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JULY 2015
PERSECU ION
The
Plight of Pakistani
Christians
A mother and father remember their son who saved hundreds by detaining a suicide bomber
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Feature Article
INTO THE FIRE: A TRIP TO “PERSECUTION CENTRAL” ‘Christians are not just being persecuted in Punjab, but [in Karachi and Hyderabad], as well. It is very good that you have come here to see for yourself.’
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By William Stark remember
sitting in church in March of this year, praying for God’s protection on my upcoming trip to Pakistan. I was scheduled to leave in just a few days and spend the next three weeks in Pakistan working with one of the most persecuted Christian communities in the world. It’s never easy preparing to travel to a dangerous place like Pakistan because, like many of my contacts say, “anything can happen.” As I reflected on the trip, especially on being in Pakistan over Easter, my cell phone vibrated. A co-worker had texted me, saying, “Sad news from Lahore.” Immediately, I stepped out of church and reached out to my contacts in Lahore to see what happened. My contacts told me suicide bombers had attacked two churches in a Christian neighborhood of Lahore called Youhanabad, a neighborhood I was planning to visit in the next week, and many had died. I told my wife what happened, and she asked me sol-
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emnly, “Are you still going?” Without hesitation, I replied, “Yes, especially now that this has happened. There is more need for me to be on the ground now than before.” Five days later, I was on a plane to Islamabad.
North to South
Over the following three weeks, I visited the locations of many incidents of Christian persecution, including spending several days in Youhanabad. I listened to the testimonies of many Christian families whose lives have been destroyed by false blasphemy accusations, attempted forced conversions, abductions, rapes, church bombings and antiChristian mob violence — the many forms persecution takes in Pakistan. The trip started by traveling from Islamabad to Peshawar, a city many are unwilling to venture to due to security concerns. In Peshawar, I met with many Christians still affected by the bombing of All Saints Church, which occurred in September 2013 and remains the single deadliest attack on Christians in Pakistan’s history. From Peshawar, I traveled back to Islamabad and then on to Faisalabad.
From Faisalabad, I traveled to Lahore, spending several days in the Youhanabad neighborhood listening to the testimonies of Christians affected by the recent church bombings. Many of the Christians I met in Youhanabad were still coming to grips with the attack. Following the bombings, after decades of increasing persecution and injustice, men in the Christian area of Youhanabad rioted and murdered two Muslims in police custody who were thought to be involved in the bombing. These murders led to the mass arrest of Christian men in Youhanabad. Reports of Christian men being arrested and tortured by police were spreading in the Christian community during my time in Youhanabad. This led many Christian families to abandon their homes and go into hiding. Read more about these events in the “Secret Arrests” section on page 19. While in Lahore, I visited the site where a Christian couple was burned alive at a brick kiln after being accused of blasphemy. As I stood at the brick kiln where the horrific murders took place, I was stunned by the violence and the speed at which 1,000 Muslims gathered so quickly
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Photos Top: A young girl prays in remembrance of lives lost to suicide bombers at two churches in Youhanabad this March.
Middle: A historic site once considered a safe haven for many, the All Saints Church in Peshawar, is now remembered as the scene of the single deadliest attack on Christians in Pakistan’s history. Bottom: A man looks up at the All Saints Church in Peshawar, where suicide bombers claimed the lives of more than 80 Christians in a 2013 attack on the church. to murder an innocent couple. After celebrating Easter in Lahore, I traveled south to Karachi and Hyderabad, two major cities in Pakistan’s Sindh Province. This was my first time to Sindh, and my time there helped me understand that Christians are truly being persecuted across Pakistan. “Christians are not just being persecuted in Punjab,” an influential church leader said. “They are being persecuted here, as well. It is very good that you have come here to see yourself.”
Just the Beginning
After three weeks in Pakistan and meeting with as many as 65 Christian families suffering persecution, I was ready to return home. Not because I was tired or missed the comforts of home, although that is something always in the back of my mind when traveling, but because I was ready to begin working on helping the Christian communities I had visited. After finishing my final meeting in Pakistan, my contact shook my hand and said, “Congratulations, your work here is finally done.” I smiled and replied, “No, meeting with these families is the easy part. Now comes the real challenge of finding a way to help all of them.”
