News
Christian man falsely accused of blasphemy
A Christian man has been falsely accused of blasphemy in village Chack No 129, in Faisalabad. The charge was brought against Arif Masif after a dispute over property with a local Muslim man, Shahid Yousaf, last week. Iqbal Masih, a CLAAS volunteer in Faisalabad, tells us that Shahid is an employee of the police department and lives in the same locality. Shahid and his brother allegedly dropped some pages of the Koran outside the front door of their own home and then started shouting that Arif had committed blasphemy by tearing pages of the holy text.
Attack on church after Koran burning
A Catholic church in Wah Cantt, 45 km from Islamabad, has been attacked by extremists following last month’ Koran burning by a controversial US pastor. St Thomas parish was attacked by a group of around six or seven Muslims on the evening of March 28. According to Spero news, they threw stones at the windows, destroyed the light towers, and tried to break down the church door.
Two Christians killed in attack on church in Hyderabad The CLAAS team is deeply saddened by the murders of two Christians in an attack on a church near Hyderabad, in Sindh Province. The victims are a 47-year-old father of four, Yunis Ilyas, and a 21-year-old newly-wed, Jameel Masih.
Urgent request for prayers after CLAAS director receives death threats
We urgently request that you pray for the safety and protection of Joseph Francis, the director of CLAAS Pakistan, who has received death threats from militants because of his work speaking up for the rights of persecuted people, especially Christians, in Pakistan. The death threats started coming in after Mr Francis spoke about the misuse of the blasphemy laws on the Policy Matters programme on the Duniya TV channel and Kal Tak on the Express TV Channel.
Asia Bibi fears she will be the next victim of vicious killings in Pakistan
Since last November CLAAS has been pressing for justice for Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death on blasphemy charges. We have written to the President of Pakistan, the Pakistani High Commissioner in London, and to the British Prime Minister pleading for justice and greater security for Asia Bibi.
EU, Archbishop of Canterbury share concerns for welfare of Asia Bibi
Christian mother-of-five Asia Bibi remains in jail awaiting an appeal hearing against her death sentence for blasphemy. CLAAS has received letters from the office of Lady Catherine Ashton, Vice-President of the European Union, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, voicing their concern for Asia’s safety and the human rights violations occurring under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.
CLAAS welcomes EU condemnation of Shahbaz Bhatti’s murder
The EU has strongly condemned the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s Minorities Minister, on 2 March. The minister was killed by gunmen in the capital Islamabad whilst on his way to a cabinet meeting. His killers made clear that their motive had been Bhatti’s opposition to Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.
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