Pakistan (MNN) — Something stunning hit Pakistani prime time TV viewers last month. Producers of the show Tan Man Neel o Neel tackled Pakistan’s rampant blasphemy accusations and mob violence issues.

It was artfully done. After building rapport with audiences with a quality story and production, the series finale delivered an unexpected twist. It closed with a heartbreaking portrayal of a blasphemy accusation and deadly violence. Then, the closing credits showed photos of Pakistanis who were falsely accused of blasphemy and then killed, as well as images of churches and homes destroyed in those types of riots.

Aftermath of the Joseph Colony attack on Christians in Pakistan in 2013 (Photo courtesy Voice of the Martyrs Canada)

The bold risk and message of the show’s creators have sparked strong reactions, and also hope for change.

“It’s a unique situation where this was not [created] by Christian groups. They weren’t pastors,” says Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs, Canada. “It seems to be from the entertainment community, recognizing that there is an issue in Pakistan, and recognizing that, ‘Hey, we don’t want this to be a part of our culture in Pakistan.’” 

Brobbel explains that Pakistani authorities usually fail to hold mob attackers accountable, even when accused people have been murdered. That has to change.

One voice for that change was Shahbaz Bhatti, a Pakistani politician who was killed in 2011. He was critical of blasphemy laws, and he supported a Christian woman named Asia Bibi who was imprisoned on blasphemy charges at the time. Sunday, March 2 marked the 14-year anniversary of Bhatti’s assassination at the hands of the Taliban. (Read more on Bhatti’s ongoing impact in Pakistan here.)

Now that Tan Man Neel o Neel* has hit the cultural scene, Brobbel says Pakistani Christians can be encouraged that more people recognize the injustice going on in Pakistan.

asiabibi

Asia Bibi was imprisoned in Pakistan on blasphemy charges. (Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs, Canada)

“Hopefully now the majority will begin to speak up and really start pressing government officials and police to … start holding them (perpetrators) accountable and seeing them being charged with inciting mob violence, bodily harm, and in some cases even death,” he says. 

Would you please pray for Pakistan? Ask God to use this TV series to open the eyes of people who have been ignoring injustices against Christians and other religious minorities. Pray for a just government. Pray that the Pakistani Church will boldly press forward with the gospel in this cultural moment.

“God has often used unique ways to deliver His people, to show that He is in control and allowing His people to further the Kingdom,” Brobbel says, “and I think this could be a possible way in Pakistan that God is using to free up opportunities for the gospel to go forward.”

 

*Tan Man Neel o Neel loosely translates to “Body and Soul Badly Bruised”

 

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Amir Arabshahi/Unsplash.