This is part two of a conversation with Voice of the Martyrs Canada about longtime religious freedom abuses in Pakistan that are back in the spotlight. Click here to look back at Monday’s story.
Pakistan (MNN) — As blasphemy cases increase in Pakistan, some families are crying foul. Hundreds of young people are being taken to court, charged with online blasphemy against Islam. But is there an organized group entrapping them?
A high court in Pakistan has called for an official commission to investigate the question. But what do these realities mean for accused Muslims, Christians and other minorities today?
Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs Canada says, these realities mean much suffering. In Pakistan, “it’s not innocent until proven guilty, it’s guilty until proven innocent,” he says.
(Photo of field in Pakistan courtesy of Abdul Rehman via Unsplash)
“Their court date could take a while in coming to be, so they’re sitting in prison. Often their families are suffering because now they have a family member in prison, and that family member could be a breadwinner.”
Prison isn’t always the worst thing that can happen. Vigilante justice before the police show up is a real danger.
Brobbel says the blasphemy law is easily twisted against people, and it needs to be changed.
Pray for investigators. “Christians can be praying that [investigators] would move quickly, and they would see right away that there is an issue and a problem with the blasphemy law that needs to be dealt with,” Brobbel says.
“Pray that these commissioners would take this job seriously and that they would be able to communicate and connect with organizations that have been tracking blasphemy law abuses for many years, to be able to weigh in on the subject.”
Pray for Christians to have bold gospel witness amid hostilities. Then, pray for justice. We know when Christ returns, He will bring perfect justice to every wrong thing done. Would you ask God to work justice into reality in Pakistan ahead of that day?
Header photo courtesy of man in Lahore, Pakistan courtesy of Lumensoft Technologies via Unsplash.
