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Updated 2/1/2012 10:47 PM GMT
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Pakistan
Christian Charged with ‘Blasphemy’ in Pakistan Denied Bail    Published in 2012
LAHORE, Pakistan, January 30 (CDN) — A judge has denied bail to a young Christian man charged with desecrating the Quran under Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws despite the lack of evidence against him, sources said.   Police in Shahdara, near Lahore, had arrested ....
Pregnant Woman Beaten in Pakistani Jail Granted Bail    Published in 2011
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, December 30 (CDN) — A judge this month granted bail to a Christian woman falsely charged with theft in Abbottabad after police failed to produce evidence incriminating her, she said. Salma Emmanuel, 30, was freed on bail on Dec. 8. She and her husband were severely ....
Christian in Pakistan Charged with ‘Blasphemy’ after Argument    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, December 26 (CDN) — A young man has been charged with desecrating the Quran under Pakistan’s controversial “blasphemy” laws after the Christian had an argument over rent with his Muslim landlord, his attorneys said. Police in Shahdara Town, near Lahore, arrested ....
Family of Convert in Pakistan Seeks to Track Him Down    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, December 8 (CDN) — When Malik Pauloos of Bhakkar district, Punjab Province finally decided to trust a close relative with the secret that he had left Islam for Christianity, there was no question in his relative’s mind that Pauloos’ relationship with the family was ....
Muslims in Pakistan Beat, Shoot at Christians in Land Grab    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, December 1 (CDN) — In an attempted land-grab in southern Punjab Province, police and cohorts of a retired military official beat two Christian women and shot at Christians who came to help them on Friday (Nov. 25), area Christians told Compass. About eight police ....
Police in Pakistan Beat Pregnant Christian, Husband for 3 Days    Published in 2011
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, November 29 (CDN) — A Christian couple is facing false charges of theft after police in Abbottabad severely beat the pregnant woman and her husband for three days when they refused to confess, they told Compass.   Salma Emmanuel was taken to a hospital in ....
Evangelist Shot Dead in Pakistan    Published in 2011
KARACHI, Pakistan, November 18 (CDN) — An evangelist was shot dead here on Wednesday (Nov. 16) by an unidentified gunman in what his family believes was a radical Muslim group’s targeting of a Christian. Zahid Jameel, 25, told Compass that his father, Jameel Saawan, and a helper were ....
Pakistani Mother Condemned for ‘Blasphemy’ Allegedly Beaten    Published in 2011
SHEIKHUPURA, Pakistan, October 20 (CDN) — A female prison officer assigned to provide security for a Christian mother of five who was sentenced to death on “blasphemy” charges beat her earlier this month, sources said.   Sources in Pakistan’s Sheikhupura District Jail said Asia ....
Pakistani Muslims Fire on Christians in Land-Grab, Killing One    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, October 7 (CDN) — Muslims in Pakistan’s Mian Channu area in southern Punjab Province shot dead an unarmed Christian man and injured 21 others, six of them critically, in an attempted land-grab on Wednesday (Oct. 5). Residents of the area told Compass by phone that ....
Progress in Pakistani Rape Case, but Alleged Victim’s Father Dies    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, October 4 (CDN) — A Christian mother of five who was allegedly raped by two Muslims rejoiced after police in Pakistan’s Kasur district arrested a suspect and suspended an officer who had dismissed her complaints, but her solace was short-lived when her father ....
Christian Girl, Family in Pakistan Expelled over Misspelling    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, September 28 (CDN) — An eighth-grade student in Pakistan has been expelled from school and her family forced to relocate after the Christian girl misspelled an Urdu word, leading to accusations of “blasphemy,” sources said. In the garrison city of Abbottabad, ....
Christian Mother of Five in Pakistan Alleges Rape    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, September 21 (CDN) — A Christian mother of five was allegedly raped by two Muslim men last week, and area Islamists are threatening to harm her family if charges against the suspects are not dropped, the woman and her husband told Compass.   On Thursday (Sept. ....
Christian Nurse in Pakistan Boldly Opts to Report Videotaped Rape    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, September 8 (CDN) — A Christian nurse here filed a police report on Saturday (Sept. 3) alleging she was raped by a Muslim colleague who filmed the act in an attempt to blackmail her into renouncing her faith and marrying him, she and hospital sources told Compass. ....
Two Pakistani Christians Seriously Injured for Refusing Islam    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, August 31 (CDN) — Two Christian men were seriously injured by young Muslim men this month in Karachi when they refused to convert to Islam, a family member told Compass. Liaqat Munawar, a resident of Essa Nagri in Karachi, told Compass by telephone that his brother, ....
Many of Pakistan’s Christian Flood Victims Still Homeless    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, August 9 (CDN) — Many Christians living in the southern belt of Pakistan’s Punjab Province who lost their houses in last year’s floods remain homeless despite a plan by the Punjab government to allocate land to residents in the area, area Christians said.   ....
Christian Accused of ‘Blasphemy’ in Pakistan Granted Rare Bail    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, August 4 (CDN) — In a rare move in Pakistan, a lower court in Punjab Province on Tuesday (Aug. 2) released on bail a young Christian man accused of blaspheming Islam.   The Magisterial Court of Chichawatni, Sahiwal district, granted bail to Babar Masih, who ....
Pakistani Muslims Convicted for Beating Christian to Death    Published in 2011
LOS ANGELES, July 22 (CDN) — Three Muslims convicted of killing a Christian in Pakistan’s Punjab Province for refusing to convert to Islam last year have been given life sentences, according to attorneys for the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) in Pakistan.   ....
Pakistan’s Christian Sanitation Workers Swept into Societal Gutter    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, July 7 (CDN) — The often unseen or unrecognized abuses suffered by Christians at Pakistan’s lowest level of society – street sweepers – have come into sharp focus this year. While one Christian sanitation worker in Lahore has been suspended and criminal charges ....
Pakistani Families Flee after Another Bogus ‘Blasphemy’ Charge    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, June 15 (CDN) — At least 10 Christian families in a village in Pakistan’s Punjab Province have fled their homes after a throng of area Muslims accused a Christian of blaspheming Islam on Friday (June 10).   Yousaf Masih of village No. 68 AR Farmwala, in ....
Police in Pakistan Torture Sister of Christian Who Eloped    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, June 13 (CDN) — Sheikhupura police this month tortured a young Christian woman into revealing the whereabouts of the legal team helping her family after an influential Muslim family kidnapped her and her sister, sources said.   Police also helped the Muslim ....
Police Reluctant to Prosecute Attack on Pakistan Church    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, June 1 (CDN) — Armed Muslims disrupted the worship service of a church outside Lahore on Sunday (May 29), cursing the congregation, smashing a glass altar and desecrating Bibles and a cross, Christian leaders said.  Police initially tried to protect the ....
Pakistani Muslims Kidnap Christian Girl over Brother’s ‘Affair’    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, May 19 (CDN) — An influential Muslim family in a village near Sheikhupura is holding a 17-year-old Christian girl hostage because one of her brothers allegedly eloped with a woman from the Muslim family. The Muslim parents have threatened further retaliation ....
Pakistan’s ‘Blasphemy’ Laws Pose Growing Threat    Published in 2011
ISTANBUL, May 13 (CDN) — Pakistan’s notorious “blasphemy” laws can put even children at risk, and Christians say the days when they could teach their offspring pat answers to protect them from accusations of disparaging Islam or its prophet seem to have passed. A ....
Mentally Ill Christian Charged with 'Blasphemy' in Pakistan    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, May 6 (CDN) — Police in Chichawatni, Sahiwal district have charged a mentally ill Christian with “injuring religious feelings” under Pakistan’s widely condemned blasphemy laws. Three families related to 25-year-old Babar Masih – the only other Christian families ....
Rioting Muslims Damage Church, Properties in Pakistan    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, May 2 (CDN) — Hundreds of Muslims in Gujranwala on Saturday (April 30) attacked Christians’ homes, a school and a Presbyterian church building after learning that police had released two Christians accused of “blasphemy” – amid reports of another alleged ....
Detained Pakistani Christian Released – But Two Others Held    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, April 18 (CDN) — A Christian illegally detained in Faisalabad on false blasphemy charges was freed last night, while two other Christians in Gujranwala arrested on similar charges on Friday (April 15) were also released – until pressure from irate mullahs led police ....
Pakistani Christian Falsely Accused of ‘Blasphemy’ Illegally Detained    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, April 15 (CDN) — Police in Punjab Province, Pakistan have illegally detained a Christian on a “blasphemy” accusation, even though one officer said he was certain an area Muslim falsely accused 40-year-old Arif Masih because of a property dispute. On April 5 Shahid ....
Two Christians Slain in Attack Outside Church in Pakistan    Published in 2011
KARACHI, Pakistan, March 22 (CDN) — Two Christians were gunned down and two others are in a serious condition with bullet wounds after Muslim youths attacked them outside a church building in Hyderabad last night, witnesses said.   Residents of Hurr Camp, a colony of ....
Pakistani Christian Sentenced for ‘Blasphemy’ Dies in Prison    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, March 15 (CDN) — A Christian serving a life sentence in Karachi Central Jail on accusations that he had sent text messages blaspheming the prophet of Islam died today amid suspicions that he was murdered.   Qamar David’s life had been threatened since he and ....
Christian Woman Freed from Muslim Kidnappers in Pakistan    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, March 11 (CDN) — A Christian mother of seven here who last August was kidnapped, raped, sold into marriage and threatened with death if she did not convert to Islam was freed this week.   After she refused to convert and accept the marriage, human ....
Pakistani Officials Back Muslim Land-Grabbers, Christians Say    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, March 9 (CDN) — Christians in south Punjab Province are accusing senior district officials of supporting local Muslims who allegedly demolished 150 Christian graves and desecrated holy relics – and are now threatening Christians seeking legal redress.   In ....
Suspected Islamists Kill Pakistan’s Christian Cabinet Member    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, March 2 (CDN) — Unidentified gunmen in Islamabad today shot dead Federal Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s only cabinet-level Christian and an outspoken critic of the country’s widely condemned “blasphemy” laws. Suspected Islamic extremists ....
Pakistani Christian Killed by Muslim Employer, Relatives Say    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, February 16 (CDN) — The Christian family of 24-year-old Imran Masih in Pakistan’s Punjab Province was in anguish. The previous week, on Feb. 7, Masih was found dead at his Muslim employer’s farmhouse. The employer, influential landowner Chaudhry Maqsood Cheema, ....
Jailed Mother Living in Constant Fear, Husband Says    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, January 19 (CDN) — A mother of five sentenced to death on “blasphemy” charges has lived in constant fear since the killing of Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer, her husband told Compass as he came out of Sheikhupura District Jail after meeting with her last week.   ....
