Christian Girl Gang Raped and then murdered!

Shamim Maish sent us this update via LEAD:

Lahore: November 25, 2012. (LEAD) A Christian minor girl from Sahiwal, a city in Punjab, Pakistan, was murdered in the month of August 2012 after being "gang raped" by a group of five Muslim men.

Her father Rafique Masih told Chief of LEAD and President PCC Lahore that he was satisfied with the role of police officials and hopeful for justice from Pakistani courts.

He also shared that he was under heavy debt which he had taken from the owner of brick kiln. He is receiving death threats and warning to take back his complaint against the culprits.

He said thanks for legal support which is providing him through Advocate Javed Sohotra on behalf of LEAD in this case.

He also said thanks for a little bit financial support which LEAD has provided to his family, he also requested to support in paying the debt back to brick kiln owner who is demanding work against the debt money and making him compelled to work on his brick kiln factory.

He also shared that he and his wife and children were feeling insecure after this tragic incident happened with his family.

LEAD needed partners so that LEAD can expand its aid efforts in whole Pakistan.

LEAD is working against the social, Constitutional and religious discrimination of Christians and other Religious Minorities in Pakistan. Blasphemy laws, forced conversion, rape and abduction are at a very high level in Pakistani society. We provide legal assistance and support and safe houses for the victims of religious persecution in Pakistan.

OOBERFUSE FEATURING WIZARD MC GO TO CANADA TO SING FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

On 30th November 2012 London Electro-pop band ooberfuse, featuring Wizard MC, will be in Toronto, Canada to add their voices to the growing outcry at the treatment of Pakistan's minority groups, including Christians. They will headline the event, The James 2-8 Benefit, organized by Love Thy Neighbor International is hosted by Candaian tv personality Michael Coran.

With Wizard MC, the President of the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA), the band will perform 3 songs, including Blood Cries Out (in memory of assassinated Minister of Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti) and Free Asia Bibi (a song protesting the wrongful imprisonment-until-execution of Christian mother of five Asia Bibi) in front of an illustrious gathering of Canadian dignitaries and politicians. The aim of the event is to make audible the otherwise silenced voices of Pakistan's persecuted minorities and to raise funds for development projects in Pakistan.

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Cherrie front-woman for the band says : "it is a great honour and a grave responsibility to enkindle in the hearts of the movers and shakers of Canadian society anxious concern for the plight of non-Muslim groups in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Music has the unique power to arouse deep feelings of solidarity, in this case with those suffering groups in Pakistan. Canada leads the way among other nations in terms of deploying its constitutional powers if not to topple a deeply intolerant regime in Pakistan then at least to provide sanctuary to those fleeing violence and aggressive persecution. I think this has something to do with the exemplary way Canada has treated its own marginalised groups like the indigenous First Nation peoples."

Wilson says : "while the affluent societies of the Western world go about their daily business blissfully unaware for the most part of the plight of their fellow human beings around the world, Christians and other minority groups are being violently persecuted in countries like Pakistan. The trip to Canada is a unique opportunity to build bridges with fellow Pakistani's who have fled persecution so that united with them, we can together sound a wake-up call to the powerful nations of the world  to eradicate once and for all the disease of religious persecution that infects so many societies to their shame and detriment.'     

  

Nico adds : "it is a great honour for us not just to perform our songs before Canadian dignitaries, but to hold hands with Shahbaz's surviving family many of whom have found a safe refuge in Canada. Shahbaz's bother and his niece will be present at the event."

Hal from ooberfuse adds : "Wilson from the BPCA invited us earlier this year in March to write some music to commemorate the first anniversary of the brutal assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti. As we opened ourselves to the full horror of Shahbaz's story, trying all the time to reconcile the natural feelings of outrage at cold-blooded murder with the Christian exhortation to love our enemies, the song Blood Cries Out emerged. Following our debut performance of the song at a peace rally in Trafalgar Square Wilson invited us to reflect on the plight of Christian mother of five Asia Bibi, unlawfully condemned to death-by-hanging under Pakistan's blasphemy law. After translating her autobiography into English to better understand the emotional turmoil faced by Asia the song Free Asia Bibi, protesting her imprisonment and appealing for her release, was born."

Rimsha Masih's original FIR is quashed!

