[HT Prayer] Fw: News from CLAAS

[wilson-gill at tiscali.co.uk]

Dear friends,

As you know, CLAAS is one of our mission partners whom we financially and otherwise support. Recently I have received this newsletter and hope that this information will help us to be aware of the present situation in Pakistan and will give specific points for prayers. Thanks and God bless.

 

Sincerely,

Wilson 

----Original Message----
From: info at claas.org.uk
Date: 26/10/2007 18:11 
To: <wilson.gill at htaylesbury.org>
Subj: News from CLAAS







>From CLAAS- UK







 
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News from CLAAS- UK

Christians are threatened to convert to Islam or leave village  
A Christian labourer brutally murdered by his employer
Report of Kala Masih ( Murder case
CLAAS settles Blasphemy Case outside court
CLAAS reports to the home office
CLAAS Meets Muslim Leaders  in attempt to promote Harmony
Prayer line
 
Christians are threatened to convert to Islam or leave village  
Mansha Masih his brother Rafiq Masih and his cousins of Gangapur village (Punjab) are threatened to convert to Islam or leave the village. There are only 4 Christian families out of 100 total households in the village. Christian families have been living there pre partition and are working for the local landlords. According to reports , since October 18th, Christian families are being continuously forced to go to the local mosque by Mohammad Ansar, Mohammed Baber and Kali to convert to Islam or leave the village. At one occasion, their houses were attacked and their women were beaten. Mansha Masih and his cousins have approached the local police station in Mandi Faiz Abad but the police have refused to register a case against Mohammad Ansar and his companions. CLAAS-PK has taken the case and is trying to get justice fro the Christian families. 
 
A Christian labourer brutally murdered by his employer
Sadiq Masih R/o Sheikhupura aged about 45 years have been working for the feudal lords of the district Sheikhupura for almost ten years, he had six children. He and his family work for the feudal Lords (Chaudhri) of the village.
About one year ago, Sadiq and his family refused to work for the Chaudhri, because of the immoral and inhumane attitude of the Chauhdery’s towards the Christian families. This was the reason the Chaudhri started making trouble with them.  They then alleged that the two sons named Khalid (aged about 14 years) and Basharat (aged about 17 years) committed murder. And now both of them are in jail.
The Chauhdries   threatened the family of Sadiq.  They said that they will kill him if he does not come back to work, but Sadiq Masih did not take their threats seriously. 
Finally On 30th July 2007 at about 06:00 pm the Chauhdries came to Sadiq’s house and opened fire on Sadiq and his family in which Sadiq Masih died on the spot and his elder son Tariq was seriously injured. He is now admitted in Mayo hospital Lahore, in a critical condition. The life of Tariq is still under threat because Chauhdries are willing to kill him also because registered the FIR which was lodged against the Chauhdries.
 CLAAS came to know about this incident on the morning of 31st July 2007 from Rev. Fr. Samson who is the parish priest of District Sheikhupura. A team of three people including Ms. Aneeqa Maria Akhtar (Advocate High Courts) and Shameer Asif (field officer) led by Me. (Joseph Francis National Director CLAAS) visited the village and took  responsibility for the dead body which was in the custody of the police for post mortem. All the expenses of the funeral, including Coffin, ambulance, food etc was paid by CLAAS.
CLAAS also arranged for the security of the villagers and especially the family of Sadiq Masih (deceased) because the Chauhdries threatened to kill the whole family of the deceased and also the people who support the family or who will come for the funeral.
By the grace of GOD every thing was gone alright but still there is very much anxiety in the village because there is the apprehension of another attack by the  murders who have announced that they can’t allow Sadiq’s dead body to be buried in the village and who ever tries this, will be killed by them.            
 
We always need your prayers to continue our difficult task in such a country where there are no rights to Christians, Neither towards happiness, nor towards peace and freedom. 
 
Report of Kala Masih ( Murder case) 
An 8-years-old Kala Masih alias Rambo s/o Mansha Masih resident of Bilal Town Lahore was viciously assassinated by the Muslim fellow-residents on the grounds of family hostility. Mansha Masih. the reason is that the father of Kala Masih ( Mansha)  and Ashraf Shah had some conflicts because of religious differences. Their houses were situated side by side and Shahs had always been quarrelsome to Mansha and his family.  On May 28, 2007, Bushra w/o Mansha Masih and Sakina w/o Ashraf Shah had a quarrel on a trivial matter. But Shah family registered a counterfeit FIR at Chung Police Station against Mansha Masih Bushra and the elder son of Mansha Masih namely Parvaiz. They alleged them for quarrel and slurred Sakina by tearing her clothes. Mansha and his family escaped  from their house on May due to the filiing of that forged case. And later they came back to their home in August 2007. Ashraf Shah informed the police and got Parvaiz and Bushra arrested on 1st of August 07.
Later , On August 03, 2007, while (Mansha father of the deceased) was at work, and little Kala Masih was playing in the street. When Mansha came home he did not find Kala anywhere, Mansha along with his relatives and friends started searching for Kala Masih and at last found him after two days near a pond, where he was lying dead in an awful condition. 
They informed the police about the incidence and also about their reservation upon the Shah’s in this Brutal Murder. 
Police did not take any notice upon the situation seriously, and even did not lodge the FIR. There fore they came to CLAAS for legal help, CLAAS got the FIR registered and also assisted in the postmortem of Kala Masih
 
