WITNESS FOR MERIAM AT SUDANESE EMBASSY 6/6/14

The BPCA will be collaborating with Christian Voice to hold a witness for Meriam Ibrahim outside the Sudanese Embassy on Friday 6^th June 2014 from 2pm to 4pm.

Sign our petition here:

(click here)

This is despite false reports of Meriam's imminent release.

The address of the Sudanese Embassy is 3 Cleveland Row, St. James, London SW1A 1DD

Meriam Ibrahim is the Christian Sudanese doctor sentenced to death and to 100 lashes for apostasy, that is converting from Islam to Christianity, and for adultery, that is marrying a man who is not a Muslim. Despite Meriam being brought up by her mother as a Christian, she counts as Muslim according to Sudanese law because her father was Muslim.  Her marriage doesn’t count.

Meriam has just given birth to a daughter in prison and has a 2-year-old son by her husband, Daniel Wani.  She has refused to renounce Christianity. The Court says she must stay in prison for two years to nurse her baby and will then be executed.  It is not know when the flogging is scheduled.

Stephen Green, National Director of Christian Voice, said today: ‘The Sudan court decision has at last been condemned by all UK political leaders, but to our knowledge, no-one has yet taken a protest to the Embassy itself.

‘We are calling the Church to give thanks for Meriam’s courage and to pray for her release, but for those who are near enough, sparing a few hours on a Friday afternoon is the least we can do.

A couple of hours after Christian Voice posted the call to witness on Saturday 31st May, a Sudanese government foreign-office official was reported as saying that Meriam would be released 'within days'. 

Stephen Green responded: ‘This apparent answer to prayer was dashed even quicker.  The official had no authority to make such a statement, her husband said he had heard nothing, and her lawyer now says the judicial process must be gone through before any release.

‘We call on President Omar al-Bashir to direct the Sudanese Courts and Government to drop all charges and release Meriam Ibrahim immediately, to allow freedom to convert to Christianity in law and to guarantee the safety of Christians and the ancient Sudanese Christian Church in Sudan.

Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association, said;

"Christians living in the Islamic World are facing unprecedented levels of persecution and oppression.  Asia Bibi a Pakistani mother of 5 sentenced to death for an alleged blasphemy has had to suffer the ignominy of five failed Appeal hearings, because judges are to frightened or extreme in their views to preside over a trial.  Incarcerated for over five years her case mirrors that of Meriam, in that she has been detained in prison for no other crime then adherence to her faith."

He added;

"This incident only serves to magnify societal differences and affects each of us in our own communities.  People of good conscience from all faiths must unite in condemnation of this act of oppression, if not, one day we may face similar prejudice where we are."

Excerpt from the targeting of "Minority Others" in Pakistan

Price of book including P&P for UK, Europe, Pakistan and US.

P&P UK £18.30 GBP P&P Europe £22.10 GBP P&P Pakistan £25.65 GBP P&P US and Canada £25.65 GBP

The UK Border Agency rejected his assertion that his family had been threatened and his brother beaten by militants looking for him. In other words, they think it was made up. One of the reasons they gave for disbelieving him is that his family also never went to the authorities. The fixation the BA official has with the fact that people did not go to the police indicates ignorance of the fact that very many crime victims do not go to the police in Pakistan because of police corruption and fear of blackmail by the police.

Christians especially have found that going to police often means police refusing to take reports of incidents, and, indeed, often using the kidnap of Christian girls as a pretext to coerce and blackmail parents into converting to Islam.


Thank you for reading this and please know that your sharing, liking and commenting on this post goes a long way in helping to give voice to the persecuted.

All proceeds from the sale of the book support the work of the BPCA.  Much of the early sales will be used to support victims of the Peshawar bomb attacks - December 2013.

Apparent honour killing leads to murder of 25 year old pregnant mother!

Pakistan:In an apparent 'honour killing' a 25-year-old pregnant woman was stoned to death by her own family at the gate of Lahore High Court in Pakistan Tuesday for marrying the man of her choice.

According to Police,Farzana Parveen, resident of Faisalabad, had married Mohammad Iqbal of Jaranwala a few months ago against the wishes of her family.

Nearly 20 people attacked both the  husband and wife in broad daylight before a crowd of people and in the presence of security guards. The husband later described how  police watched the attack silently.Farzana, who was three-months pregnant, died while her husband managed to escape.

Today Thursday,29 May,2014,Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif took notice of the murder of a 25-year-old pregnant woman during an honour killing in front of Lahore High Court.  He has ordered an inquiry into why the police apparently stood by during the whole incident.

