Faith Under Fire........
Muslim mob burns Christian man - attack is 10th in increasingly violent
Pakistan in month
Posted: March 30, 2010
9:55 pm Eastern
By Michael Carl
A Muslim mob in the Rawalpindi, Pakistan, burned alive a Christian man,
the second burning death in the past three weeks and the 10th
anti-Christian attack in Pakistan within just a month.
The explosion of anti-Christian attacks in an increasingly militant
Pakistan is raising concern among human rights activists because of
Pakistan's higher international profile.
A human rights activist who asked not to be named said the increased
anti-Christian violence should make western Christians take notice.
"Pakistan is continuing to try to get its blasphemy law included in the
United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. If their blasphemy law is
included, that will have a profound impact on how the U.N. views human
rights," the activist said.
"And Pakistan's increasingly militant Islam will not only embolden
Muslims against Christians across the Middle East; it will cause this
kind of violence to spread to other parts of the world," the activist
said.
Pakistan's blasphemy laws include criminal penalties for anyone
"mistreating" a copy of the Qur'an or saying anything deemed offensive
against Muhammad.
Section 295-C says, "Whoever by words, either spoken or written or by
visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation,
directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet
Mohammed (PBUH) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life,
and shall also be liable to fine."
Section 298-A includes penalties for anyone who says or writes anything
against Muhammad's family members, associates or successors.
In this recent attack, a Rawalpindi Muslim mob, including some
Pakistani police officers, tried to force Arshed Masih to renounce his
Christian faith and convert to Islam. Masih refused their demand and
was burned to death.
Reports also show that one of three Muslim policemen watching the
incident raped Masih's wife while Masih's body burned. The policeman
sexually assaulted Masih's wife Martha after she refused to convert to
Islam.
International Christian Concern's South Asia analyst Jonathan Racho
says the attack is the result of bad feelings over the Christian
couple's leaving their place of employment.
"Arshed and his wife used to work for a powerful local businessman,
Sheik Mohammad Sultan. Sheik Sultan asked them convert to Islam and
both of them refused," Racho said.
"The Muslims tried to convert him to Islam by force and he refused. He
said strongly that he was going to remain a Christian. It was at that
point that they decided to burn him alive," Racho said.
"Because both Masih and his wife refused to recant their Christian
faith, Sheik Sultain decided to burn Masih to death. It's a very sad
story," Racho said.
Masih was taken to Holy Family Hospital and treated for severe burns,
but he died three days later, on March 24.
International Christian Concern staffers report that Masih's three
children have suffered severe mental trauma as a result of the murder.
Racho said this incident proves that the Pakistani legal system clearly
favors Muslims.
"Pakistani Christians are openly treated as second-class citizens in
Pakistan. These brutal attacks prove that Pakistani police don't care
about the safety of Christians and don't accept the rights of
Christians," Racho said.
In an earlier case, 37-year-old Asia Bibi still is being held and
charged under Pakistan's blasphemy law.
Worked earlier Bibi had already been held for four months.
After waiting behind bars, 37-year-old Asia Bibi of Pakistan stood
recently before a judge in Sheikhupura, where she is accused of
blaspheming Muhammad for allegedly saying, "Jesus is alive. Muhammad is
dead."
She is charged under section 295-C of the Pakistani Criminal Code,
which says, "Use of derogatory remarks, etc; in respect of the Holy
Prophet. Whoever by words, either spoken or written or by visible
representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation,
directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Hole Prophet
Mohammed (PBUH) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life,
and shall also be liable to fine."
Racho adds that Bibi is feeling the strain of her confinement.
"Her activities are extremely restricted and she feels the pressure
from the officials there," Racho said, adding her family is also
feeling the pressure of Bibi's arrest and confinement.
"Her mother is now judged to be insane. She is mentally incapacitated
now because of the toll that the situation is having on her health,"
Racho said.
"Her brother has left the place where he was living because of the
pressure from Muslims who are harassing her family," Racho said. "He
was forced to leave the area."
Bibi does have legal representation.
"She has a Muslim lawyer. The lawyer is someone she trusts and he has
volunteered to help her because he knows her. Not all Muslims in
Pakistan are against Christians. He is one of those examples," Racho
said.