JULY 2015
Recent Major Incidents Youhanabad Church Bombings — March 2015 — Lahore: Suicide bombers attack Christ Church and St. John’s Catholic Church in the majority Christian neighborhood of Youhanabad in Lahore, killing 19 and injuring another 70. The bombers were prevented from entering the churches due to security measures taken following the All Saints Church bombing. Christian Couple Burned in Brick Kiln for Blasphemy — November 2014 — Kot Radha Kishan, Chak 59, Kasur: Shehzad Masih and Shama Bibi, a married Christian couple, were burned alive by a mob of enraged Muslims after they were accused of committing blasphemy. Reports claimed over 1,000 Muslims participated in the murders that shocked both Pakistan and the world.
All Saints Church Bombing — September 2013 — Peshawar: Suicide bombers attack All Saints Church following a Sunday worship service, killing over 80 and wounding another 130. The attack is still considered the single deadliest attack on Christians in Pakistan’s history and has left a lasting mark on the Christian community of Peshawar. Joseph’s Colony Blasphemy Riots — March 2013 — Lahore: A mob of enraged Muslims attack and destroy the entire Christian neighborhood of Joseph’s Colony in Lahore following news that a Christian from there was accused of committing blasphemy. Christian witnesses claim police helped evacuate the Christians, but did nothing to protect their homes or property. The Christian was sentenced to death for blasphemy while the perpetrators of the mob violence remain at large. “The Innocence of Muslims” Riots — September 2012 — Hyderabad:
Muslim mobs target Christians and their places of worship following the release of “The Innocence of Muslims” film considered blasphemous in Pakistan. Muslim mobs shout anti-Christian slogans throughout the streets and open fire on several churches in the city, wounding at least one Christian.
Rimsha Masih Blasphemy Accusation — August 2012 — Islamabad/ Rawalpindi: Rimsha Masih, a young Christian girl, was accused of blasphemy, a crime punishable by death in Pakistan, after a radical imam planted burned pages of the Quran in her backpack. Due to intense international pressure, Rimsha was released from prison and moved out of Pakistan with her family due to threats to her life.
Assassinations of Salmaan Taseer & Shahbaz Bhatti — January & March 2011 — Islamabad: In 2011, the Governor of Punjab, Salmaan Taseer, and the Federal Minister of Minority Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, were assassinated for their role in advocating for the release of Asia Bibi and for reform of the country’s blasphemy laws.
Gojra Blasphemy Riots — August 2009 — Gojra: Seven Christians are burned alive by a Muslim mob, along with 40 Christian houses and a church, following an accusation that several Christians in the area had desecrated a Quran. Local Christians claim police did little to protect them from the mob despite the clear threat to both life and property. Asia Bibi Blasphemy Accusation — June 2009 — Sheikhupura: Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, was accused of blasphemy, for which she later was sentenced to death, after she got into a dispute with Muslim co-workers for taking a drink of water from a “Muslim well.” Asia’s case has come to epitomize the abuse of Pakistan’s laws, and Asia remains on death row despite numerous international advocacy efforts.
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Faith and Sacrifice
The Real Story in the Aftermath of S
Rebuilding
T
A worker labors to repair damage left in one of the two churches attacked by suicide bombers in March.
By William Stark he suicide bombers
came to the churches on March 15 during morning services. Connected to the Pakistani Taliban, they attacked St. John’s Catholic Church and Christ Church, located in a Christian neighborhood of Lahore called Youhanabad. They left 19 people dead and another 80 wounded. These are the basic facts, the who, what, when, and where, that I reported in a press release days before I departed on my trip to Pakistan. When I arrived in Youhanabad, I discovered the basic facts were insufficient to truly tell the story of the Christian community in Youhanabad following the church bombings.
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Extreme fear, intense anger and devastating grief were ever-present emotions for many of the Christians I met in Youhanabad, yet there were still glimmers of hope mixed with pride in each person’s testimony. These glimmers of hope and pride were something I didn’t fully understand or fully appreciate until I had time to reflect upon my time in Youhanabad.