Pakistani Police Allegedly Make Threats after Murdering Christian    Published in 2011
KARACHI, Pakistan, January 18 (CDN) — Pakistani police are threatening the father of an 18-year-old Christian man whom officers raped, killed and threw into a sewer last week, according to area Christians.   Christian residents of Akhter Colony, Karachi who pulled the body of ....
Muslim Villager in Pakistan Allegedly Rapes Sixth Christian Girl    Published in 2011
TARKHANI, Pakistan, January 14 (CDN) — A Muslim who allegedly confessed to sexually assaulting five Christian girls raped a 10-year-old Catholic girl in Punjab Province last month, according to her family. Tarkhani police have charged 25-year-old Muhammad Aftab, also known as Chandu, ....
Pakistani Pastors Fear Retaliation after Police Withdraw Charge    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, January 11 (CDN) — Christian leaders in Punjab Province’s Nankana Sahib district said they were apprehensive after a police inspector’s warning on Friday (Jan. 7) that “they would be responsible for anything that went wrong in the villages” if they continued preaching ....
Compass Direct News’ Top 10 Stories of 2010    Published in 2011
LOS ANGELES, January 7 (CDN) — Pakistan’s blasphemy laws led to the murder of two Christians and a death penalty sentence for a Christian mother of five in 2010, topping Compass’ top 10 news stories. Following this blend of state and societal violence to Christians was a spike in ....
Murder of Governor in Pakistan Darkens ‘Blasphemy’ Case    Published in 2011
LAHORE, Pakistan, January 5 (CDN) — The case of Asia Noreen, the first Christian woman sentenced to death in Pakistan on blasphemy charges, suffered a major setback when her most vocal supporter, the governor of Punjab Province, was gunned down by one of his police bodyguards ....
Pakistani Mother Condemned for ‘Blasphemy’ Stunned, Shattered    Published in 2010
SHEIKHUPURA, Pakistan, November 17 (CDN) — Ashiq Masih, with his stooped posture, frail body and dull yellow eyes, stands in a small compartment in the Sheikhupura District Jail with his three daughters – Sidra, Eesha and Eeshum. The girls are weeping silently.   On the other side of ....
Woman Appeals Death Sentence for ‘Blasphemy’    Published in 2010
LAHORE, Pakistan, November 13 (CDN) — Attorneys for a Christian mother of five sentenced to death by hanging for allegedly speaking ill of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, have filed an appeal of the verdict, they said.   Bowing to pressure from Muslim extremists in Pakistan, ....
After Fatwa, Pastor in Pakistan Beaten with Bricks    Published in 2010
SARGODHA, Pakistan, November 5 (CDN) — Muslim extremists in Islamabad on Monday (Nov. 1) beat with bricks and hockey sticks a Christian clergyman who is the subject of a fatwa demanding his death.   The Rev. Dr. Suleman Nasri Khan, a former fighter in Afghanistan before his ....
Muslim Tortures, Accuses Christian Who Refused Slavery    Published in 2010
SARGODHA, Pakistan, October 29 (CDN) — A Muslim land owner in Pakistan this month subjected a 25-year-old Christian to burns and a series of humiliations, including falsely charging him with having sex with his own niece, because the Christian refused to work for him without pay. Fayaz ....
Pakistani Muslims Beat Elderly Christian Couple Unconscious    Published in 2010
SARGODHA, Pakistan, October 21 (CDN) — An 80-year-old Christian in southern Punjab Province said Muslims beat him and his 75-year-old wife, breaking his arms and legs and her skull, because he refused a prostitute they had offered him. From his hospital bed in Vehari, Emmanuel Masih ....
Muslim Mob Targets Christian, Family in Murder Case    Published in 2010
SHEIKHUPURA, Pakistan, October 11 (CDN) — A young Christian has been jailed for nearly eight months and his family was attacked after a Muslim friend framed him for murder, he said. Yassir Masih, 18, has been locked up at Sheikhupura District Jail since his arrest in late February. In an ....
Muslim Extremists Murder Christian Family    Published in 2010
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, September 30 (CDN) — Islamic extremists killed a Christian lawyer, his wife and their five children in northwestern Pakistan this week for mounting a legal challenge against a Muslim who was charging a Christian exorbitant interest, local sources said.   Police ....
Muslim Mob Attacks Christians in Gujrat, Pakistan    Published in 2010
SARGODHA, Pakistan, September 27 (CDN) — A mob of Muslim extremists on Thursday (Sept. 23) shot at and beat dozens of Christians, including one cleared of “blasphemy” charges, in Punjab Province’s Gujrat district, Christian leaders said. The attack on Tariq Gill, exonerated of charges of ....
Muslims Resume Building on Christian Graveyard in Pakistan    Published in 2010
SARGODHA, Pakistan, September 1 (CDN) — Muslims led by a hard-line cleric on Friday (Aug. 27) resumed building on a Christian cemetery in Mandi Bhawaldin, desecrating more graves in spite of a local government order to halt construction, according to the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance ....
Pakistani Taliban Kills Three Foreign Christian Aid Workers    Published in 2010
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, August 27 (CDN) — Authorities on Wednesday (Aug. 25) recovered the bodies of three Christian relief workers who had been kidnapped and killed by members of the Pakistani Taliban in the flood-ravaged country, area officials said.   Swat District Coordination ....
‘Blasphemy’ Threats Send Pakistani Worker, Couple into Hiding    Published in 2010
BAHAWALNAGAR, Pakistan, August 24 (CDN) — Threats of “blasphemy” charges in two provinces in Pakistan have sent a Christian cleaning worker and a young inter-faith couple into hiding. In separate cases typical of how Pakistan’s blasphemy laws enable the predominantly Sunni Muslim society ....
Rapes of Christian Girls in Pakistan Reflect Hidden Trend    Published in 2010
FAROOQABAD, Pakistan, August 16 (CDN) — The vulnerability of Christian girls to sexual assault in Pakistani society emerged again last month as a Muslim landowner allegedly targeted a 16-year-old and a gang of madrassa (Islamic school) students allegedly abused a 12-year-old in Punjab ....
Pakistani Court Acquits Christian Woman of ‘Blasphemy’    Published in 2010
GUJRANWALA, Pakistan, August 12 (CDN) — Yesterday a court here exonerated a Christian woman of “blasphemy” charges after authorities had pressured her into making a false confession, according to the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS). Rubina Bibi arrived in Lahore ....
Suspected Islamists Shoot Five Christians to Death    Published in 2010
SUKKUR, Pakistan, July 29 (CDN) — A dozen masked men shot five Christians to death as they came out of their church building here on July 15, two months after a banned Islamic extremist group sent church leaders a threatening letter, relatives said.   Pastor Aaron John and ....
Christian Nursing Student Nearly Dies from Assault in Pakistan    Published in 2010
KARACHI, Pakistan, July 26 (CDN) — A Catholic nurse trainee has regained consciousness after a Muslim doctor allegedly raped her and threw her from a hospital’s fourth-floor window this month. The student nurse told media and rights groups that on July 13 several Muslim men, led by ....
Christians Accused of ‘Blasphemy’ Slain in Pakistan    Published in 2010
FAISALABAD, Pakistan, July 19 (CDN) — Today suspected Islamic extremists outside a courthouse here shot dead two Christians accused of “blaspheming” Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.   The gunmen shot the Rev. Rashid Emmanuel, 32, and his 30-year-old brother Sajid Emmanuel, days ....
Christians Narrowly Escape Flying Bullets in Pakistan    Published in 2010
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, July 15 (CDN) — Suspected Islamic extremists fired bullets into the car of a Christian evangelist with impunity last month, while in another Punjab Province town stray gunfire led to two Christians being falsely accused of murder. Following a youth revival in Essa ....
Muslim Mob Kills Wife, Children of Christian in Pakistan    Published in 2010
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 8 (CDN) — A Muslim mob in Jhelum, Pakistan murdered the wife and four children of a Christian last month, but local authorities are too afraid of the local Muslim leader to file charges, according to area Muslim and Christian sources. Jamshed Masih, a police ....
‘Blasphemy Laws’ Used to Jail Elderly Christian in Pakistan    Published in 2010
FAISALABAD, Pakistan, June 29 (CDN) — A Muslim vying with a Christian for a parcel of land here has accused the elderly man of “blaspheming” Islam’s prophet Muhammad, which is punishable by death or life imprisonment, according to the Christian Lawyers’ Foundation (CLF).   ....
Christian Professor in Pakistan Beaten for Refusing to Convert    Published in 2010
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, June 25 (CDN) — Muslim students attacked a Christian professor at Peshawar University College this month after he refused their demand to convert to Islam, the instructor told Compass. Psychology professor Samuel John, a father of four who has been teaching at the ....
Christian Child Abducted, Forced into Bonded Labor in Pakistan    Published in 2010
WAZIRABAD, Pakistan, June 21 (CDN) — An 11-year-old Christian boy here is growing weak and ill from malnutrition from working in slave-like conditions for a Muslim landowner who kidnapped him and is forcing him to work off his family’s debts, his mother told Compass.   ....
Muslims in Pakistan Kidnap, Rape Christian Girl    Published in 2010
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, June 16 (CDN) — Five Muslims here kidnapped and raped a Christian girl after threatening to kill her unless her father allowed one of them to marry her.   Lazarus Masih said one of his three daughters, 14, was kidnapped on May 29 by five men identified only ....
Christian Woman in Pakistan Threatened, Forced to Resign    Published in 2010
SARGODHA, Pakistan, June 10 (CDN) — A Christian woman here said she has been falsely accused of theft, beaten, threatened with rape and forced to resign her job in a bid to keep her from obtaining full benefits as a regular government employee. Razia Bibi, a 38-year-old sanitation ....
Muslims Order Christians to Leave Village    Published in 2010
KHANEWAL, Pakistan, June 7 (CDN) — The head of a Muslim village last week ordered 250 Christian families to leave their homes in Khanewal district, Punjab Province, local residents said. Abdul Sattar Khan, head of village No. 123/10R, Katcha Khoh, and other area Muslim residents ....
Muslim Boys in Pakistan Accused of Raping Christian Girl    Published in 2010
LAHORE, Pakistan, June 3 (CDN) — Forensic DNA results of semen samples in a sexual assault case show they match those of the Muslim boys a 14-year-old Christian girl accuses of raping her, according to advocacy organizations. The girl accuses Muhammad Noman and Muhammad Imran, ....
Christian Woman Kidnapped in Pakistan Escapes    Published in 2010
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, May 31 (CDN) — A Christian woman who was kidnapped, forced to marry a Muslim farmer and told to convert to Islam amid a dispute over a loan said today she has returned home after weeks of  “captivity and torture.” Sania James, 33, was kidnapped April 5 by ....
Islamists Keep Two Newlywed Couples from Home    Published in 2010
KARACHI, Pakistan, May 27 (CDN) — Islamists armed with pistols and rifles waited for two Christian couples to return to their rented home this week, seeking to kill them after the newlyweds complained to police that the radical Muslims had falsely accused them of desecrating the ....
