Persecution In Pakistan

A History of Violence

It all started with the promise of what seemed to be an innocent shopping trip with a friend. But when the 12-year-old Christian girl traveled into the town of Lahore with her friend one day last January, she had no idea that everything in her world was about to go terribly wrong.

She was kidnapped by the friend’s uncle and driven more than 120 miles away, where she was subsequently raped and forced to sign papers consenting to marriage to the man. And when she refused to give in to his demands that she convert from Christianity to Islam, she was severely beaten.

The nightmare continued for the next eight months, as the girl was repeatedly raped and beaten until she finally converted. Fortunately, she eventually managed to escape from her abductor and contacted her parents to tell them of her whereabouts.

But the family’s troubles were far from over. When the kidnapping was investigated, it was revealed that, although the girl’s father had reported her missing eight months before, the police had never looked into her disappearance. And when Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, a militant Islamic group, contacted the authorities about the young girl, they produced a marriage certificate claiming that she was married to one of their members — despite the fact that the legal age for marriage in Pakistan is 16. To make matters worse, the authorities suggested to the girl’s family that if the girl was not turned over to her “legal” husband, charges would be filed against them.

This Christian family, which is now in hiding from the militant Islamists who seek to destroy them, is not alone in this horrific dilemma. In fact, there are so many others like them that a little-known truth about the history of rape and violence in Pakistan just may shock you.

The State of Christian Persecution in Pakistan

  • The abduction, forced marriage, and conversion of Christian girls by Muslims has become a disturbing trend in Pakistan; in fact, it is estimated that as many as 700 girls are abused in this manner each year. In most of these cases, the authorities rarely take action and the girls are never returned to their families. If the girls are raped and become pregnant, it is nearly impossible for the courts to release them from their captors.
  • If a girl does manage to leave her Muslim family and attempts to return to Christianity, she is considered an apostate and is liable to be killed, despite the fact that she was forcibly converted.
  • According to Jonathan Racho with International Christian Concern, “Rape has been used as a weapon of persecution against Christian girls in Pakistan, where Christians are treated as third-class citizens. In the Muslim majority country, Christian girls are particularly vulnerable to these types of crimes because Muslim authorities are reluctant to protect them when their rights are being violated by Muslims.”
  • Nazir Bhatti, president of the Pakistan Christian Congress, has stated that over 99.9 percent of rape cases involving Christian women go unreported.

Prayer Points

  • Safety. Christians, including young girls, are constantly at risk of being victimized through the injustice and abuse of Pakistan’s shari’a law, as there is a growing number of incidents involving physical abuse, false imprisonment, and even the murder of minority Christians. Pray for the safety of all believers in this country and that the government will implement stricter laws protecting these persecuted citizens.
  • Greater Outreach. Pray that the cultural boundaries between Christians and Muslims will break down so that more Muslims will be receptive to hearing the Gospel message. Because many Muslims fear the repercussions of conversion and the risk of being labeled an apostate, they are especially hesitant to make a life-changing decision for Christ. Pray that a special network of Muslim converts would strengthen throughout the country to offer spiritual support and discipleship for one other. Pray that the Gospel would reach the more than 350 unevangelized people groups in Pakistan — the ones who are currently living with no Christians, no churches, no missionaries…and no witness for Jesus Christ.
  • Church needs. Fortunately, the church in Pakistan continues to thrive despite increasing persecution and other obstacles. Pray for the growth of strong leadership within the church, as well as the provision of more training resources, educational opportunities, finances, and material support for critical items such as Bibles and other Christian literature.
  • Bible translation. Only seven out of Pakistan’s 70 languages has a New Testament or Bible translation. Pray for the efforts and research of translation teams that are working on additional languages so that the Scriptures can become more widely available.

Make Your Voice Heard

CFI encourages you, and those in your local church, to speak out on behalf of persecuted Pakistani Christians:

  1. United States Congress:
    https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
  2. His Excellency Asif Ali Zardari, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan:
    http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/index.php?lang=en&opc=8
  3. Faquir Syed Asif Hussain, Consulate General of Pakistan
    12 East 65 Street, New York, NY 10065
    Phone: 212-879-5800
    Fax: 212-517-6987
    Email: info@pakistanconsulateny.org

Questions for Further Study

  • What might the growing trend of kidnapping and forced conversion of young Christian girls eventually do to the church in Pakistan?
  • What are some of the ways that the worldwide church can effectively speak out for and spread the word about persecuted Christians in Pakistan through the use of social media (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.)?
  • Study the verses of 1 Corinthians 4:12; Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:14; and Psalm 7:1. What do these Scriptures suggest about how we should view Christian persecution?

Memory Verse

  • “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” Romans 8:35
  • Quote: “The history of Christian Martyrdom is, in fact, the history of Christianity itself; for it is in the arena, at the stake, and in the dungeon that the religion of Christ has won its most glorious triumphs.” Foxe’s Book of Martyrs

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