Pakistan Christian Gets Death Sentence On Good Friday

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

FAISALABAD, PAKISTAN (Worthy News) – A Pakistani anti-terrorism court sentenced a Christian man to death on Good Friday on controversial charges of blasphemy against Islam, Christians told Worthy News.

The court in the city of Faisalabad handed down the death penalty to Pervaiz, also known as Kodu Masih, for allegedly desecrating the Koran, deemed a holy book by Muslims. He also received a fine of roughly $12,500 in local currency, Worthy News learned.

Trial observers said the court acquitted the other two accused, Daud William Masih and Shahid Aftab, also known as Boby Masih, giving them “the benefit of the doubt.”

The alleged wrongdoing sparked attacks by an angry Muslim mob in the Jaranwala area against Christian communities on August 16, 2023.

The mob ransacked and torched numerous churches and Christian homes at the time, Worthy News documented.

Sardar Mushtaq Gill, founder of advocacy group LEAD Pakistan Ministries, told Worthy News that the international community should “move beyond statements of concern and take meaningful action.”

He warned that blasphemy laws are now “being weaponized in increasingly deceptive ways” in Pakistan, a mainly Muslim nation, including the use of women “as honey traps” to implicate innocent individuals falsely.

‘PATTERN OF ABUSE’

“This pattern of abuse,” Gill stated, “has turned the law into a tool of exploitation and entrapment rather than justice. The world must not remain silent as innocent lives are destroyed.”

News about the death sentence came while another man was reportedly lynched and killed when a few hundred workers of a religious party stormed a place of worship belonging to the Ahmadi community in Karachi’s Saddar area on Friday to prevent it from observing religious rituals, according to the police.

A statement from Ahmadi Muslim community spokesperson Amir Mehmood said about 40 members gathered inside to perform their religious rites. Deputy Inspector General of Police Syed Asad Raza said some 400 Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party workers gathered at the hall near the mobile market where the attack happened.

The victim, Laeeq Cheema, 46, was “filming the TLP workers near Hashu Centre when the mob started beating him and killed him,” the police official added in published remarks.

TLP is known as a far-right Islamist political party known for its violent protests against any changes to the blasphemy law in Pakistan or those deemed dangerous to its teachings, including even some Muslims.

“Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws are often used to target minority groups, but Christians are disproportionately affected,” explained advocacy group Open Doors. “Indeed, roughly a quarter of all blasphemy accusations target Christians, who make up just 1.8 percent of the population.”

It has ranked Pakistan 8th on its annual World Watch List of 50 nations, where it says Christians face most persecution for their faith in Christ.

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