Allegedly Raped Girl, Family Forced to Flee Town    Published in 2010
GUJRANWALA, Pakistan, May 25 (CDN) — A Christian who accused a Muslim of raping his 12-year-old daughter has fled his town in Punjab Province with his family following death threats and police pressure to drop the case. Citing “continuous threats” to take his life, Zafar Masih left ....
Muslim Teachers in Pakistan Allegedly Abuse Christian Students    Published in 2010
SARGODHA, Pakistan, May 19 (CDN) — Muslim teachers at a girls school here have derided Christian students for their faith, beat them, pressured them to convert to Islam and forced them to clean school bathrooms and classrooms after class hours, according to area Christians. Muslim ....
Christian Forced to Sell Kidney to Pay Debt to Boss in Pakistan    Published in 2010
LAHORE, Pakistan, May 14 (CDN) — A low-wage Pakistani Christian said his Muslim employer last week forced him to sell his kidney in an effort to pay off a loan his boss made at exorbitant interest rates charged only to non-Muslims.   John Gill, a molding machine operator at ....
Pakistani Christians’ Employer Has Them Illegally Arrested    Published in 2010
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 12 (CDN) — Police illegally detained three Christians on false charges of alcohol possession in Sialkot last week at the request of their Muslim employer. The men – garment factory workers Atif Masih, Kamran Masih and Naveed Gill – said they had objected to ....
Pakistani Muslims Abduct Young Christian Woman, Family Says    Published in 2010
LAHORE, Pakistan, May 6 (CDN) — Muslims who kidnapped and forcibly converted an 18-year-old Christian woman to Islam severely beat her mother on two occasions to discourage her from trying to recover her daughter, lawyers said. Muhammad Akhter and Muhammad Munir on April 25 broke ....
Pakistani Authorities Allegedly Torture Christian Girl, Family    Published in 2010
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 29 (CDN) — Local authorities on Monday (April 26) recovered a 14-year-old Christian girl from Pakistan Air Force (PAF) police who allegedly tortured her and her family for five days here as Christian “soft targets” over false theft allegations, sources said. ....
Muslims Severely Beat, Sodomize Christian Barber    Published in 2010
SARGODHA, Pakistan, April 28 (CDN) — A Christian barber in this Punjab Province city is still recovering from broken bones and other injuries sustained earlier this month after eight Muslims allegedly beat and sodomized him for cutting the beard of a Muslim. Marwat Masih, 29, ....
Pakistani Brothers Threaten Family of Catholic Who Wed Muslim    Published in 2010
SARGODHA, Pakistan, April 19 (CDN) — Family members of a Muslim woman who married a Roman Catholic here have threatened to kidnap the groom’s mother and sister and kill the newlyweds and other relatives, the Christian family members said. Muslims have heavily bribed police to allow ....
Young Christian Woman Allegedly Abducted in Pakistan    Published in 2010
LAHORE, Pakistan, April 13 (CDN) — A Muslim tricked a 19-year-old Christian woman into leaving her house here on April 1, and he and a car full of friends took her away, according to her family. Sonia Mohan’s family said they fear the Muslim, Ali Raza, will force her to convert to ....
False Charges Filed against 47 Christians    Published in 2010
VEHARI, Pakistan, April 8 (CDN) — Police here filed false charges of alcohol possession against 47 Christians, including women and children, on March 28 in an attempt to intimidate them into paying a bribe, Christian leaders said.   Police broke into and ransacked the home of ....
Pakistani Muslim Prohibits Burial in Christian Graveyard    Published in 2010
GUJRANWALA, Pakistan, April 1 (CDN) — A Muslim land owner who effectively seized a Christian graveyard here refused to allow the burial of a young Christian at the site on Sunday (March 28). Christians in Noshera Virkan, Gujranwala, have only one graveyard measuring little more than ....
Christian Woman Jailed under Pakistan’s ‘Blasphemy’ Laws    Published in 2010
GUJRANWALA, Pakistan, March 24 (CDN) — Police in Alipur have arrested a Christian woman on a baseless accusation of “blaspheming” the prophet of Islam and tried to keep rights groups from discovering the detention, a Christian leader said.   Alipur police in Punjab Province denied ....
Muslims Murder Pakistani Christian with Axe Blows    Published in 2010
MIAN CHANNU, Pakistan, March 22 (CDN) — Six Muslims in Khanewal district, southern Punjab Province, killed a Christian with multiple axe blows for refusing to convert to Islam this month, according to family and police sources.   The six men had threatened to kill 36-year-old ....
Pakistani Muslims Accused of Rape Allegedly Attack Sisters    Published in 2010
LAHORE, Pakistan, March 18 (CDN) — Five Muslims allegedly ransacked the house of an impoverished Christian in this capital city of Punjab Province last month and angrily beat his daughters in an effort to get the family to withdraw rape charges.   Muhammad Sajjid wielding ....
Pakistan’s ‘Blasphemy’ Laws Claim Three More Christians    Published in 2010
KARACHI, Pakistan, March 10 (CDN) — A Christian couple was sentenced to 25 years in prison for violating Pakistan’s widely condemned “blasphemy” laws last week, and another Christian convicted without basis under the same statutes the previous week received the same sentence. In ....
Islamic Gunmen Kill Christian Aid Workers in Pakistan    Published in 2010
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 10 (CDN) — Suspected Islamic militants armed with guns and grenades stormed the offices of a Christian relief and development organization in northwest Pakistan today, killing six aid workers and wounding seven others.   The gunmen besieged the offices ....
Unnamed Christians Accused after Muslim Attack in Pakistan    Published in 2010
KARACHI, Pakistan, February 26 (CDN) — In the wake of an attack this week by 150 armed Muslims on a Christian colony in this city in Sindh Province, police have filed a false First Information Report (FIR) against 40 unnamed Christians and arrested five, Christian leaders said. ....
Pakistani Christian Beaten for Refusing to Convert to Islam    Published in 2010
KALLUR KOT, Pakistan, February 22 (CDN) — The four older Muslim brothers of a 26-year-old Christian beat him unconscious here earlier this month because he refused their enticements to convert to Islam, the victim told Compass.   Riaz Masih, whose Christian parents died when he was ....
Violent Death of Girl in Pakistan Spurs Push for Justice    Published in 2010
LAHORE, Pakistan, January 28 (CDN) — A daring protest and a high-profile funeral here on Monday (Jan. 25) for a 12-year-old Christian girl who died from torture and malnourishment has cast a rare spotlight on abuse of the Christian poor in Pakistan. In an uncommon challenge in the ....
Pakistani Christian Sentenced to Life under ‘Blasphemy’ Law    Published in 2010
FAISALABAD, Pakistan, January 22 (CDN) — A young Christian shopkeeper was sentenced to a life term in prison and fined more than $1,000 last week following a dubious conviction of desecrating the Quran, according to Pakistan’s National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP). Peter Jacob, ....
Two Christians Critically Wounded at Wedding in Pakistan    Published in 2010
TOBA TEK SINGH, Pakistan, January 14 (CDN) — Two Pakistani Christians who were shot at a wedding on Dec. 26 for refusing to convert to Islam are still receiving treatment at a hospital intensive care unit, but doctors are hopeful that they will recover. In low, barely audible voices, Imran ....
Muslim Mob in Pakistan Wounds Christian Family    Published in 2010
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, January 4 (CDN) — Infuriated by an alleged anti-Islamic comment by a mentally ill man, more than a dozen Muslims attacked his Christian family here last week, beating his 20-year-old sister unconscious and breaking her leg.   The woman’s father, Aleem Mansoor, ....
Accused Pakistani Christian Says Muslims Tried to Coerce Him    Published in 2009
LAHORE, Pakistan, December 29 (CDN) — A Pakistani Christian accused of killing a Muslim during the Aug. 1 Islamist attack on Christians in Gojra said he was arrested and tortured only because he was a key witness of the mob assault that left at least seven Christians burned to death. ....
Pakistani Muslims Gun Down Christian Friend    Published in 2009
MUREEDKAY, Pakistan, December 21 (CDN) — A group of Muslims shot their Christian friend dead this month on the outskirts of this town after saying they would spare his life only if he recanted his faith, according to the young man’s father. The friends of Patras Masih, who died from ....
Christians Accused of Desecrating Quran Freed    Published in 2009
LAHORE, Pakistan, December 16 (CDN) — A Christian in Faisalabad district and his 20-year-old daughter were released on Monday (Dec. 14) after 14 grueling months in jail on false charges of blaspheming the Quran.   Khalil Tahir, attorney for Gulsher Masih and his daughter Ashyana ....
Pakistani Muslims Allegedly Poison Christian Employees to Death    Published in 2009
GUJRANWALA, Pakistan, December 15 (CDN) — Muslim employers of three Christian sanitation workers at a banquet/wedding hall here allegedly poisoned the three workers yesterday, killing two of them; at press time the third was struggling for life in intensive care. The father of the three ....
Church Screening of ‘Jesus Film’ Attacked in Pakistan    Published in 2009
SARGODHA, Pakistan, December 14 (CDN) — Some 50 Muslim villagers armed with clubs and axes attacked a showing of the “Jesus Film” near this city in Punjab Province on Wednesday night (Dec. 9), injuring three part-time evangelists and four Christians in attendance.   Two of the ....
Pakistani Christian on Run from Taliban Death Threat    Published in 2009
LAHORE, Pakistan, November 27 (CDN) — A young Christian man is in hiding in Pakistan from Taliban militants who seek to kill him for “blasphemy” because he defended his faith. In February Jehanzaib Asher, 22, was working in a barbershop his family jointly owns with his cousin in Wana, ....
Police Torture Christians Arrested in Islamic Attack    Published in 2009
LAHORE, Pakistan, October 23 (CDN) — Two Christians in Gojra, Pakistan who allegedly fired warning shots as an Islamist mob approached that burned seven Christians to death on Aug. 1 told Compass they were tortured after police arrested them.   Only one of hundreds of Muslim ....
Police Shoot Mourners at Funeral of Christian    Published in 2009
LAHORE, Pakistan, September 17 (CDN) — At a funeral for a Christian man allegedly tortured to death while in custody on a spurious charge of blaspheming the Quran, police in Sialkot, Pakistan yesterday fired on mourners trying to move the coffin to another site. Area Christians ....
Christians in Pakistan Fear Further Firestorms    Published in 2009
LAHORE, Pakistan, September 8 (CDN) — In the wake of Islamists setting fires that killed at least seven people in Punjab Province last month, the latest of several attempts to provoke further attacks on Christians took place in a village on Friday (Sept. 4) when unidentified men tore ....
Christians Strive for Justice following Onslaught    Published in 2009
GOJRA, Pakistan, August 5 (CDN) — A standoff here between Pakistani officials and Christians protesting the government’s reluctance to prosecute a murderous Islamic assault ended with officials finally consenting to file a complaint against key Muslim clerics and security ....