Twin Church Bombings
“I was leading the church in a song during the offering when we were attacked,” Fr. Francis recalled. “At first, I heard [gun]shots fired outside the church. The church members didn’t hear the shots because of the music, so I kept leading the song so that no one would panic. Then, seconds later, we heard the blast outside the main gate.” “Church members were afraid of a second bomber and fled the church from differ-
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ent places,” Fr. Francis continued. “Some climbed over the wall, and others ran out the back gate. I went to the main gate to see what had happened. I saw the gate had been blasted 35 yards back, and the ground was covered in blood and body parts.” I heard an eerily similar story when I talked to Rev. Irshad Ashknaz, head pastor of Christ Church. “We were just about to take communion when we heard gunshots outside,” Rev. Ashknaz said. “Then we heard two blasts. The first blast, we just heard. The second blast, we felt the impact and saw the smoke.” “I didn’t think two churches had been attacked at first,” Rev. Ashknaz recalled. “When I came out of the church, I saw people running both to our church and to St. John’s. That’s when I heard both churches were attacked.”
JULY 2015
Feature Article
f Suicide Bombings
Secret Arrests Shrapnel from a suicide bomber’s vest blasted holes into the wall.
Sacrifice At St. John’s, people kept telling me that Akash Bashir, a young Christian man, had saved everyone inside the church. “When the bomber shot at the church security, Akash stood firm,” Fr. Francis said. “He stopped the bomber from getting inside the church, where he could have killed many more.” “When the bomber tried to enter the church gate, Akash and Sikandar threw the gate door at the bomber and hit him,” a security volunteer at St. John’s said. “The bomber fell down, and when he got back up and tried to enter the church again, Akash hugged him, holding down the bombers arms, and pushed him away from the church.” “As Akash pushed the bomber away, Sikandar threw the gate door closed again,” the volunteer continued. “The bomber then blasted himself with Akash still hugging him.” “We are feeling two things,” Akash’s mother told me. “We are depressed because we have lost our son. But we are also proud of his sacrifice. He saved hundreds. I didn’t like that Akash volunteered for security at the church — the terrorists always attack security first — but Akash insisted. He told me he was willing to sacrifice himself to save others. I am happy God has given him the crown of martyrdom.” Similarly, Christians at Christ Church were able keep the bomber from entering the church. When the bomber opened fire on the security volunteers at Christ Church,
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a Christian named Zahid Yousaf, nicknamed “Goga,” apprehended the bomber and pushed him 20 feet away from the church.
The Real Story
Even with the heroic sacrifices of both Akash and Goga, tragedy still visited many Christian families in Youhanabad. “Abishey left the church to purchase something,” Abishey’s mother told me. “He was only 10 years old and was going into 4th grade. He was outside the church gate when the bomb went off and was killed on the spot. I can’t express how much I miss him.” “Since the beginning of our faith, the blood of the martyrs has been the seed of the church,” Fr. Francis said. “More young people have volunteered for security than before, and thousands came to our church when we held a memorial service for those killed. People are looking to Akash’s sacrifice and finding strength despite this tragedy.” When I left Youhanabad, I found I also had two feelings. I was filled with intense grief for those who had lost friends and family, but also with awe as I thought about the incredible sacrifices both Akash and Goga made. Later, I realized how the basic facts didn’t tell the most important story about the Youhanabad church bombings. The story of sacrifice, faith, pride and hope were missing in just a factual telling of the events. The Church globally still needs to hear stories about Christians willing to sacrifice for their faith. That’s the real story of Youhanabad.
Following the bombings of St. John’s Catholic Church and Christ Church in Youhanabad, enraged Christians took to the streets in protest. These protests quickly turned deadly when Christians discovered two Muslims in police custody. Protesters, who accused the Muslims of being involved in the attacks on the churches, beat the Muslims to death and burned their bodies. “It was an inhumane thing they did,” Fr. Francis said. “The scene of the bomb blasts, with all the blood and body parts drove the people mad.” The murder of the two Muslims dominated both national and international headlines, overshadowing the bombing of the two churches. It also initiated a campaign of terror led by police. Mass arrests of Christian men followed in the days after the bombings. As many as 111 Christian men were rounded up by police in Youhanabad, in many cases only on the basis of being male and a Christian. Reports of torture in police custody and rumors of reprisal attacks by the Muslim community quickly spread through the Christian community, prompting many families to abandon their homes and leave Youhanabad. “Many were scared they would be next to be grabbed, so they left,” Fr. Francis said. “Many didn’t even know their relatives had been arrested. They just went missing. The families came to church leaders to report their missing relatives, and then we asked the police officials to confirm whether or not they had them.” Since then, many of the Christians arrested have either been released or charged with participating in the murder of the two Muslims. Many of the Christian prisoners are still scared of the police and remain unwilling to give testimony about the torture they endured in police custody.