Advocate Sardar Mushtaq Gill,a Human Rights Defender and Chief of LEAD along with his team of LEAD consisting of Farazana Sardar,Coordinator of Women Rights,Aric John Advocate,legal Advisor, Sayhoon Eric,Media coordinator and Qaiser Younas ,Court Clerk were present at the Lahore High Court when this incident happened.  The violence broke out during the Appeal hearing of Christian mother of five; Asia Bibi, which was again cancelled unexpectedly.  

Asia Bibi faced with ignominy of her fifth deferred Appeal hearing!

Asia Bibi's Children just want to be with their mother!

Pakistan: Asia Bibi the Christian mother of five who is facing a death penalty and his been incarcerated for five years, was devastated on discovering her Appeal Hearing has been cancelled today. 

Please sign our petition for Asia Bibi  (Click here)

This is now the fifth deferment of Asia Bibi's appeal against the false blasphemy charges that have ruined her life and devastated her family.

Advocate Mushtaq Gill said;

"We have concerns about those who are languishing in jails due to their faith including Asia Bibi and innocent Sawan Masih, but the mob of extremists who burnt Christian homes including Churches in Bedami Bagh, Lahore are walking free without punishment." 

Recently,a man accused of blasphemy,Khalil Ahmed was shot dead by extremists.He was killed by teenage boy while in police detention, hours after he was arrested.It was the second murder involving the blasphemy issuelaws within this month.  Human rights activist Rashid Rehman was also shot dead while he was sitting in his chamber.His murderers have not yet been apprehended despite, reports that he named those who threatened him.

Mushtaq Gill added;

"This is a country where a judge had to flee abroad after convicting murderer of governor Salmaan Taseer.  In fact, the blasphemy law has become an instrument of persecution even against those who defend the accused."

Human Rights activists in Pakistan believe the current climate for minorities has reached a Nadir.  

Mustaq Gill said;

"We are in arguably one of the worst times ever to be a religious minority in Pakistan.We are seeing unprecedented levels of marginalisation and violence against religious minorities in Pakistan under the umbrella of the blasphemy law .How we can think about religious liberty ,freedom of thought and expression if there is law which discriminate and that is safeguard of only particularly religion and its faiths;and where no fair trial and unfair detainment just because of having difference of faith.These words are only in written form that we are all born free and equal but in reality practice is different."

He added;

"The state is stamped with a religion and is constitutionally called Islamic Republic of Pakistan.We Christians and other religious minorities seek advice on what to do about it? We demand a secular state in which we all can enjoy equal rights and be treated equally before the law.We wish to promote peace and religious harmony in Pakistan but how it can be possible under the influence of religious extremists.This is a major problem, which the state has to take seriously." 

Wilson Chowdhry Chairman of the BPCA was disappointed at hearing news of this further delay.  He questioned the validity of the law courts and the intentions of a Government unwilling to offer presidential pardon for Asia, a long term victim of draconian laws. He said;

"It is evident to me that the law courts of Pakistan are unable to uphold truth and justice.  Whether it is fear of reprisals or simply extremism that is preventing judges form presiding over this appeal trial, matters not.  The simple truth is that international conventions are being breached, and Asia Bibi is not being given her basic human right to a fair trial."  

He added;

"It is time for the the Government of Pakistan to accept their responsibility to care for this persecuted citizen.  The president of the country should immediately pardon Asia and allow her the freedom and protection she deserves."

Excerpt from The Targeting of “ Minority Others” in Pakistan

Price of book including P&P for UK, Europe, Pakistan and US.

P&P UK £18.30 GBP P&P Europe £22.10 GBP P&P Pakistan £25.65 GBP P&P US and Canada £25.65 GBP

I have been contacted on several occasions by Pakistani Christian asylum seekers desperate for help with preparing their appeal. I have also been contacted by the chaplain at Yarl’s Wood detention centre out concern over the lack of support they are receiving. Twin sisters at Yarl’s Wood, who cannot be named, told me that one of them had been kidnapped after refusing to convert to Islam. In another case, one woman’s entire family in Pakistan is suffering because her nephew has refused to convert to Islam. Instead of her nephew, she has had to pay the price of his refusal, having been tortured and sexually assaulted by the Pakistani police during investigations. She is still wanted by the Pakistani police and it is not clear what the outcome of this situation will be.



