Christian future in Pakistan reconsidered

Current Pakistani protests over the British knighthood of author Salman Rushdie have raised fears over the future of Christians in the country. Pakistani Religious Affairs Minister Ejaz-ul-Haq told Parliament that the British honor contributes to "insulting Islam" and may lead to terrorism.Meanwhile, a mob attack on evangelicals last week appears to be symptomatic of religious hatred which seemingly has heightened. On June 17, approximately forty Muslim men armed with guns, axes and wooden sticks attacked several believers while they were preparing for an evangelistic meeting at a Salvation Army church in the village of Bismillahlpur Kanthan.Glenn Penner of Voice of the Martyrs-Canada describes it as a matter of constant harassment."Pakistani Christians face this on a daily basis-not being able to get decent work or facing discrimination in the workplace, if they can find jobs at all. Persecution isn't just incidents; it's an environment as well, and Pakistani Christians feel very much under pressure."Christians injured in the attack were forced to leave the hospital after only a few hours of treatment, and doctors under-reported their wounds due to pressure from the militants. Police initially refused to file a complaint against the attackers and did so only after lobbying efforts from local Christians.Several Christians have fled the area in fear of further attacks.

To read more go to:

http://www.mnnonline.org/article/10074

As in the days of Noah...