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THE HORROR OF FORCED CONVERSION Pakistani women tell horrific stories of being raped, kidnapped, forcefully converted to Islam and married to Muslim men.
F
By William Stark
arah was working in a
field in a village outside of Lahore with her sister. “When we finished up our work harvesting, two men attacked me,” Farah said. “They covered my face with a sheet and covered my mouth so I couldn’t scream. They hit me and took me back out to the fields and raped me in turns.” “After that, they forced me to take some tablets that made me unconscious,” Farah continued. “When I woke up, I was inside another place, tied up and blindfolded. They kept me there for two weeks, drugged most of the time, and used me again and again.” While Farah was abducted, her abductors forcefully converted her to Islam and had her married to one of them. “I remember that they took my thumb prints while I was drugged,” Farah said. These thumb prints were used to sign both a false marriage and conversion certificate after she was forced to convert to Islam. “I remember they held a phone up to my ear,” Farah recalled. “I was talking to an imam who asked me if I wanted to convert to Islam. Because of the drugs and the torture, I said yes.”
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When Farah’s parents discovered she was abducted, they pleaded for her return. The abductors, who were known to the family, told them that it was too late and that Farah had already converted to Islam. Despite this, Farah’s parents pursued the matter with their village leaders and were able to secure Farah’s return. Since then, Farah’s parents have been
‘When I woke up, I was inside another place, tied up and blindfolded. They kept me there for weeks, drugged most of the time, and used me again and again.’ PERSECU ION.org
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forced to send her away with other family members to keep her safe from her abductors. Forced conversion to Islam remains one of the top issues faced by Pakistan’s Christian community. As noted in the 2015 Annual Report by U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), “Forced conversion of Christian and Hindu girls and young women into Islam and forced marriage remains a systemic problem. The Movement for Solidarity and Peace in Pakistan estimates that hundreds of Christians and Hindus are victimized each year.” On my trip, I met with many young Christian girls who experienced forced conversion and forced marriages. For me, this has always been one of the most frustrating and heartbreaking issues to work on in Pakistan. Christian girls and young women in Pakistan encounter horJULY 2015
William Stark interviews a victim of a forced conversion attempt in Pakistan. rific persecution for being Christian and for being female.
‘Holy Work’
Incredibly, many of the perpetrators believe their activities are ultimately good, as they are “converting” women into Islam. This mentality is part of the culture and a key reason that it is nearly impossible for victims to attain justice from the system. One woman I interviewed (see photo) told me that she had been harassed for years by a Muslim man who tried to force her to convert to Islam. From 2007 to 2011, this Muslim man had been her co-worker and would often tell her that he was going to forcefully marry her, even though she was already married to a Christian man, and forcefully convert her to Islam. The situation eventually turned violent,
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‘He told me it was because he was doing holy work.’ forcing the Christian woman to quit her job after the man attempted to rape her at work. Despite this, the man followed her to her next workplace. When she again refused his advances, he became enraged and pushed her down a stairwell. As a result, the Christian woman suffered a severe head injury and continues to have difficulty speaking. When asked why she thought the man was so aggressive in pursuing her, she said, “He told me it was because he was doing ‘holy work’ by converting me to Islam.”
Elusive Justice This kind of understanding has also permeated into the justice system in Pakistan. In several cases, the relatives of victims of abduction, forced conversion and forced marriage told me that the police are extremely unhelpful. In one case, I was told that the police officer actually congratulated a father on his daughter becoming a Muslim. Although forced conversions and forced marriages continue to be a major concern for Christians in Pakistan, it remains an issue rarely talked about or confronted either nationally or internationally. If this continues, hundreds more Christian girls and women will be victimized like Farah. USCIRF’s recognition is a great start, but more must be done to start pursuing justice for these victims of persecution.
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