent Greek version of the Torah (the “Septuagint”) was commissioned.  Today, St. Augustine would be called a Tunisian, Origen would be Egyptian and the Apostle Paul – who was on the road to Damascus when he encountered Christ – would have told the story of his conversion while heading to “Syria.” It was also in the Syrian city of “Antioch” that Christians were first called “Christians,” and to this day there are as many Christian holy sites in that nation as anywhere else in the world. There is no imaginary persecution; in Syria alone there have been reports of kidnappings, Christian communities intentionally displaced by militants and, worst of all, shootings and beheadings of Christians who refused to convert to Islam. Government of Pakistan is participating in the genocide of Christians through discriminatory laws against Christians i.e. blasphemy law and others. In Egypt radicals have recently destroyed dozens of churches, and the once vibrant Christian population in Iraq has been decimated. Other countries such as Somalia, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Afghanistan etc are busy in destroying Christians and Christianity.  

Christian and Proud

Stop Islamisation of Schools in Pakistan

Muslims live in North America, Europe, Australia and other non-Muslim countries, but never have the education system in these countries ever tried to impose an alien religious subject on their children, nor have the Muslim children ever been brainwashed into believing that their religion is inferior to those of other religions. As a matter of fact all children in non-muslim countries are taught the importance of national unity, patriotism, love for humanity & economic development of their respective countries.

Here in Pakistan, since the last 65 years special emphasis is given to Islamayat (Islamic studies) in all educational institutions from primary to under-graduate level. Diverse subject such as Mathematics, Science, Geography, History and even language subjects such as Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi have Islamic concoction in them. Alternative subjects such as Civics & Ethics are given little or no importance and even in these subjects, 75% teaching of Islam is present. This is well and okay if all the students in Pakistan come from Islamic backgrounds – What happens to children from Christian backgrounds? What alternative subjects are taught to them that do not include Islam? I am afraid the answer to the above two questions is not positively reassuring.

Islamic Studies is taught to Christian children from Kindergarten level and when these children reach the upper primary level, they are reasonably brainwashed by then into believing that Islam is the only superior religion and that their belief in Christ or Christianity is wrong-the Holy Bible unlike the Holy Quran has been amended and due to this fact it is no longer accurate and an inferior religion. Teachers also coax these Christian children (05 years old and above) to renounce Christianity & embrace Islam to redeem themselves from sin and promises of a place in paradise. Our Christian children when at home pose serious & misinterpreted questions to their parents about the activities that took place in their respective school and begin to question their faith creating an atmosphere or uncertainty, alienation & inferiority complex which later in life causes entrenched doubts about their religious convictions and even a switch to Islam, based on the earlier misinterpreted version imparted by their Islamic Studies teachers. It is no secret that these Islamic Studies teachers are in fact aggressively promoting Islam with the tacit approval of their respective educational hierarchy, which is turn are taking their instructions from the Government. Is this approach correct?

Let’s take another example. There was a hue & cry in France about the issue of Muslim female students not allowed to wear the scarf while in School. The Government of France made it amply clear that all students in France must follow rules & regulations and that the dress code did not include religious insignia or restrictions. The point is that Muslim prefers to adhere to their religious values in non-muslim countries but force Islamic value to non-Muslims in their own countries. Why the double standard? Can Pakistani Government justifiably prove that Islam is in fact more superior to other religion? Pakistani print and electronic media always claim that the Holy Quran explicitly forbids Muslims from discriminating against other religions. Why then the unnecessary discrimination? Pakistani Government boast about the rising number of converts to Islam but in reality, other religions are not allowed to flourish, instead other religions are demonized here. Pakistani government never provides a level playing field and usually resorts to unethical & provocative methods to inflict physiological torture on Christians.

Religion can never be forced onto others, we the Christians in Pakistan are guaranteed religious freedom both by the Constitution of Pakistan as well as the United Nations (Pakistan is a veteran member of the United Nations) but this guarantee only exists on paper – the reverse is actually applicable.

To compound problems Islamic studies is taught in the Arabic language – once again an alien and irrelevant language both for Muslim & Christian students alike, whom face extreme difficulty in comprehending this language. Then there are a few schools that teach Civics or Ethics instead of Islamic Studies but it becomes difficult for children whom are studying these particular subjects to successfully pass their examinations. This is another hand twisting methods adopted by the educators into compelling students from opting out of Civics/Ethics in favor of Islamic Studies.