Thank you for reading this and please know that your sharing, liking and commenting on this post goes a long way in helping to give voice to the persecuted.

All proceeds from the sale of the book support the work of the BPCA.  Much of the early sales will be used to support victims of the Peshawar bomb attacks - December 2013.

Excerpt from The Targeting of “ Minority Others” in Pakistan

Price of book including P&P for UK, Europe, Pakistan and US.

P&P UK £18.30 GBP P&P Europe £22.10 GBP P&P Pakistan £25.65 GBP P&P US and Canada £25.65 GBP

Concerning the shameful manner in which many Pakistani Christians and ‘Others’ are denied asylum in the UK, Nasir Saeed notes that:

 If any Westerner has any doubt as to the severity of the situation, they need only consider the accusation of blasphemy levelled against an 8^th grade pupil at a school near Abbottabad because she misspelled a word in a class test. The school’s decision to expel her only proves the extent to which the blasphemy laws are being misused. Yet, the British Government appears almost determined not to let any asylum seeker in, no matter how desperate or endangered their lives back home are. From the moment they submit their application for

asylum, Pakistani Christians have a tough time convincing the Border Agency that returning to their homeland is life threatening.

Thank you for reading this and please know that your sharing, liking and commenting on this post goes a long way in helping to give voice to the persecuted.

All proceeds from the sale of the book support the work of the BPCA.  Much of the early sales will be used to support victims of the Peshawar bomb attacks - December 2013.

Boko Haram wants to “hurt the heart of Nigeria”

Archbishop Kaigama

By John Newton

(Original interview by Maria Lozano) 

THE leader of Nigeria’s Catholics has spoken out – expressing his concerns for the girls kidnapped in the north of the country last month.

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, described his anguish over the plight of the 276 schoolgirls still being held by Boko Haram.

They were among more than 300 students seized by members of the terrorist group from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State on the night of 14^th–15^th April.

Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need during the charity’s international Religious Freedom Conference in Malta, the prelate said: “I am very worried. These girls have never been outside of their village, and now they are in the bush.”

He added: “I just pray that the religious values that Boko Haram promotes are sufficient to influence them to respect the dignity of these girls. 

“They are just innocent girls and every human being feels bad about this. Life is sacred.”

Asked why he thought the terrorist group had carried out the kidnappings, Archbishop Kaigama replied: “They wanted to hurt the heart of Nigeria.”

For the prelate this latest outrage seems to show that Boko Haram is continuing to target the Christian community.

He said: “Most of the girls are Christian. The majority of the girls who escaped were Christian so we can presume that this applies to those still being held.”

Some of the 53 girls who escaped from Boko Haram spoke about their ordeal on Sunday 11^th May, describing their abduction and bid for freedom.

Archbishop Kaigama added: “But it is also true that there are some Muslims who were also kidnapped. So this incident is further evidence to show that Boko Haram is also targeting Muslims to some extent.”

The prelate went on to say that while Boko Haram had originally begun by targeting “Christians as well as police stations and other institutions representing western values” their campaign had expanded and they had now attacked Islamic organisations, killing Muslim clerics.

The archbishop went on to describe the ongoing attacks on Christian churches.

He said: “In my own diocese of Jos, we have suffered several attacks, for example St. Finbarr’s Catholic Church in which 14 people died.

“In February, the group killed more than 100 Christian men in the villages of Doron Baga and Izghe, but the international community did not respond.”

The prelate told Aid to the Church in Need that the latest outrage had caused the international community to turn its attention to Nigeria’s sufferings.

“This time was different, I think, because they are innocent young girls and also because it touches directly the suffering of women, the mothers of these children.

“And women can identify themselves more with the pain of others. The women started holding demonstrations – both Christian and Muslim women.”

The leader of Nigeria’s Catholics went on to stress that, having tried all other means, prayer is currently the best solution to the threat of Boko Haram.

He said: “We tried dialogue and it didn’t work; the government used force and it didn’t work.

“At this stage, what we need to do is to pray – only God can move the heart of these people.”

Archbishop Kaigama went on to request spiritual solidarity with Nigeria’s suffering Church: “We pray and we request your prayers”

He added that he had asked all the Catholics in Nigeria to spend an hour in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, asking God for a lasting solution to the crisis in Nigeria.

Archbishop Kaigama said he is praying for three things – that the girls are released soon and unharmed, that Boko Haram abandons violence, and “that countries come together and fight terrorism, hunger, poverty to create an authentic unity, not just to serve political – hypocritical – interests”.