Christians Strive for Justice following Onslaught    Published in 2009
August 5 (CDN) — Protestors in Lahore                            (CDI photo)GOJRA, Pakistan, Aug. 5 (Compass Direct News) ....
Christians Burned to Death in Islamist Attacks    Published in 2009
GOJRA, Pakistan, August 1 (CDN) — Islamic extremists today set ablaze more than 50 houses and a church in this town in northeastern Pakistan following an accusation of “blasphemy” of the Quran, leaving at least 14 Christians dead, sources said. The dead include women and ....
Christians Burned to Death in Islamist Attacks    Published in 2009
August 1 (CDN) — Gutted house in Korian village         (CLAAS photo)GOJRA, Pakistan, August 1 (Compass Direct News) – Islamic extremists today set ablaze more than 50 houses and a church in this town in northeastern Pakistan ....
Pakistani Minority Rights Defender Said To Be Victim of Islamists    Published in 2009
LOS ANGELES, July 23 (CDN) — Pakistani minority rights defender Joseph Francis has been unjustly jailed by Islamists and others who oppose his work on behalf of Christians, according to the legal aid organization Francis directs. An Islamist in Punjab Province who said he had ....
Minority Rights Defender Said To Be Victim of Islamists    Published in 2009
July 23 (CDN) — LOS ANGELES, July 23 (Compass Direct News) – Pakistani minority rights defender Joseph Francis has been unjustly jailed by Islamists and others who oppose his work on behalf of Christians, according to the legal aid organization Francis directs. An ....
Islamists Get Minority Rights Leader Jailed in Pakistan    Published in 2009
LAHORE, Pakistan, July 14 (CDN) — Well-known Pakistani minority rights activist Joseph Francis and two others were jailed on Sunday (July 12) for forged documents in connection with false charges of assaulting a woman who visited his office in 2006, their lawyers said. Francis, ....
Islamists Get Minority Rights Leader Jailed    Published in 2009
July 14 (CDN) — LAHORE, Pakistan, July 14 (Compass Direct News) – Well-known Pakistani minority rights activist Joseph Francis and two others were jailed on Sunday (July 12) for forged documents in connection with false charges of assaulting a woman who visited his ....
Muslims Attack 110 Homes of Christians    Published in 2009
July 4 (CDN) — LAHORE, Pakistan, July 3 (Compass Direct News) – After a Muslim beat a Christian field worker for asking him to let him pass on Tuesday (June 30), a cleric in a village near here used a mosque loudspeaker to announce a call to attack Christians that ....
Muslims Attack 110 Homes of Christians in Pakistan    Published in 2009
LAHORE, Pakistan, July 3 (CDN) — After a Muslim beat a Christian field worker for asking him to let him pass on Tuesday (June 30), a cleric in a village near here used a mosque loudspeaker to announce a call to attack Christians that resulted in more than 500 Muslims ransacking and ....
Tortured Pakistani Christian Languishing on False Charges    Published in 2009
LAHORE, Pakistan, June 23 (CDN) — A 37-year-old Christian is languishing in a Sialkot jail after police broke his backbone because his father was preaching Christ, according to a local advocacy group.Arshad Masih had been in a hospital – chained to his bed on false robbery charges – ....
Tortured Christian Languishing on False Charges    Published in 2009
June 23 (CDN) — LAHORE, Pakistan, June 23 (Compass Direct News) – A 37-year-old Christian is languishing in a Sialkot jail after police broke his backbone because his father was preaching Christ, according to a local advocacy group. Arshad Masih had been in a ....
Muslims Attack Pakistani Pastor’s Home, Relatives    Published in 2009
LAHORE, Pakistan, June 12 (CDN) — In a growing culture of violence here, a traffic incident in Punjab Province this month led to Muslim assailants later mounting an attack on the home of a Christian pastor they have increasingly resented for his evangelism and justice ministries. ....
Muslims Attack Pastor’s Home, Relatives    Published in 2009
June 12 (CDN) — LAHORE, Pakistan, June 12 (Compass Direct News) – In a growing culture of violence here, a traffic incident in Punjab Province this month led to Muslim assailants later mounting an attack on the home of a Christian pastor they have increasingly ....
Muslim Forces 12-year-old Girl to Convert, Marry Him    Published in 2009
June 5 (CDN) — LAHORE, Pakistan, June 4 (Compass Direct News) – The Christian mother of a 12-year-old girl in Punjab Province who was kidnapped, coerced into converting to Islam and forcibly married to a 37-year-old Muslim hopes to recover her daughter at a court ....
Pakistani Muslim Forces 12-year-old Girl to Convert, Marry Him    Published in 2009
LAHORE, Pakistan, June 4 (CDN) — The Christian mother of a 12-year-old girl in Punjab Province who was kidnapped, coerced into converting to Islam and forcibly married to a 37-year-old Muslim hopes to recover her daughter at a court hearing next week.  The reaction of ....
Islamic Radicals Storm Pakistani ‘Blasphemy’ Hearing    Published in 2009
ISTANBUL, May 29 (CDN) — Radical Pakistani Muslims in a town outside of Lahore this month overran a courtroom in hopes of swaying a judge in a “blasphemy” case against a Christian couple, and a member of the prosecution later threatened to kill the wife. Some 50 molvis ....
Islamic Radicals Storm ‘Blasphemy’ Hearing    Published in 2009
May 29 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, May 29 (Compass Direct News) – Radical Pakistani Muslims in a town outside of Lahore this month overran a courtroom in hopes of swaying a judge in a “blasphemy” case against a Christian couple, and a member of the prosecution later ....
Pastors in Pakistan Arrested for Use of Loudspeakers    Published in 2009
ISTANBUL, May 27 (CDN) — Nine pastors from two neighboring villages in Pakistan could face prison time for using loudspeakers to broadcast prayers and sermons from their churches on Easter Sunday. Martinpur and Youngsnabad, 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of Lahore, are ....
Pastors Arrested for Use of Loudspeakers    Published in 2009
May 27 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, May 27 (Compass Direct News) – Nine pastors from two neighboring villages in Pakistan could face prison time for using loudspeakers to broadcast prayers and sermons from their churches on Easter Sunday. Martinpur and Youngsnabad, 150 ....
Christians Pressed as Pakistani Military Battles Taliban    Published in 2009
ISTANBUL, May 13 (CDN) — Pakistani Christians in Swat Valley are caught between the Taliban and Pakistan’s military as it assaults the stronghold where sharia (Islamic law) rules. Nearly 15,000 troops have been deployed in the picturesque Swat Valley in Pakistan’s ....
Christians Pressed as Military Battles Taliban    Published in 2009
May 13 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, May 13 (Compass Direct News) – Pakistani Christians in Swat Valley are caught between the Taliban and Pakistan’s military as it assaults the stronghold where sharia (Islamic law) rules. Nearly 15,000 troops have been deployed in the ....
Lawyer Threatens to Kill Christian Charged with ‘Blasphemy’    Published in 2009
May 6 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, May 6 (Compass Direct News) – A Pakistani Christian charged with abetting blasphemy against Islam was denied bail for his own safety last week after an Islamist lawyer allegedly threatened his life in a court hearing. Hector Aleem, 51, ....
Lawyer Threatens to Kill Christian Charged with ‘Blasphemy’    Published in 2009
ISTANBUL, May 5 (CDN) — A Pakistani Christian charged with abetting blasphemy against Islam was denied bail for his own safety last week after an Islamist lawyer allegedly threatened his life in a court hearing. Hector Aleem, 51, remains in Adiyala Jail in Rawalpindi, near ....
Taliban-Inspired Attacks Hit Christians    Published in 2009
April 27 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, April 27 (Compass Direct News) – As Taliban control hits pockets of Pakistan and threatens the nation’s stability, Christians worry their province could be the next to fall under Islamic law. Violence on Tuesday night and Wednesday (April ....
Taliban-Inspired Attacks Hit Christians    Published in 2009
ISTANBUL, April 26 (CDN) — As Taliban control hits pockets of Pakistan and threatens the nation’s stability, Christians worry their province could be the next to fall under Islamic law.  Violence on Tuesday night and Wednesday (April 21-22) near the port city of Karachi ....
Two Christians Acquitted of ‘Blasphemy’    Published in 2009
April 21 (CDN) — Buta Masih and James MasihISTANBUL, April 21 (Compass Direct News) – After more than two years in a Pakistani jail, two elderly Christian men convicted of “blasphemy” against the Quran were acquitted on Thursday (April 16) when a high court in ....
Two Christians Acquitted of ‘Blasphemy’    Published in 2009
ISTANBUL, April 20 (CDN) — After more than two years in a Pakistani jail, two elderly Christian men convicted of “blasphemy” against the Quran were acquitted on Thursday (April 16) when a high court in Lahore overturned their 10-year sentence. James Masih, 67, and Buta Masih, ....
Two Christians Acquitted of ‘Blasphemy’    Published in 2009
ISTANBUL, April 20 (CDN) — After more than two years in a Pakistani jail, two elderly Christian men convicted of “blasphemy” against the Quran were acquitted on Thursday (April 16) when a high court in Lahore overturned their 10-year sentence. James Masih, 67, and Buta Masih, ....
Suspects in Rape of Christian Girl Cleared    Published in 2009
April 10 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, April 10 (Compass Direct News) – Police have declared three Pakistani men innocent of raping a 13-year-old Christian girl despite eyewitness accounts and medical evidence indicating their guilt. At a hearing in Nankana Sahib district court ....
Suspects in Rape of Christian Girl Cleared    Published in 2009
ISTANBUL, April 9 (CDN) — Police have declared three Pakistani men innocent of raping a 13-year-old Christian girl despite eyewitness accounts and medical evidence indicating their guilt. At a hearing in Nankana Sahib district court on April 3, police from the Pakistani town ....
Christians Brace for Sharia in Swat Valley    Published in 2009
March 27 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, March 27 (Compass Direct News) – Just over a month since Pakistan’s fertile Swat Valley turned into a Taliban stronghold where sharia (Islamic law) rules, the fate of the remaining Christians in the area is uncertain. Last month, in an ....
Christians Brace for Sharia in Swat Valley    Published in 2009
ISTANBUL, March 26 (CDN) — Just over a month since Pakistan’s fertile Swat Valley turned into a Taliban stronghold where sharia (Islamic law) rules, the fate of the remaining Christians in the area is uncertain. Last month, in an effort to end a bloody two-year battle, the ....
Christian Faces ‘Blasphemy’ Abetting Charge, Dangers    Published in 2009
March 13 (CDN) — Hector AleemCHICAGO, March 13 (Compass Direct News) – A Pakistani investigator has ruled out a charge against a Christian for “blaspheming Islam” but retained another for abetting blasphemy, and advocates worry the stigma of the charges could make ....