14 year old Rimsha taken to safety after release on bail September 8th 2012

Shamim Maish who attended todays hearing in Islamabad Court shared good news of the dismissal of Rimsha Masih's original FIR.  In an email sent at 6am he said;

Islamabad High Court (IHC) dismissed FIR against Rimsha

Islamabad Pakistan (Shamim Masih): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) announced its verdict today on 20^th November, 2012 and dismissed the First Investigation Report (FIR) filed against 14 years Rimsha, a Christian girl, accused of committing blasphemy.

According to Rimsha’s lawyer Abdul Hameed Rana, the verdict was announced on an application filed by him seeking quashment of the FIR against Rimsha.

Earlier on November 14, the honorable chief justice IHC, Mr. Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rehman had reserved the judgment and announced it today.

Rimsha, 14 a Christian girl was arrested from the slum settlement of Islamabad on August 16 this year, when her neighbor Malik Hammad, accused her of burning pages of Quran verses. She spent three weeks in the jail and was released on bail on 8 September and flown to unknown place with her family. 

Rimsha Masih has escaped prosecution under Pakistan's draconian religious laws, which have been subject to widespread abuse and false accusations.  However many others still languish in jail including Asia Bibi and Younas Masih.  The fact remains that it took over 3 months to find this juvenile victim innocent and trial was dragged through adult courts.  

Villagers from her poor neighbourhood on the outskirts of Islamabad are still being subjected to abuse and threats, many have lost their employment after being away from work while fleeing persecution.  Now they may be facing a cold winter without the means to support their families.  What justice will they receive from authorities that have failed to come to their aid, thus far?

The public outcry to Rimsha's arrest was heightened by the fact that she was a teenager and clains that she suffered from Downs Syndrome or a mental illness. 

Senior Islamic clerics opposed her trial publicly and in a bizarre turn of events three senior figures from the local mosque accused their Imam of tampering with evidence (inserting torn shreds of the Koran to burnt Quranic text books said to be found with Rimsha) to frame the young victim - they later retracted their statements to the dismay of campaigners for Rimsha.  

Police reports following the initial First Incident Report (FIR) supported Rimsha's acquittal, in which they stated Rimsha was neither at the incident location at the right time and that she was not mentally capable of the crime, they adamantly stated their was no evidence of a crime.

Police had made the original arrest allegedly for her protection after concern for her safety was raised when the majority Muslim community of  the Mehrabadi district began protesting against her and blocked one of the main roads to the capital.

Fears for the safety of Rimsha Masih persist and the BPCA is calling for asylum for her family in a country with more progressive culture and legal systems.  

Wilson Chowdhry said;

"Although this is a landmark case which sets a precedent for future blasphemy trials, this judgement will not be a huge catalyst for change.  The volatility and instability within Pakistani society does not allow for the abrogation of the blasphemy laws, which are being used as a tool for minority discrimination and persecution.  These laws are still strongly supported by the Muslim majority and need to be reformed gradually.  High profile victims such as Asia Bibi and Younis Masih are still incarcerated under false blasphemy charges, illustrating the many failures in the Pakistan justice system"

He added;

"Villagers form Rimsha's community are still receiving threats, they have been forced out of work and Pakistani authorities have failed to react to their need.  Support for Imam Chisti is still strong in Mehrabadi and I pray that they will not become the forgotten victims of this debacle.  We congratulate Rimsha and her family and will pray for their future stability and safety.

Wilson was interviewed live on Premier Christian Radios news hour:

http://www.premier.org.uk/news/current/Pakistani%20Christian%20girl%20has%20blasphemy%20charges%20dropped.aspx

Our Initial Sunday School delivery to Mardan Church

Shamim Masih and School teachers prepare gifts for the children of Mardan.

Shamim Masih travelled to Mardan 11th November 2012 - where the Christian community is still reeling form the Arson attack that saw their church, school and 27 homes burned to the ground or irreparably damaged.  His mission was to distribute Christmas gifts to children of the area following a number of cash contributions from our members.  

Over 40 children of different age groups were provided with colourful Christmas gift bags with a number of presents including; colouring books, colour pencils, razors, sharpeners, lead pencils, pouches, candies, chocolates, and other items.  

Shamim informs us that the children were very excited and pleased, they had been feeling very scared following the attack on their community and the gifts gave them much encouragement.  The good mannered children also received the gifts graciously and were very welcoming to Shamim, who has now visited three times.

