Gun attack on church, Christian teenager drowned, Islamicists extort money from Christian community

Location of Essa Nagri (City of Jesus) in Karachi

Although the world's media is focusing on the case of Ramsha, the young girl arrested for 'blasphemy' amidst a cleric-incited hate mob demanding she be burnt alive, this is but one case among many.  Here we give several more recent visits.

BPCA has received reports that at 2am today, 21st August unknown gunman sprayed St Matthews church, in the Pehlwan goth Gulistan-e- Jahur area of Karachi leaving the local Christians in fear and the front of the church damaged.  According to local sources, there have been several attacks on Christian properties and churches in the area in the past year or so.

Source

In addition, in Islamabad, there a reports that a teenage Christian boy called Waiz Masih, believed to be 14 years old, was killed near a police station.  He was sitting by the Lai Canal when some Muslim boys started arguing with him about religion and then started beating him until he was unconscious, and then threw him into the canal, where he drowned.  His body was recovered on Sunday August 19th.

From the same source there is news of a 20 year old named Salman Masih in the Gahindra District of Shaikhupura has been shot and badly wounded by a neighbour, Mohammed Khalil, who had apparently been aggressive against Mr Masih, telling him to get his foot of his grounds.  (Many Pakistan Muslims believe that Christians and Hindus are unclean and dirty, and any contact is defiling).

Source

In addition, further to our recent article about death threats to a Christian rights activist, in Karachi, we have now received news from a Karachi church leader that on the 13th August a Jirga (local council of elders) accused the whole Essa Nagri Christian community (Essa Nagri is the largest Christian slum / community in Karachi) of blasphemy and along with threats imposed a fine on this impoverished community of over £670 and two goats.  This tactic is one being used by Islamicists the world over, a way of enforcing the concept of jizya - tax on 'unbelievers'.  It is one way that these terror-related extremist groups get their funds to operate.

Source - senior church leader in Karachi

New blasphemy low - downs syndrome girl arrested!

Replacement of representative picture - Rimsha after release on bail.

Sign our petition here:

http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/freerimshamasih

We have received reports of a new and appalling low in the ongoing abuse of blasphemy laws.  Allegedly, a Quran was found with some of its pages burned by Muslims in a Christian area of Islamabad - in previous cases the burning has nearly always shown to have been done by Muslims, or by mentally unstable people - and worse, they have had an 11 year old Christian girl with downs syndrome called Rimsha Masih arrested and charged with the crime.  Rimsha was arrested on the 17th August 2012.

Muslim extremists are threatening to burn down every Christian house in the community.  Several thousand Christians have fled the suburb and are in hiding, along with the family of the victim.  Mobs of over a thousand Muslims have surrounded the community and are burning tyres.

At the last account, Christian human rights workers have persuaded local Mullah's not to authorize the threatened attacks after Friday prayers.  Some went to the local police station and report the situation on the ground is very bad.  It is quite evident that the police they talked to have already assumed her guilt.  They refused to allow the workers to see the FIR, placed by a Muslim called Alsyed Muhammad Ummad.  The police were aggressive and hostile, and appear to have immediately called Muslim youths to the police station to harass the Christian workers.  The police said 'She has burned our holy book and you are here to protect her'.  It is quite clear that the police are hostile to the accused, presume her guilt and have no regard for her status as a minor or as one with Down's Syndrome.

Please pray for her and her family.

The Christian rights workers are planning to apply for bail for her immediately after the Muslim Eid celebrations currently ongoing

Source, also information from International Christian Voice on FB