Interestingly enough Christian students, who complete Islamic Studies examinations, are given good grades, even though they may not have made a serious attempt to pass.

Peace Worldwide strongly urges the Government of Pakistan both at Federal & Provincial level to cease teaching Islamic Studies to Christians, instead appoint teachers from Christian background to teach Holy Bible to Christian students. This will improve the unemployment situation for the Christians, create an atmosphere of tolerance & brotherhood and will give Christians a sense of security- sorely missing in Pakistan.

Pakistani Christians applaud the Government into allowing Aga Khan Board to be established; similarly we recommend that a Christian Board too be created to facilitate children from Christian background.
Forcibly eradicating other religious values & beliefs will only create an atmosphere of distrust, contempt, intolerance, discrimination & loss of self-esteem, a situation currently in existence here in Pakistan. Wake up Government of Pakistan before it is too late.

Hector Aleem
Chairman
Peace Worldwide

First Christian Kingdom in Punjab

Among its proudest displays, the Cathedral of Lahore exhibits a small cross in a glass case. Known as the Taxila Cross, it was found in 1935 just outside the ruins of Sirkap, the second city of Taxila, and is commonly believed to signify that Christianity had taken root in the subcontinent shortly after the crucifixion of Christ. The ‘proof’ supporting this theory is a manuscript titled The Acts of St Thomas that was discovered in 1822 in Syria. According to this document, St Thomas having been assigned by Jesus to teach the gospel in India (now it is the part of Pakistan), arrived by boat at the seaside capital of King Gondophares. Working miracles, he successfully converted the king and all his subjects to Christianity.

Now, whenever the Acts was compiled and even in 1822 when it surfaced in Syria, Taxila had not yet been discovered. Only serious historians well-acquainted with the history of Alexander knew that it lay somewhere to the east of the Indus River in Punjab. When the cross was discovered in 1935, Cuthbert King the British deputy commissioner of Rawalpindi (twin city of Islamabad, Pakistan), evidently knew of The Acts of St Thomas and seized upon this find as ‘proof’ of the existence of Christianity in Punjab as early as the 1st century CE. His belief was strengthened by the fact that newly-excavated Sirkap did indeed date back to t

he 1st century. Along with the cross, they also found some coins marked with the cross.

Christian Genocide in Pakistan

Christianity is the largest minority in Pakistan but besides being the largest number of minority, they are also the largest number of persecuted nation in Pakistan. There are lots of examples of Christian persecution since the inception of Pakistan. Today, Pakistani Christians are regularly jailed, persecuted and even sentenced in false blasphemy cases. Pakistani fundamentalists are cutting the necks of Christians like street dogs, raping and abduct Christian girls. Shame on recent parliamentarians like Tahir Khalil Sandhoo and Kamran Michael who are enjoying the ministry with the ruling government, if they care even a little about their nation they should resign immediately and start working for Christians.

The recent case of Shafqat Masih is the worst example of blasphemy cases lodged against Christians because his whole family is in custody of the police and they have been shifted far away from their home city. This is the same case in which Peace Worldwide Chairman, Mr. Hector Aleem was trapped and he spent four years in prison for this offence. No Christian is such fool to send a blasphemous message to any Muslim cleric especially when they know the consequences, also, every Christian parent teaches their children not to involve their selves in any anti Islamic activity.

There are no organizations especially Christian NGOs who are helping these victims of blasphemy instead they depends upon the local NGOs who do nothing but provides false news to the international media, normally all these organizations are the agents of the government of Pakistan who provides news according to the guidance of the Government of Pakistan.

Peace Worldwide condemns the misuse of blasphemy law in Pakistan because it is creating hate and inferiority complex in the minds of Pakistani Christians, the government, the secret agencies and courts are silent when several innocent Christians are facing persecution due to blasphemy law.

Pakistan should stop genocide of Christians of Pakistan. Or else a time will come when Christians of Pakistan will consider Pakistan their enemy and will rebel against it because same concept of two nation theory applies here.

Christians mark beginning of fasting season today

Christians in Pakistan and around the world will observe the beginning of the Lenten season with Ash Wednesday today.

Ash Wednesday is observed as a sign of repentance of the whole community. The ashes are placed on the forehead by the priest with the Sign of the Cross and the words: Remember you are dust, and into dust you shall return.

“Those ashes are last year’s palms from Palm Sunday. They are burnt and ashes are made from them and then blessed,” he said. During Lent Christians are encouraged to fast, pray, give alms and seek repentance for their sins for forty days in order to prepare for Easter.