Pakistani Christian Faces ‘Blasphemy’ Abetting Charge, Dangers    Published in 2009
CHICAGO, March 13 (CDN) — A Pakistani investigator has ruled out a charge against a Christian for “blaspheming Islam” but retained another for abetting blasphemy, and advocates worry the stigma of the charges could make him a target for local Islamists. Hector Aleem, 51, ....
One Pakistani Woman Dead in Attack on Christians    Published in 2009
ISTANBUL, March 9 (CDN) — Gun and club attacks on a Presbyterian church and neighboring homes in the predominantly Christian area of a village in Pakistan last week killed one woman and left 16 people wounded.Seeking revenge for a robbery complaint that a Christian filed ....
One Woman Dead in Attack on Christians    Published in 2009
March 9 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, March 9 (Compass Direct News) – Gun and club attacks on a Presbyterian church and neighboring homes in the predominantly Christian area of a village in Pakistan last week killed one woman and left 16 people wounded.Seeking revenge for a ....
Charges Filed against Kidnappers of Young Sisters    Published in 2009
February 27 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, February 26 (Compass Direct News) – After months of legal deadlock, lawyers in Pakistan said they have new hope they can restore to her family a 13-year-old Christian girl who was kidnapped and forced to marry a Muslim. Saba Masih might be ....
Charges Filed Against Kidnappers of Young Sisters    Published in 2009
ISTANBUL, February 27 (CDN) — After months of legal deadlock, lawyers in Pakistan said they have new hope they can restore to her family a 13-year-old Christian girl who was kidnapped and forced to marry a Muslim.  Saba Masih might be returned to her family, the lawyers ....
Christian Charged with ‘Blasphemy’ for Text Message    Published in 2009
ISTANBUL, February 5 (CDN) — More than 100 protestors last week surrounded a Pakistani courthouse and chanted death threats against a Punjabi Christian said to be framed for sending a “blasphemous” text message on his cell phone. Rawalpindi police arrested Hector Aleem, 51, on ....
Christian Charged with ‘Blasphemy’ for Text Message    Published in 2009
February 5 (CDN) — Hector Aleem at police stationISTANBUL, February 5 (Compass Direct News) – More than 100 protestors last week surrounded a Pakistani courthouse and chanted death threats against a Punjabi Christian said to be framed for sending a “blasphemous” text ....
Christians Acquitted in 'Blasphemy' Case    Published in 2009
January 23 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, January 23 (Compass Direct News) – Five Christians charged with “blasphemy” against Islam during April 2007 religious holidays were released on Monday (Jan. 19) after reconciliation meetings between Christian and Islamic leaders – the ....
Christians Acquitted in 'Blasphemy' Case    Published in 2009
ISTANBUL, January 23 (CDN) — Five Christians charged with “blasphemy” against Islam during April 2007 religious holidays were released on Monday (Jan. 19) after reconciliation meetings between Christian and Islamic leaders – the first verdict to have resulted from such efforts ....
Sisters Abducted, Forced to Convert to Islam    Published in 2009
January 19 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, January 19 (Compass Direct News) – The ordeal of two teenage Christian sisters in Pakistan is over after Muslims allegedly abducted and raped them and forced them to convert to Islam, but they fear a future of societal rejection. Parvisha ....
Sisters Abducted, Forced to Convert to Islam    Published in 2009
ISTANBUL, January 19 (CDN) — The ordeal of two teenage Christian sisters in Pakistan is over after Muslims allegedly abducted and raped them and forced them to convert to Islam, but they fear a future of societal rejection. Parvisha Masih, 18, and Sanam Masih, 14, said three ....
Policeman Tortures, Paralyzes Christian    Published in 2008
December 24 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, December 23 (Compass Direct News) – A Pakistani Christian boy’s quarrel with a Muslim policeman’s son has led to his father’s imprisonment, torture, paralysis, and five-year prison sentence. The father’s health condition has become so ....
Dowry Demanded from Captor of Christian Girl    Published in 2008
December 16 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, December 16 (Compass Direct News) – After a judge yesterday placed new financial and social pressure on the captors of a Pakistani girl who was kidnapped and converted to Islam, attorneys have guarded optimism they can return her to ....
‘Blasphemy’ Cases Send Christians into Hiding    Published in 2008
November 13 (CDN) — Istanbul, November 13 (Compass Direct News) – A Christian doctor in Pakistan jailed since May 5 on charges of “blasphemy” was acquitted last week, while another Christian and his adult daughter remained incarcerated after more than a month on ....
Girl’s Account Re-opens Custody Fight for Sisters    Published in 2008
October 24 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, Turkey, October 24 (Compass Direct News) – Lawyers for two underage Christian sisters who were kidnapped plan to renew a custody fight for the older girl, a 13-year-old allegedly coerced into marrying her captor, based on new statements ....
Christian at Church of Beleaguered Pastor Arrested    Published in 2008
October 17 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, October 17 (Compass Direct News) – In ongoing intimidation of a Pakistani pastor working in the outskirts of Lahore, police last week arrested and beat a young parishioner who was visiting his home to receive prayer. Police on Oct. 9 ....
Taliban Bombs Catholic Girls’ High School    Published in 2008
October 14 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, October 14 (Compass Direct News) – Taliban militants bombed a Catholic-run girls’ school in Pakistan’s war-torn Swat Valley as part of a larger effort to subvert women’s status in society through Islamic law, locals say. On Wednesday (Oct. ....
Pastor Suffers Police Attacks, Death Threats    Published in 2008
October 9 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, October 9 (Compass Direct News) – A Pakistani pastor and his family in Punjab province have been living in fear for months after death threats from a murder suspect and repeated attacks on their house by police squads. Pastor Christopher ....
Partial Victory Seen in Ruling on Kidnapped Girls    Published in 2008
September 15 (CDN) — Aneela Masih with her motherISTANBUL, September 15 (Compass Direct News) – Christian human rights lawyers in Pakistan saw a partial legal victory in a judge’s ruling last week that one of two kidnapped girls be returned to her Christian parents. The ....
Elderly Christian Killed in Axe Murder    Published in 2008
September 4 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, September 4 (Compass Direct News) – Four Pakistani Muslims killed an elderly woman with an axe over a dispute with her husband, who has been unable to prosecute them due to his low social status as a Christian. Case workers said the ....
Custody Case Could Go to Supreme Court    Published in 2008
August 20 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, August 20 (Compass Direct News) – A custody battle in Pakistan over two Christian girls kidnapped and allegedly forced to convert to Islam remained inconclusive after a hearing today, with rights advocates for the family suspecting Muslim ....
Custody of Child Hinges on Medical Report    Published in 2008
August 12 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, August 12 (Compass Direct News) – Amid pressure from radical Muslim clerics, a medical board is expected to determine the age of a Christian Pakistani girl allegedly forced to convert to Islam. The medical report on 13-year-old Saba Masih, ....
Christian Allegedly Murdered    Published in 2008
August 7 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, August 7 (Compass Direct News) – Local Pakistani police declared the death of a young Christian man in May to be a suicide requiring no investigation, but a high inspector has reopened the case and taken two Muslim suspects into custody. ....
Children in Conversion Dispute Sent to Shelter    Published in 2008
July 30 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, July 29 (Compass Direct News) – A Pakistani court today took over supervision of two children in a custody battle that appears to hinge on their disputed conversion from Christianity to Islam. At a hearing in Multan, 200 miles southwest of ....
Court Grants Custody of Girls to Kidnappers    Published in 2008
July 18 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, July 18 (Compass Direct News) – A Pakistani couple has appealed a court decision to award custody of their two daughters, 10 and 13, to the children’s alleged kidnappers. The court based its custody decision on the girls’ conversion to ....
Girls Kidnapped, Allegedly Forced to Convert    Published in 2008
July 11 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, July 11 (Compass Direct News) – A Christian father in Pakistan is in a legal battle with kidnappers for the custody of his pre-teen daughters, who allegedly have been forced to convert to Islam. Yesterday a judge in Pakistan’s Punjab ....
Backlash Feared in NWFP after Release of Captives    Published in 2008
July 4 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, July 4 (Compass Direct News) – Just weeks after the release of 16 Christians kidnapped by the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Islam in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar, a government clampdown on extremist groups in the region has ....
Doctor Jailed on ‘Blasphemy’ Charges    Published in 2008
May 16 (CDN) — Dr. Robin Sardar   (Courtesy SLMP)ISTANBUL, May 16 (Compass Direct News) – Pakistani police have jailed a Christian doctor after “blasphemy” charges incited a mob attack on his home last week in Punjab province. Officials said Dr. ....
Suspects from 2002 Karachi Massacre Arrested    Published in 2008
March 7 (CDN) — Survivor Robin SharifISTANBUL, March 7 (Compass Direct News) – Karachi police announced the arrest last week of three Islamist militants who have reportedly confessed to the unsolved murders of seven Pakistani Christians in September 2002.The three ....
Freed Christian Describes Kidnapping Ordeal    Published in 2008
February 19 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, February 19 (Compass Direct News) – A Christian doctor described receiving various death threats while kidnapped recently by Islamic extremists in an area of Pakistan reeling from extremist violence. Militants in parts of the North West ....
Christians on Front Lines of Democracy Struggle    Published in 2007
November 28 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, November 28 (Compass Direct News) – Pakistani Christians have played a prominent role in the struggle against harsh emergency laws established by the country’s president this month. And many of have paid the price. Pakistan’s Catholic ....
Pro-Sharia Rebels Threaten Christians    Published in 2007
October 31 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, October 31 (Compass Direct News) – Islamic militants threatened to bomb a Christian family for refusing to convert to Islam as fighting between militants and government troops resumed in northwestern Pakistan yesterday. “Become Muslim – ....
Muslims Apologize for Attack on Church    Published in 2007
October 25 (CDN) — New Apostolic Church      (source: SLMP)ISTANBUL, October 25 (Compass Direct News) – Muslims who attacked a Pakistani church and declared religious war against Christians from mosque minarets have apologized for their ....
Taliban Militants Force Burqa on Christian Women’s School    Published in 2007
September 27 (CDN) — Women in burqasISTANBUL, September 27 (Compass Direct News) – A Pakistani official in a northern district warned female teachers and students to don Islamic garb this week, citing threats from Taliban extremists active in the area. The Pakistani ....
Christian Unexpectedly Acquitted of ‘Blasphemy’    Published in 2007
September 17 (CDN) — Shahid MasihISTANBUL, September 17 (Compass Direct News) – A Pakistani judge this morning unexpectedly cleared a Christian teenager of charges that he had ripped up pages containing verses from the Quran, the Christian’s lawyer said. Judge Muhammad ....
Missing Christian Girls Married Off to Muslims    Published in 2007
August 24 (CDN) — Shamaila TabassumISTANBUL, August 24 (Compass Direct News) – Two Pakistani Christian children have converted to Islam and married Muslim men after they went missing earlier this month in Faisalabad, according to apparently falsified marriage ....