The BPCA has now received 8kgs of books, Sunday school material, bibles and stationary and needs only another 2Kg of items so that we can send these to Pakistan before Christmas on a bulk delivery discount.  We appeal to churches, groups and individuals to please send any unwanted or spare sunday school literature, or stationary so that we might send our gifts across to this community in anticipation without much further delay.  If you can help please use the following details:

Please send us books, paints, blank and lined paper, colouring pencils, sharpeners, felt and other resources that we might compensate this church for what was taken for them.  Please do not be concerned about sending too much as any excess will be delivered to other churches in Pakistan.  Books can be in English or Urdu/Panjabi.

Items should be sent to our address as follows:

British Pakistani Christian Association

57 Green Lane

Ilford

Essex

IG1 1XG

If you would like to contribute financially to the rebuilding of lives in Mardan then please use the following details:

The BPCA has launched a fund to assist with security for this community and aid for the occupants of the homes  looted and burnt in this attack. 

"Mardan Church Fund" (Please use the fund name as a reference) you can pay in several ways;

Pay by using the PayPal facility on the top right hand corner of our blog and electronic means of transfer will be initiated when you click donate written in the yellow oval. 

You can also send your contributions by cheque payable to;

"British Pakistani Christian Association"  Use address above.

Alternatively should you wish you can pay by BACS, direct debit or standing order by paying into the following account details: 

Sort Code: 20-67-90 

Account Number: 63468976

Christmas has come early and necessarily so!

Many of these children will receive little else for Christmas.

Our work continues but more help is needed.

Not often receiving gifts makes you nervous when it happens!

Gifts were graciously accepted by obedient children.

Boys and girls met with our version of Santa - Papa Shamim.

Over 40 children received gifts.

Christmas is not always as bright as it is in Britain but we did what we could to bring some joy for the season.

Shamim has spoken of the joy he felt at bringing joy to these impoverished young ones.

Only God knows what would have happened to these children if present in the school during the arson attack in Mardan that left this community's; school, Church and homes derelict.  Their vulnerability is evident in their young age.

Many young children were surprised at the gifts as they thought they had been forgotten.

Shamim spent a day at the school preparing the gifts, meeting the children and encouraging staff.

Together the children exhibited so much joy.

Shamim is ready to make this dangerous journey again to help this beleaguered community.

Christmas will have some joy now for these children but huge resources are needed to get families back on their feet.

Teachers form the school thanked contributors and the BPCA for the gifts.

Daily Jaang covers BPCA Community Awards

Rimsha Masih defence calls for acquittal in todays court hearing!

Shamim Masih gives update on Rimsha Masih Case (sic):

Islamabad High Court reserves verdict on plea seeking to Rismsha’s case dismissal

ISLAMABAD PAKISTAN (SHAMIM MASIH): Islamabad High Court (IHC) reserved its verdict on an application from Rimsha council Abdul Hameed Rana seeking to dismiss the Rimsha case on Wednesday 14 November 2012.

Abdul Hameed Rana (Rimsha’s lawyer) appeared before the chief justice IHC Mr. Iqbal Hameed Rehman taking his plea for Rimsha. He said that the honorable court has seen all the evidences and it’s been proven that the case was totally fabricated against the Christian girl of 14, Rimsha. Nothing has been proven so far so he requested the court to dismiss the case.

The opponent council Ch. Abdul Aziz has also given his arguments in the court today.

After hearing an hour discussion, the chief justice high court has reserved it verdict on an application seeking to dismiss the Rimsha case.

No date has been fixed for decision and this trial is again in a state of limbo.

Rimsha, a 14 years Christian girl, was arrested from a suburb of Islamabad in blasphemy case on August 16 and after three weeks she was released on bail on 8^th September, 2012. Rimsha and her family, who have been in fear for their lives since the blasphemy allegations, were placed to an undisclosed location after her release on bail on September 8.

Pakistan perilous for women

Gemma Wilkinson is a mother distraught because her Pakistani ex-partner kidnapped their little girl in 2009 and took her to Lahore, Pakistan and left her there.  Despite by being imprisoned on his return to the UK, he refuses to give any clue as to what he has done with little Atiya, who - if still alive - would now be 6 years old.  Gemma has had to face talk that her little girl might have been sold like a piece of merchandise by her father, or worse.  The father, Razwan Ali Ranjum, will only claim 'she's in Iran'.

Anyone with information should phone police on 101, the Foreign Commonwealth Office on 020 7008 0878 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

And we should pray for her safety, for her wicked father's repentance, and for the comfort of the mother.

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