“The time of Lent is important for us because it gives time to us to change and become closer to God, the priest said. In his message for Lent 2012 on the Vatican website, Pope Benedict XVI states that “in a world which demands of Christians a renewed witness of love and fidelity to the Lord, may all of us feel the urgent need to anticipate one another in charity, service and good works.” Masses will be held in churches across the city at different timings to observe the day. 

Famous Christian Women in History

Proverbs 11:16
A kindhearted woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth. 

It is a fact that women are mostly honest, brave, courageous and hardworking. But Christian women are even more than ordinary women. Christian women worked a lot throughout the history, for humanity and for Christianity. The most blessed, caring and brave woman in the history of mankind is Blessed Mother Mary. We also cannot forget what St Joan of Arc, Mother Teresa and Florence Nightingale did. These women are famous and we know about them. But there are also some other Christian women who worked a lot but only few people know about them. Today is International Womens Day and we salute all those brave Christian women who did a lot for us, there are of course many other Christian women who did great things but we dont know about them.. Here is the list of some of those Christian women with their names and their work.

Christian Women in the Early Church

Blandina died 177 AD She was a famous martyr in what is now France

Perpetua and Felicitas 203 AD

These two women were famous Christian women martyrs. (There were of course many other women martyrs).

Faltonia Betitia Proba 4th Century AD

There were also women writers in the early church. She was a Christian poet.

Fabiola 4th Century AD She was a wealthy woman who gave up everything to nurse the poor.

Christian Women in the Middle Ages

Brigid c. 450-525

She founded the first women's religious community in Ireland.

Clotilde 475-545

Clotilde married Clovis, the king of the Franks who ruled northern France. She was instrumental in converting her husband to Christianity.

Berta or Bertha 539-612

In the 6th century AD England was divided into small kingdoms and the English were pagans. However Berta was from France and she was a Christian. She was married to the king of Kent. It was partly due to her influence that Kent was converted to Christianity.

Hilda of Whitby 614-680

Hilda was an influential woman in the Saxon church who founded several monasteries. In 664 she hosted the Synod of Whitby. (At that time there were two kinds of Christianity, Roman in most of Europe and Celtic in Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The Synod (meeting) of Whitby was held to decide which side the kingdom of Northumbria (northern England) should join. (Hilda much preferred Celtic Christianity but the Synod decided on Rome).

Kassia 810-867 She was a Greek poet and hymn writer

Hildegard 1088-1179

Hildegard was a theologian and writer. She also wrote about natural history and the medicinal use of plants. She also wrote music and a play.

Heloise 1101-1164 She was a French Abbess and she was widely respected for her learning.

The Waldensians 1175 onwards

The Waldensians were a Christian movement that began in southern France and spread across central Europe and Italy in the 13th century. Many Waldensian preachers were women.

Clare of Assisi 1194-1253 A follower of Francis of Assisi she founded an order of nuns called the Poor Clares

Julian of Norwich 1342-1416

Despite the masculine name Julian was a woman. She was a famous mystic and writer. Julian wrote about the 'motherhood' of God.

Margery Kempe 1373-1439

Margery was an English mystic. The story of her life became a famous book The Book of Margery Kempe.

The Lollards c. 1380 onwards

The Lollards were a Christian movement in England from the late 14th century to the early 16th century when they merged with the Protestants. Many Lollard preachers were women.

Christian Women in the 16th Century

Anne Askew 1521-1546 She was an English Protestant martyr

Katharine Zell 1497-1562 Neither Luther or Calvin believed in women preachers. However Katharine was an influential Protestant in Germany. She visited the sick and prisoners and sheltered Protestant refugees. She also wrote letters, which were circulated among Protestants.


Christian Women in the 17th Century

In the 17th century the Baptists and the Quakers had many women preachers. However in the late 17th century the Baptists became more conservative and began to disfavour women preachers.

Anne Hutchinson 1591-1643 Anne was a preacher in 17th century Massachusetts

Anne Bradstreet 1612-1672

Anne Bradstreet was a Christian poet of the 17th Century. She was born in Northampton but in 1630 she emigrated to North America.

Margaret Fell 1614-1702 Co-founded the Quakers with George Fox. One of the books she wrote was called Women's Speaking Justified, Proved and Knowed of the Scriptures.

Christian Women in the 18th Century

In the 18th century when the Methodist movement was born many Methodist leaders were women. John Wesley supported them but after his death in 1791 the Methodists began to disfavour women leaders. In the USA there was a movement called the Separate Baptists, which allowed women preachers.

