Christian leaders in Pakistan have condemned a court ruling that sentences a young Christian man to death. In recent weeks, the court convicted Eshan Masih of blasphemy following mob attacks on a Christian community in August 2023, one of the worst the country has seen.
Ehsan, a 27-year-old brick kiln worker, received the devastating sentence from a court in Pakistan this June. The court convicted him of allegedly sharing an image of a damaged Quran on TikTok following the attack on the Christian community in Jaranwala, Punjab.
Under Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy laws, insulting “the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad” is punishable by death. No one has faced execution under this law—until now.
Several Catholic bishops have spoken out against the court’s verdict.
“This is the abuse of law, a travesty of justice,” says Bishop Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad, chairperson of the Commission for Justice and Peace of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
Dozens of people took to the streets of Karachi, Pakistan’s capital, to protest Ehsan’s sentence. His lawyer will appeal the court’s ruling.
The spark that lit the fire
Rumours of two Christian brothers desecrating the Quran sparked attacks on the Christian community last August. Groups of Muslims rioted, damaging and burning nearly 100 homes and more than 25 churches. Open Doors ran an appeal for victims of this awful attack, which many of you generously gave to.
According to a local newspaper, most of those arrested have since been released. But 12 people are still facing trial.
The two Christian brothers detained for desecrating the Quran were acquitted earlier this year.
Today, nearly 12 months after the incident in August, Ehsan faces the death sentence for supposedly sharing an image of this damaged Quran on TikTok.
More casualties of the violence
Meanwhile, two months ago, Nazir Masih, a Christian man in his seventies, was brutally attacked. Muslim rioters falsely accused Nazir of blasphemy, claiming they found damaged pages of the Quran outside his home and factory in Sargodha, Punjab. Nazir later died from his injuries. His family home and shop were damaged and looted.
His grief-stricken widow died two weeks later.
please pray
- Pray Ehsan Masih is strengthened in his ordeal and that his court appeal succeeds.
- Ask God to protect Christians from false allegations of blasphemy.
- Pray believers will hold on to their identity as children of God.
World watch list top 50 booklet
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