Pakistan (MNN) — On June 9, 2,500 Pakistanis supported the men who brutally attacked an elderly Christian through an Islamic extremist rally in favor of enforcing Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.

Todd Nettleton from The Voice of the Martyrs USA says there is widespread support for these kinds of attacks. “You have an attack where a 74-year-old man is beaten to the point that he dies from his injuries. The police arrested some of the attackers, trying to hold them accountable for this attack.”

In response, a mob of 2,500 people gathered into a rally on behalf of the murders saying, “‘They shouldn’t be held accountable, because this Christian allegedly committed blasphemy because he allegedly burned pages of the Quran.’”

During this rally, Islamic extremists threatened the same fate to anyone who commits blasphemy and warned the police not to protect the ‘blasphemers.’

Under Pakistan’s blasphemy law, any insult to Islam or the prophet Muhammad is punishable by death or a life sentence. According to Reuters, many of the blasphemy allegations are targeted at Christians. No one has been executed by the state under the conviction of blasphemy, but many people die before their case goes to trial due to mob violence.

“It doesn’t require evidence. It certainly doesn’t require proof. Someone tosses out an accusation, and the mob swings into action. The rumor of blasphemy is enough to gin up one of these mobs and begin to attack Christians in Pakistan.”

Christians in Pakistan face constant persecution and discrimination of all kinds, from being relegated to the worst jobs in society to facing attacks and even death based on rumors.

“I had a Pakistani Christian on Voice of the Martyrs Radio,” Nettleton says. “He compared the persecution that Christians face to the air that we breathe. He said, ‘When you go to sleep at night, you don’t wonder, tomorrow morning, is there going to be air for me to breathe? Of course there is. That’s what it’s like to be a Christian in Pakistan.’ You don’t wonder if there’s going to be pressure against you tomorrow. You don’t wonder if there’s going to be persecution. Of course there is.”

However, Muslims, even radical Muslims, are responding to the Gospel and putting their faith in Christ. Nettleton believes Muslims are drawn to the message of a loving Savior who sacrificed Himself for them. He says, “That message is such a dramatic contrast from some of what they see from the radical Islamic community within their country.”

Pray for the safety and protection of Pakistani Christians as they face persecution and threats of death. Ask God to encourage them and fill them with the hope of Christ. Pray for government leaders to have the courage to stand up on behalf of religious freedom and on behalf of Christians who are attacked.

 

Header image is a representative stock photo depicting a crowd in South Asia. (Photo courtesy of Amir Arabshahi/Unsplash)