Anne Dutton 1692-1765 Anne was a theologian

Selina, Countess of Huntingdon 1707-1791 Selina was a key figure in the Methodist Movement of the 18th Century.

Sarah Osborn 1714-1796 Sarah was a Christian leader and writer

Sarah Crosby 1729-1804 Sarah was a famous Methodist preacher

Ann Lee 1736-1784 Ann was a Quaker missionary.

Hannah More 1745-1833 Hannah was a famous writer and philanthropist.

Phyllis Wheatley 1753-1784 Phyllis was a poet

Hannah Adams 1755-1831 Hannah was a famous Christian writer.

Elizabeth Ann Seton 1774-1821 She was a Christian writer

Ann Judson 1789-1826 Ann was a missionary to Burma

Christian Women in the 19th Century

Some people think that Victorian women just stayed at home all day. In reality women were evangelists, preachers, writers and missionaries. They also organised charities.

Phoebe Palmer 1807-1874 Phoebe was a famous evangelist and writer.

Fanny Crosby 1820-1915 Fanny (Frances) was a famous hymn writer of the 19th century.

Anoinette Brown 1825-1921 In 1853 she became the first ordained Congregationalist woman minister

Catherine Booth 1829-1890

Catherine Booth was a preacher. She married William Booth in 1855. (At first William disagreed with the idea of women preachers but he changed his mind after hearing Catherine preach!). Catherine and William founded the Salvation Army in 1865.

Hannah Whitall Smith 1832-1911 Hannah was a writer and evangelist.

Lottie Moon 1840-1912 She was a missionary to China.

Maria Woodworth-Etter 1844-1924 She was a famous evangelist

Mary Slessor 1848-1915 She was a missionary to Africa.

Christian Women in the 20th Century

Evangeline Booth 1865-1950

From 1904 Evangeline was leader of the Salvation Army in the USA. From 1934-39 she was Commander in Chief of the Salvation Army worldwide.

Ida Scudder 1870-1960 She was a medical missionary

Evely Brand 1879-1974 She was a missionary to India

Gladys Aylward 1903-1970 She was a missionary to China

Patricia St John 1919-1993 She was a Christian writer

Esther John 1929-1960 She was a Pakistani Christian nurse and martyr

Eva Burrows 1930- She was an Australian evangelist

Meanwhile a new Christian movement started at the beginning of the 20th Century - Pentecostalism. Many of the preachers in the new movement were women.

Agnes Ozman 1870-1937 She was a Pentecostal evangelist

Aimee Semple McPherson 1890-1944 Is probably the most famous women evangelist of the early 20th century

Two Christian Brothers illegally Charged with Blasphemy in Faisalabad - Pakistan

Mr. Rashid Emmanuel, 32, is a pastor. On the evening of 2 July he received a telephone call from a man who claimed to be from the La Salle School, a prominent Christian educational centre. He asked to meet Mr. Rashid about an urgent matter at Zilla Council chowk (crossroads) in Faisalabad. When Rashid arrived later that evening he saw four persons standing in the dark; before ten uniformed police officers reportedly emerged and arrested him.

He was taken to the Civil Lines Police Station nearby and shown a photocopy of a four-page handwritten pamphlet that criticized Islam and its last prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him). The pamphlet appeared to be signed by Rashid and his younger brother Sajid Emmanuel, and instructed the reader to contact them for further information. It featured their cell phone numbers and national identity card numbers.

The police detained Rashid and released a boy who they had mistakenly thought to be Rashid's brother. The blasphemy complaint was filed by Mr. Mohammad Khurram Shehzad, a printer who reportedly declared that his assistant had seen a man distributing the pamphlets at Lari Adda, the city’s main bus terminus, on 1 July. Based on this information the police filed a First Information Report (FIR), a legal document for case proceeding in the court).

However the blasphemy law was amended in 2004 specifically to avoid its abuse via baseless charges. As details below the blasphemy charge can still be met with the death penalty, yet it often arises amid neighbourhood vendettas. Section 295C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPP) now states that no case of blasphemy can be filed without the investigation of the superintendent of police.

A representative of the Christian community – Mr. Atif Jamil Pagan, the Chief of Pakistan Minorities Democratic Harmony Foundation – contacted the police and was told by the SHO that a sub inspector and an assistant superintendent had been chosen for the investigation; he allegedly acknowledged that they were not complying with section 295C of the PPC because they were under pressure from extremist Muslim groups in the community. The sub inspector, a Mr. Mohammad Hessian, later told Atif that the accused was being detained without evidence against him because the case was a sensitive one.