Religious Minorities Told to Convert or Die    Published in 2007
August 16 (CDN) — Threatened church in PeshawarISTANBUL, August 16 (Compass Direct News) – Christians and Hindus in northern Pakistan have received dozens of letters threatening them with death if they refuse to become Muslims, church sources and a police official ....
Jail Officials Beat Christian, Halt Bible Classes    Published in 2007
August 3 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, August 3 (Compass Direct News) – Pakistani officials have halted all Bible classes for Christian prisoners in a Punjab jail, isolating the inmate who taught the classes and barring a local pastor from his weekly visits, a non-governmental ....
Muslim Mob Confesses to Church Attack    Published in 2007
July 16 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, July 16 (Compass Direct News) – Muslims have apologized for attacking a church last month in Pakistan’s Punjab region, but they offered no compensation for injuring Christians and damaging the building. In addition to wounding seven ....
Passage of Bill on ‘Apostates’ Called Unlikely    Published in 2007
July 13 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, July 13 (Compass Direct News) – Christian and government leaders yesterday said they are hopeful that Pakistan’s parliament is unlikely to support the death penalty for Muslims who abandon their faith. Critics have worried that the ....
Mob Assaults Christians with Axes, Guns    Published in 2007
June 20 (CDN) — Three Christians injured in attackISTANBUL, June 20 (Compass Direct News) – Christian families fled a Pakistani village in Punjab province this week after an armed mob injured Protestants preparing for an evangelistic meeting, the victims’ lawyer ....
Easter Tense Following Anti-Christian Attack    Published in 2007
April 6 (CDN) — Ratan Masih, a handicapped man,was unable to flee from mobISTANBUL, April 6 (Compass Direct News) – Pakistani Muslim and Christian leaders are working to defuse tensions in a Punjab city after rumors of “blasphemy” sparked mob action against the ....
Christian Prisoners Win Back Jail ‘Church’    Published in 2007
March 30 (CDN) — ISTANBUL, March 30 (Compass Direct News) – More than 160 Christian prisoners ended a two-day hunger strike last week after authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province permitted them to resume religious services, a non-governmental organization worker ....
Woman Stands Trial for Insulting Muhammad    Published in 2007
February 16 (CDN) — Boota Masih and several of his childrenphoto credit: Sharing Life MinistriesISTANBUL, February 16 (Compass Direct News) – Pakistani officials have relocated the trial of a Christian woman accused of blaspheming Muhammad, the prophet of ....
Court Overturns Life Sentence for Christian    Published in 2007
January 22 (CDN) — Shahbaz MasihISTANBUL, January 22 (Compass Direct News) – A Pakistani court last week acquitted a Christian “blasphemy” prisoner on grounds that the convict was mentally unstable, while another Christian facing the same accusation was released on ....
Elderly ‘Blasphemers’ Sentenced to 10 Years    Published in 2006
November 27 (CDN) — Buta Masih and James MasihNovember 27 (Compass Direct News) – In a case that has drawn crowds of religious fanatics, a Pakistani court sentenced two Christian men to 10 years in prison on Saturday (November 25) for committing “blasphemy” against the ....
Drunken Mob Vandalizes Church    Published in 2006
November 20 (CDN) — Church Greeter Ashraf MasihNovember 20 (Compass Direct News) – Armed and drunken Muslims struck two greeters at a Sunday evening service of a church outside Lahore last week, later returning to pelt the building with stones and bricks. Led by ....
Christian Acquitted on ‘Blasphemy’ Charges    Published in 2006
November 10 (CDN) — Ranjha Masih November 10 (Compass Direct News) – After eight and a half years in jail on unsubstantiated blasphemy charges, Pakistani Christian Ranjha Masih was acquitted today by the Lahore High Court. At the end of a two-hour appeal hearing on the ....
Fear of the Holy    Published in 2006
October 12 (CDN) — October 12 (Compass Direct News) – Many in Pakistan live in fear of offending God. It is an open debate whether the country’s notorious blasphemy laws are a source of that fear or a symptom of it. Bishop Joseph Coutts This week one Pakistani bishop ....
Teenage Christian Jailed for Blasphemy    Published in 2006
September 22 (CDN) — Shahid MasihSeptember 22 (Compass Direct News) – A Pakistani Christian jailed last week on suspicion of ripping book pages containing Quranic verses appealed to Punjabi police through his lawyer yesterday (September 21) for his case to be cancelled ....
Abductor of Two Children Tricked, Arrested    Published in 2006
September 5 (CDN) — Abdul Ghaffar in custodySeptember 5 (Compass Direct News) – The Christian ex-wife of a Pakistani Muslim who abducted their young children from court custody two years ago cajoled him into meeting her last week in a Lahore park, where police arrested ....
Muslim Land-Grabbers Attack Christians    Published in 2006
August 18 (CDN) — Awami Church before attack (SLMP) August 18 (Compass Direct News) – In an attempted land-grab, Muslim attackers have terrorized a predominantly Christian village in Pakistan’s Punjab province over the past two weeks and demolished its church. ....
Children of Forced Marriage Still Missing    Published in 2006
July 20 (CDN) — Basharat Masih married Maria July 20 (Compass Direct News) – A Pakistani Christian kidnapped and sold into marriage continues to pray for the return of her missing children, even as she chooses to begin a second family. Almost two years after her ....
Christian Escapes Abusive Husband    Published in 2006
July 19 (CDN) — Asya KhadimJuly 19 (Compass Direct News) – A Christian girl has gone into hiding in Pakistan to escape Muslim in-laws who beat and raped her for fleeing her forced marriage and refusing to practice Islam. Asya Khadim, 15, won a divorce from her ....
Haunted by Lost Honor    Published in 2006
July 7 (CDN) — Ribqa Masih July 7 (Compass Direct) – Seated across from the victim of sexual violence with her family in their one-room dwelling, I was uneasy that the accused rapist and his relatives lived just a few blocks away. Ribqa Masih had to live here in ....
‘Blasphemy’ Suspect Flees    Published in 2006
June 30 (CDN) — Yasaar HameedJune 30 (Compass Direct) – A Pakistani “blasphemy” suspect has appealed for asylum in Holland after facing police torture and attacks by Muslim extremists for his controversial religious views. Yasaar Hameed, 36, applied for asylum in ....
‘Blasphemy’ Prisoner Wins Persecution Prize    Published in 2006
June 27 (CDN) — Ranjha Masih in 2003June 27 (Compass Direct) – A Pakistani Christian has won a religious persecution award after spending eight years in prison on contested charges that he damaged a sign containing verses from the Quran. The International Society ....
Woman Raped for Leaving Islam    Published in 2006
June 23 (CDN) — Sehar Muhammad ShafiJune 23 (Compass Direct) – Attacked by her own family, one Muslim’s decision to convert to Christianity highlights the precarious situation of Muslims in Pakistan who leave their faith. Sehar Muhammad Shafi, 24, has fled her home ....
Two Sentenced for Murder of Christian Student    Published in 2006
March 3 (CDN) — March 3 (Compass) – Two Muslim seminarians in Pakistan’s Punjab province were found guilty today of murdering a Pakistani Christian who died 22 months ago after being tortured to convert to Islam. Before a courtroom packed with Islamic madrassa ....
Sangla Hill ‘Blasphemy’ Suspect Acquitted    Published in 2006
February 23 (CDN) — February 23 (Compass) – Jailed since November for allegedly burning a Quran, which triggered attacks against churches in the Punjabi town of Sangla Hill, today a Pakistani Christian was cleared of guilt by an anti-terrorism court. The Lahore court ....
Cartoon Protestors Target Christians    Published in 2006
February 20 (CDN) — February 20 (Compass) – Protesting caricatures of the prophet Muhammad first published in Danish media, thousands of demonstrators in northern Pakistan and Lahore last week destroyed private and public property, at times targeting Christians. All ....
Churches Torched over Blasphemy Rumor    Published in 2006
February 20 (CDN) — February 20 (Compass) – A crowd of 500 Muslims burned down two Pakistani churches and a convent school yesterday in the southern province of Sindh, reportedly over an incident of Quran desecration. St. Mary’s Catholic Church and St. Savior’s Church ....
Women Vandalize Catholic Church    Published in 2006
February 8 (CDN) — February 8 (Compass) – A crowd of Muslim women and a few men attacked a Catholic church in Pakistan’s Punjab province last week, injuring two Christian women – one 70 years old – and vandalizing the building. At least three men and 20 women attacked ....
Muslim Cleric Arrested in Murder of Christian    Published in 2006
January 18 (CDN) — Pervez MasihJanuary 18 (Compass) – Nearly 21 months after the murder of a Christian student in Pakistan’s Punjab region, police have arrested a Muslim cleric suspected of torturing the young man so that he would convert to Islam. Umar Hayat was ....
Accuser Drops ‘Blasphemy’ Charge in Sangla Hill Case    Published in 2006
January 11 (CDN) — Presbyterian Church (Jubilee Campaign)January 11 (Compass) – A Pakistani Muslim in the Punjabi town of Sangla Hill dropped formal charges last week against a Christian he had accused of setting fire to pages of the Quran. Mohammed Saleem’s ....
Father of Murdered Christian Requests Protection    Published in 2005
December 21 (CDN) — Pervez Masih December 21 (Compass) – The father of a Pakistani Christian tortured to death by Muslim seminary students in 2004 requested police protection last week after receiving death threats for refusing to drop charges against his son’s ....
Muslim Clerics Demand Hanging of ‘Quran Desecrater’    Published in 2005
December 8 (CDN) — December 8 (Compass) – During Friday prayers last week in Pakistan’s Punjab province, Muslim clerics flanked by government officials demanded the public execution of a Christian accused of blasphemy. Pir Mohammad Afzal Qadri, the head of an Islamist ....
Rape Suspect Flees Court    Published in 2005
October 28 (CDN) — Ribqa MasihOctober 28 (Compass) – Police looked on as rape suspect Muhammad Kashif fled a Faisalabad, Pakistan courtroom on October 24, moments after his request for pre-arrest bail had been rejected. Kashif and another man are accused of raping ....
Woman Says Muslims Raped, Tried to Convert Her    Published in 2005
September 27 (CDN) — Ribqa MasihSeptember 27 (Compass) – A Pakistani woman has charged three men with raping her earlier this month and threatening to kill her if she did not convert from Christianity to Islam. Ribqa Masih, 22, testified at last Thursday’s court hearing ....
Mother Grieves for Kidnapped Children    Published in 2005
September 14 (CDN) — Maria Samar JohnSeptember 14 (Compass) -- One year ago yesterday, Pakistani Christian Maria Samar John experienced the second traumatic kidnapping of her life. Her then 5-year-old son Joshua and 3-old-daughter Miriam were snatched from a Lahore ....
Muslim Mob Attacks Christian Homes    Published in 2005
September 13 (CDN) — Meena Masih (courtesy of CLAAS) September 13 (Compass) -- A mob of 200 Muslim protestors ransacked at least 16 homes of Christians in Lahore on Saturday, September 10, after a drug addict disrupted an Islamic service. Younis Masih, 35, was ....
Former Government Minister Murdered    Published in 2005
August 10 (CDN) — Derick CyprianAugust 10 (Compass) -- A prominent Christian layman in Pakistan who disappeared four days ago in Lahore was found dead yesterday morning, his decomposing body dumped in a sewage drain on the outskirts of the Punjab provincial capital. ....
Pastor and Driver Murdered    Published in 2005
April 11 (CDN) — Daniel Emmanuel and Pastor Babar SamsounApril 11 (Compass) -- Unknown killers kidnapped and brutally killed a Protestant pastor and his driver near the capital of Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) last week, apparently in retribution ....
Worshippers Attacked on Easter Sunday    Published in 2005
March 28 (CDN) — Irshad Masih shown at his funeral (photo: VOM)March 28 (Compass) -- Armed gunmen attacked Christian worshippers as they emerged from Easter Sunday services in a village church near the southern outskirts of Lahore yesterday, killing one young ....
Enraged Muslim Chops off Christian’s Arm    Published in 2005
February 4 (CDN) — January 21 (Compass) -- A young Christian shopkeeper in Pakistan’s Punjab province had his arm chopped off by a Muslim customer. Shahbaz Masih, 22, was approached last November by a customer wanting to rent a television set from his video shop in ....
Enraged Muslim Chops off Christian’s Arm    Published in 2005
January 21 (CDN) — Shahbaz MasihJanuary 21 (Compass) -- A young Christian shopkeeper in Pakistan’s Punjab province had his arm chopped off by a Muslim customer who became enraged during a disagreement over a TV rental. Shahbaz Masih, 22, was approached last November ....
Court Acquits Christian Accused of Blasphemy    Published in 2005
January 17 (CDN) — Anwer MasihJanuary 17 (Compass) -- Anwer Masih was acquitted in Lahore last month by a Judicial Magistrate’s Court, making him the first Pakistani Christian ever acquitted of blasphemy in Pakistan’s lower courts. All Christian citizens tried on ....
Arrest Warrants Issued for Pakistani Police Officers    Published in 2004
October 5 (CDN) — October 5 (Compass) -- Arrest warrants were issued yesterday by a provincial high court in southern Pakistan against two Karachi police officers standing trial for contempt of court. Charges have been filed against Deputy Superintendent of Police ....
Arrest Warrants Issued for Pakistani Police Officers    Published in 2004
October 5 (CDN) — Lawyer Noor Naz Agha and Safia AnjumOctober 5 (Compass) — Arrest warrants were issued yesterday by a provincial high court in southern Pakistan against two Karachi police officers standing trial for contempt of court. Deputy Superintendent of Police ....
Judge Orders Muslim Father Arrested    Published in 2004
October 4 (CDN) — October 4 (Compass) — A Pakistani court issued a warrant Saturday for the arrest, without possibility of bail, of a Muslim father who abducted his two small children from a Lahore courthouse three weeks ago.Judge Khizer Hayat Ghondal of the Lahore ....
Judge Orders Muslim Father Arrested    Published in 2004
October 4 (CDN) — October 4 (Compass) — A Pakistani court issued a warrant Saturday for the arrest, without possibility of bail, of a Muslim father who abducted his two small children from a Lahore courthouse on September 13. Judge Khizer Hayat Ghondal of the Lahore ....
Another Pastor Kidnapped and Beaten    Published in 2004
September 28 (CDN) — September 28 (Compass) — Yousaf Masih, 33, a Protestant pastor in Pakistan’s Sindh province, is recovering slowly after being kidnapped, drugged and beaten severely two weeks ago by bearded assailants. Masih was abducted off a back street near his ....
Mental Patient Sentenced to Life in Prison    Published in 2004
September 27 (CDN) — Shahbaz MasihSeptember 27 (Compass) — A Pakistani court in Faisalabad has sentenced a mentally handicapped Christian to life in prison, ruling the 26-year-old man guilty of blasphemy against the Quran, the holy book of Islam.Despite medical evidence ....
Mental Patient Sentenced to Life in Prison    Published in 2004
September 27 (CDN) — September 27 (Compass) — A Pakistani court in Faisalabad has sentenced a mentally handicapped Christian to life in prison, declaring 26-year-old Shahbaz Masih guilty of blasphemy against the Quran. Despite medical evidence of the defendant’s ....
Police ‘Stumped’ on Christian Murders    Published in 2004
September 24 (CDN) — September 24 (Compass) — Two years after seven Christians were gunned down at the Karachi headquarters of a Christian welfare agency, local police investigators have failed to identify a single suspect. Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of the ....
Police ‘Stumped’ on Christian Murders    Published in 2004
September 24 (CDN) — Robin SharifSeptember 24 (Compass) — Two years after seven Christians were gunned down at the Karachi headquarters of one of Pakistan’s established Christian welfare agencies, local police investigators have failed to identify a single suspect. ....
Children Kidnapped by Muslim Father    Published in 2004
September 16 (CDN) — Miriam and JoshuaSeptember 16 (Compass) — Two Pakistani children were snatched away from their Christian mother by their Muslim father on Monday, secretly spirited out of the Lahore court premises where they had been brought for a court-supervised ....
Children Kidnapped by Muslim Father    Published in 2004
September 16 (CDN) — September 16 (Compass) — Two Pakistani children were snatched away from their Christian mother by their Muslim father, Abdul Ghaffar, on September 13. Joshua, 5, and Miriam, 3, were secretly spirited from the Lahore Family Court shortly after ....
Christian Granted Bail    Published in 2004
June 7 (CDN) — June 7 (Compass) -- Six months after his arrest on blasphemy charges, Pakistani Christian Anwer Masih has been ordered released on bail by the Lahore High Court. Justice Tassadaq Hussain Jilani granted bail to Masih, 30, on June 4, overriding ....
Pakistan Christian Granted Bail    Published in 2004
June 7 (CDN) — Anwer MasihJune 7 (Compass) — Six months after his arrest on charges of alleged blasphemy, Pakistani Christian Anwer Masih has been ordered released on bail by the Lahore High Court.Masih, 30, was granted bail on the morning of June 4 by Justice ....
Policeman Kills Christian Prisoner    Published in 2004
June 1 (CDN) — June 1 (Compass) -- A Pakistani police constable bludgeoned to death a Christian jailed on blasphemy charges, declaring he “wanted to earn a place in paradise.” Samuel Masih died last Friday, May 28, from severe head injuries inflicted by Faryad ....
Policeman Kills Christian Prisoner    Published in 2004
June 1 (CDN) — Samuel MasihJune 1 (Compass) — A Pakistani police constable bludgeoned to death a Christian jailed on blasphemy charges, declaring he “wanted to earn a place in paradise” by killing the alleged “blasphemer.” Samuel Masih died last Friday from severe ....
Pastor Escapes Islamist Captors    Published in 2004
May 19 (CDN) — May 19 (Compass) — A Protestant pastor kidnapped last Sunday morning escaped from his Islamist abductors overnight Monday, some 40 hours after he had disappeared on his way to church services in Quetta, capital of Pakistan’s Baluchistan province. ....
Pastors Feared Kidnapped    Published in 2004
May 17 (CDN) — May 17 (Compass) — After a series of handwritten threats sent to Christian leaders in the Pakistani city of Quetta last week, at least one Protestant pastor has been reported missing by his family, with the whereabouts of another six uncertain. ....
Christian Student Dies from Torture    Published in 2004
May 10 (CDN) — May 10 (Compass) — Pakistani police reluctantly detained a Muslim cleric last week after a Christian university student savagely tortured inside an Islamic madrasseh (seminary) died of his injuries. Maulvi Ghulam Rasool was put under detention at a ....
Christian Jailed on Dubious Blasphemy Charge    Published in 2004
January 27 (CDN) — January 27 (Compass) — In an apparent attempt to settle an old grudge, a Pakistani man who converted to Islam several months ago has implicated a Christian acquaintance for alleged blasphemy. Anwer Masih, 30, was arrested on November 30 by police ....
Christian Teenager Forced into Hiding    Published in 2004
January 23 (CDN) — January 23 (Compass) — A Pakistani Christian teenager kidnapped for more than two weeks in November has been forced into hiding to avoid recapture by Muslim extremists. Leaders of a fanatic Islamic school have vowed to send Zeeshan Gill, who just ....
Police Arrest Karachi Bombing Suspect    Published in 2004
January 19 (CDN) — January 19 (Compass) — Pakistani police arrested one suspect and seized a “huge” cache of explosives in Karachi over the weekend, declaring both were linked to grenade and car bomb explosions at a Bible Society shop on January 15. Suspect Shamim ....
Protestant Pastor Assassinated    Published in 2004
January 8 (CDN) — (Compass) -- A Protestant pastor in Pakistan’s Punjab province was murdered in the early hours of January 5, just minutes after he left his home to catch a train to Lahore. Pastor Mukhtar Masih, 50, was shot once in the chest at close range with a ....
Accused Terrorists Given Bail    Published in 2003
December 15 (CDN) — (Compass) — Two suspects accused of last year’s deadly Christmas night attack against a Pakistani village church have been released on bail by order of the Lahore High Court. Muslim cleric Mohammed Afzal and a young man identified as Dildar were set ....
Christians Released on Bail    Published in 2003
November 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — Four Christians in Pakistan accused of killing a Roman Catholic priest were ordered released on bail, 11 weeks after they were arrested by local police. In a September 24 hearing, the Okara Additional Sessions Court accepted a petition ....
Police Accuse Christians of Killing Priest    Published in 2003
September 12 (CDN) — (Compass) — Pakistani police investigating the July 5 murder of a Roman Catholic priest have accused three local Christians of killing Fr. George Ibrahim during an armed robbery attempt. Together with a Muslim suspect identified as a repeat-offender ....
Another Christian’s Blasphemy Trial Begins    Published in 2003
August 15 (CDN) — (Compass) — Trial proceedings against Christian schoolteacher Pervaiz Masih began on July 17 in northeast Pakistan, two years and three months after the high school principal was jailed for alleged blasphemy. Now 35, Masih has been refused bail ....
Catholic Priest Murdered    Published in 2003
July 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — Six gunmen shot and killed a Roman Catholic priest in his home in eastern Pakistan in the early hours of July 5. Father George Ibrahim, 38, was gunned down about 1 a.m. while sleeping in his home near Okara, 180 miles south of Islamabad ....
Kidnapped Christian Girl Wins Divorce    Published in 2003
July 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — Five years after she was kidnapped, sold and forcibly married to a Muslim stranger, a young Pakistani Christian woman has won legal divorce from the man. In a landmark decision on February 28, the Lahore Family Court granted Maria Samar ....