On 3 July we are told that the police took Rashid to the Anti Terrorist Court (ATC) for police remand, where the case was correctly refused. Religious matters are no longer under the authority of the ATC, as maintained in clause 780 of the Anti Terrorist Act (ATA) 1997. Rashid was taken to a duty magistrate in the Civil Lines jurisdiction, who agreed to his two-day remand in police custody, despite the breach of procedure.

We are told that during this time the sub inspector summoned Atif Pagan to the police station and asked that he produce Rashid’s young brother. For his protection, Pagan arranged for Sajid to be handed to the police in the presence of Bishop Joseph Couetts of Faisalabad. The police then asked the brothers to handwrite each pamphlets three times. On 7 July the writing samples were sent to experts in Lahore, around 200km from Faisalabad, but the experts reportedly replied that they could not work from the photocopied pamphlets.

During this time groups of organized Muslim activists started to rally against the brothers in public: we are told that the loudspeakers from a number of mosques were used illegally to do so, and to incite violence against local Christians (in breach, as noted below, of Section 3 of the Loud Speaker Act 1965). On 7 July a procession in Warispura saw local Muslim residents chanting threatening slogans against Christians; one chant called for the hanging of Rashid and Sajid, and we are informed that the mob attacked a Catholic Church, breaking its windows and doors. On 10 July persons in another procession burnt tires on the streets; a call went up declaring that Christians would not be allowed to live in Warispura. At 1am that night a procession of motorbikes took place, with riders allegedly harassing Christians who were leaving their homes with their belongings. The protestors announced that a meeting would be held at Ghanta Chowk on 11 July, a central gathering place for su ch rallies.

We are told that the police began efforts to address the protestors on the evening of 10 July, and that after a number of meetings it was agreed that the rallies and threats should stop.
However protest gatherings continued on 11 July, and united into a large meeting at noon, at which Muslim leaders from various religious political parties, among them Khatme-e-Nabowat, Jamiat Ulema-ePakistan and Namoos-e-Risalat reportedly reiterated death threats against the brothers, because the government had not sentenced them to death. We are told that among the speakers were Sahibzada Abulkhair Mahumed Zubair and Syed Hidayat Hussain Shah, who are known for inciting violence in the area. At the meeting it was announced that a set of gallows had been set up at the tower of Ghanta Ghar (in the centre of Faisalabad), in preparation for the hanging of blasphemous Christians.

We are told that the brothers remain in detention at the police station without adequate protection against mob violence. There are strong fears that they could be attacked. The men have reported that co-detainees are also threatening them. Immediate action must be taken to remove them from danger, provide strong state protection, take up their case according to the laws and procedures of the country, and quell the rising tide of violence against the Christian community.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Almost a year ago six Christians, two of them women, were set alight and burned to death under similar circumstances just 50km away in Korian village, Tehsil Gojra, as reported in urgent appeal: A human rights activist faces terrorism charges for publicising the murder of Christians, while the mullahs who encouraged the violence remain free and mentioned again in:Newspaper advertisements call for the murder of a human rights lawyer in Punjab; police silently spectate. Houses were also set on fire. The Christian community in Wasapura is extremely concerned that a similar attack could be planned around the anniversary of the Gojra violence, on 31 July. With such incidents already proven to be possible, it is imperative that these concerns are acted on, and the greatest efforts are taken by the administration to protect these Pakistanis from potent ial attack, and reassure them of their security and their rights.

Religious minority groups in Pakistan remain vulnerable due to the continued use and abuse of blasphemy charges, despite section 295C of the PPC. This must be strongly implemented if minorities are to be protected. Police who fail to follow the code and who operate under the directive of extremists in the community must face strong legal action. Charges of blasphemy are still met with the death penalty in Pakistan, and desecrating the Quran carries a life sentence.

The AHRC is also aware of several recent cases in which mosques have used loud speakers to provoke anger against religious minorities. Section 3 of Loud Speaker Act 1965 bans all types of speeches other than Azan (the call to prayer) and the Friday sermon in Arabic. Charges must be taken against those who allow the mosques to be used illegally to incite violence.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write letters to the authorities to remind them of their immediate responsibility to protect a threatened population of Christians in Faisalabad, Punjab province, and to urge immediate legal action against those inciting violence against them.