Illiterate Christian Acquitted of Blasphemy    Published in 2003
June 16 (CDN) — (Compass) — After four and one-half years in prison for alleged blasphemy against Islam, Pakistani Christian Aslam Masih was acquitted on June 4 in a 15-minute appeals hearing before the Lahore High Court. In his mid 50s and illiterate, Masih was ....
Christian Sentenced to Life in Prison    Published in 2003
May 19 (CDN) — (Compass) — A Pakistani Christian in his 50s has been sentenced to life in prison for committing blasphemy, allegedly by damaging a Muslim signboard during a bishop’s funeral procession five years ago. An estimated 100 onlookers jammed the ....
Brothers Acquitted of Blasphemy    Published in 2003
April 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — On March 19, a Pakistani appeals court confirmed the acquittal of two Christian brothers jailed nearly four years ago on charges of blasphemy. The Lahore High Court ordered the release of the two Pakistani Christians incarcerated in the ....
Authorities Silent On Church Attack Investigation    Published in 2003
February 11 (CDN) — (Compass) -- Weeks after grenade-throwing assailants attacked a village church in Pakistan’s remote northern Punjab region on Christmas night, local police officials remained tight-lipped concerning their promise to take “quick and stern action” to ....
Blasphemy Appeal Awaits Decision    Published in 2003
February 11 (CDN) — (Compass) -- Some 32 months after a Pakistani court handed down life prison sentences to two Christian brothers for alleged blasphemy, the Lahore High Court is to hear final appeal arguments on the case. This hearing for Rasheed and Saleem Masih has ....
Three Christians Lose Eyesight in Christmas Assault    Published in 2003
January 13 (CDN) — (Compass) — At least three of the wounded survivors of a deadly Christmas night attack against a village church in Pakistan have sustained permanent eye damage, confirmed doctors from Lahore who operated on them. Incredibly, Urdu-language newspapers ....
Massacre Survivor Set Free    Published in 2002
November 15 (CDN) — (Compass) — Robin Peranditta, 27, one of two survivors of September’s massacre at the Institute of Peace and Justice (IPJ) in Karachi, was finally released from police custody by order of the Sindh High Court on October 24. The same court had ruled ....
Court Extends Detention of Massacre Survivor    Published in 2002
October 11 (CDN) — (Compass) — A district court has extended “protective custody” for one of two eyewitnesses to Karachi’s execution-style massacre on September 25. Robin Peranditta, 27, is being held by Pakistan’s Criminal Investigation Agency, pending investigations ....
Karachi Gunmen Murder Welfare Workers    Published in 2002
October 11 (CDN) — (Compass) — On September 25, armed gunmen attacked a Pakistani Christian welfare organization in Karachi, then escaped after killing seven Christians and leaving an eighth critically injured. Two unidentified attackers entered the third-floor ....
Acquitted Christian Flees to Freedom    Published in 2002
September 13 (CDN) — (Compass) -- Acquitted Christian prisoner Ayub Masih slipped out of Pakistan in early September for residence in an undisclosed location because of ongoing death threats from local Islamic militants. On August 15, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ....
Christians Told to ‘Protect Themselves’    Published in 2002
September 13 (CDN) — (Compass) -- In the wake of deadly terrorist attacks against Christian institutions, Pakistan security officials have advised local church leaders to arm themselves for possible assaults by Muslim extremists. Attacks on Christian institutions since ....
Extremists Attack Missionary School    Published in 2002
September 13 (CDN) — (Compass) -- A bloody attack by Muslim extremists against a Protestant Christian school for missionary children -- one of four such incidents registered in Pakistan in less than a year -- has forced the Murree Christian School to close its doors for ....
Nurses Killed in Grenade Attack    Published in 2002
September 13 (CDN) — (Compass) -- Four Christian nurses were killed and 20 other hospital staff were wounded during a vicious grenade attack on the Taxila Christian Hospital on August 9. A fifth person, later identified as one of the attackers, also died. According to ....
Another Christian Sentenced to Death    Published in 2002
July 18 (CDN) — (Compass) — Augustine Ashiq “Kingri” Masih, 25, was convicted June 29 by the Faisalabad District and Sessions Court on charges of slandering the Muslim prophet Mohammed. Under the mandatory execution statutes of Section 295-C of the Pakistan penal ....
Eleven Christians Currently Jailed on Blasphemy Charges    Published in 2002
July 18 (CDN) — (Compass) – Two Christians are sentenced to death. They are Ayub Masih (35), arrested in Arifwala near Sahiwal on October 14, 1996. Ashiq ‘Kingri’ Masih (25) was arrested in Faisalabad on May 3, 2000. Five others are appealing life-in-prison ....
Jailed Pakistani Christian Attacked in His Cell    Published in 2002
July 18 (CDN) — (Compass) — A Christian high school principal jailed 15 months ago by Pakistan authorities for alleged blasphemy against Islam has been attacked while asleep in his cell. On the night of June 17, Pervaiz Masih, 34, was struck twice in the head by ....
Under the Shadow of Pakistan’s ‘Black Laws’    Published in 2002
July 18 (CDN) — (Compass) — The Pakistan government claims that international critics are unfair in allegations that the 1986 amendments to its harsh blasphemy laws target the country’s religious minorities. According to Interior Ministry statistics, nearly 75 ....
Blasphemy «Convict» Shot Dead In Jail    Published in 2002
June 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - A Pakistani Muslim convicted of religious blasphemy was shot dead by a fellow prisoner June 11 in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Central Jail. M. Yousaf Ali was reportedly being transferred from his death-row cell when he was killed by a convicted ....
Christian Brothers Await Blasphemy Verdict Appeal    Published in 2002
June 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - Following a quarrel over ice cream bowls, Rasheed and Saleem Masih are still waiting for their long-delayed appeal to be heard before the Lahore High Court. Jailed since June 1999, the two Pakistani Christian brothers were ruled guilty ....
Defense Lawyers Threatened    Published in 2002
June 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - Two lawyers known for defending Pakistani Christians and Muslims over alleged blasphemy charges received death threats in early June. Both Christians, Pakistani advocates Pervaiz Aslam Chaudhry in Lahore and Khalil Tahir in Faisalabad ....
Islamabad Hospital Discharges Last Church Blast Victim    Published in 2002
June 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - Dr. Christy Munir was discharged from an Islamabad hospital on June 4, ten weeks after a deadly attack on the International Protestant Church in Pakistan's capital city almost took his life. He was the last of several local Christians ....
Woman Fights to Overturn Forced Marriage, Conversion    Published in 2002
June 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - Maria Samar John, then 17, was kidnapped by her Muslim uncle in Lahore's Cantt district in December 1997. For the next five months, Maria was kept under lock and key. On May 14, 1998, her uncle sold her to Abdul Gaffar as his wife. Armed ....
International Church Attacked In Pakistan    Published in 2002
April 19 (CDN) — (Compass) - Unidentified terrorists hurled grenades into a Protestant worship service in the diplomatic quarter of Pakistan’s capital city on March 17, killing five worshippers and wounding another 40 members of the 70 member congregation. The dead ....
Christmas Season Tense for Christians    Published in 2001
December 14 (CDN) — (Compass) - Five weeks after Islamic extremists gunned down 15 Pakistani Christians in a Sunday morning worship service, church leaders across Pakistan admitted that their congregations remain \"tense and fearful\" as Christmas approaches. Bishop ....
Christians Mourn Massacre Victims    Published in 2001
November 16 (CDN) — (Compass) - Security was at an all-time high on November 4 as solemn memorial services were held in every Christian church in Pakistan, mourning the 16 victims massacred by Muslim extremists during a Sunday morning worship service one week earlier. ....
Last Appeal for Ayub Masih    Published in 2001
September 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - After nearly five years in jail and more than three on death row, Pakistani Christian Ayub Masih is one step away from either Supreme Court acquittal - or the gallows. Masih, now 34, is the most high-profile Christian prisoner victimized ....
Death Sentence Confirmed for Ayub Masih    Published in 2001
August 24 (CDN) — (Compass) - The Multan High Court rejected the death-sentence appeal of Pakistan’s most high-profile Christian prisoner in late July, upholding a lower court verdict to execute Ayub Masih for alleged blasphemy against the Muslim prophet Mohammed. ....
Family of Blasphemy Law Prisoners Attacked    Published in 2001
July 20 (CDN) — (Compass) - The elder brother of two Pakistani Christian brothers jailed since 1999 on blasphemy charges was robbed of all his valuables and his wife raped on June 25 in a village near Pasrur, some 45 miles north of Lahore. Hamid Masih filed theft ....
Christian Teacher Refused Bail    Published in 2001
June 15 (CDN) — (Compass) - A Pakistani Christian schoolteacher jailed on questionable blasphemy charges since April 1 has been refused bail by a lower court judge in Sialkot, 70 miles north of Lahore. Pervaiz Masih, 33, was accused of slandering the Muslim prophet ....
New Blasphemy Case Filed against Christian    Published in 2001
April 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - Police in Punjab province registered another questionable blasphemy case against one of its Christian citizens on April 1, jailing a respected high school principal for slander he allegedly spoke two months ago against Mohammed, the ....
Court Acquits Three Christians of Blasphemy    Published in 2001
February 16 (CDN) — (Compass) - A Pakistani high court acquitted three Christians of blasphemy, calling for an investigation as to whether their Muslim accuser had fabricated a false case against them. In a January 25 ruling, Hussain Masih, his son Isaac Masih and ....
Jailed Christian Evangelists Freed on Bail    Published in 2001
February 16 (CDN) — (Compass) - After eight days in jail, two Pakistani evangelists arrested in Jacobabad for distributing Christian literature and tapes of the documentary Jesus film were released on bail January 19. Khalid Masih, 22, and Nasir Masih, 25, were ....
Karachi Police Arrest Blasphemy Law Protestors    Published in 2001
February 16 (CDN) — (Compass) - Karachi authorities jailed and pressed charges against a Catholic priest and 16 other religious rights activists for participating in a public protest January 10 against Pakistan’s stringent blasphemy law. After a week’s detention, Fr. ....
Two Christians Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison    Published in 2000
June 23 (CDN) — (Compass) - Two Christian brothers jailed for a year on blasphemy charges were given 35-year prison sentences in mid May by a lower court in Pakistan’s populous Punjab province. Rasheed and Saleem Masih received verdicts May 11 for alleged blasphemy ....
Blasphemy Case Registered against Young Husband    Published in 2000
May 19 (CDN) — (Compass) - A young Christian man who had converted to Islam in order to marry a Muslim girl was jailed in early May in Pakistan, charged with blasphemy after he tried to return to his Christian faith. Kingri Masih of Sherabad was charged under ....
Christian Handed Eight-Year Sentence For Blasphemy    Published in 2000
February 18 (CDN) — (Compass) - A Pakistani Christian jailed since May 1998 on accusations of blaspheming the Muslim prophet Mohammed was acquitted of his initial charges. But Shafik Masih, 27, was found guilty of \"lesser offenses against Islam\" in an October 16 ....
 
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