 CLAAS settles Blasphemy Case outside court
 CLAAS has been able to settle a blasphemy case out side the court. On the 1st of June 2007, Pastor Chanan Nadeem from Islamabad informed CLAAS that two Christian women have been accused of Blasphemy in the nursing school, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences. The case was  based upon professional jealousy,  A student of 1st year, Eden Dalton (1st year student)  and the Principal of the Nursing School, Madam Stella Nazir where accused of desecrating the Quranic verses written on a Calendar that was placed on the walls all over in the nursing school Hostel . The matter was blown out of proportion.  Christian students felt unsafe as a result of threats from Muslim students. They did not even dare to get inside the hostel because they were threatened by the Muslim students and their instructors that they will kill them if the entered the hostel.
 
Bail Plea Of Blasphemy Accused Rejected
Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif of the Lahore High Court on July 11 rejected the post-arrest bail of a Christian blasphemy accused, Amanat Masih of Nabipur Virkan, Sheikhupura. The police first information report was registered on March 23, 2007.
 
 
CLAAS reports to the home office
On 27th of September CLAAS met the CIO (Country information officer for Pakistan) in CIPU (Country information Policy Unit) Home Office, U.K. The meeting was arranged by Evangelical Alliance and Many Christian organizations participated. Mrs Parveen Aneel represented CLAAS and presented a 24 pages situational report to the CIO.
The report had two parts, one on the general, constitutional and social discrimination faced by Christians while the other part contained current case studies of the persecution of Christians. Mrs Parveen Aneel requested Home office to consider the cases of Pakistani Christians sympathetically as they come to seek protection in this country. And also to keep the case workers updated about the situation in Pakistan. This essentially relates to the assessment of asylum applications of Pakistani Christians before the Home Office representatives and the courts. CIO expressed his concern about the situation and agreed to include the information provided by CLAAS in the country information report. 
 
CLAAS Meets Muslim Leaders  in attempt to promote Harmony
Mr. Nasir Saeed and Mr. Joseph Francis had a meeting with leaders of Religious and Political Parties. Mr. Nasir raised the issues if of the Christians in Pakistan during the meeting and raised the awareness of the Leader.
Mr. Nasir Saeed and Mr. Joseph Francis had personal Audience with Mrs Ben-a-zire Bhutto Chair person of Pakistan Peoples Party (Ex Prime minister of Pakistan) and expressed their concern about the situation of the Christians with her.
 
 
Prayer line
 
·        We pray  for Imran Masih the Victim of Sodomy May the lord be with him in his suffering and many others like him who  are suffering for the sins they did not commit. May the lord be with his people in their suffering and keep them safe from any harm.
 
·         We Pray for Sadiq Masih, a Christian labourer brutally murdered by his employer. May God Be with them, Today we at CLAAS are praying for the deceased and his family, we also request all of you to pray for them and give them courage to face the hardships of life, which they are already facing as a part of their fate. 
 
·        Lets pray for repose of the soul of Kala Masih who was brutally murdered. May the child rest in peace and may his family get Gods peace. Pray that the culprits of the murder of little child may face justice for the crime they committed.
 
·        Let us pray for the wisdom of the government of Pakistan, that they may be able to repeal all discriminatory laws, especially the blasphemy law which is widely used to discriminate against Christians and for justice for those who are victims of religious discrimination.  
 
 
·        We also remember those Christians who are working at brick kilns in Pakistan and in bonded to labour for very little wages, may the Lord be with them and also bless the work of CLAAS as CLAAS is planning to help them out of bondage.
 
·        Let us pray for CLAAS-PK’s staff who are harassed everyday and face threats for working on the front line, may the Lord protect them and bless them abundantly. 
 
 
·        We pray for our supporters and friends who extend any kind of support for the work of CLAAS, may the Lord bless them with happiness and shower his love upon them. 
 
For further information please contact:
 
CLAAS
P.O.Box 81 
Southall
Middlesex
UB2 5YQ
Tel: 02088679180
Fax; 02088677422
Email: info at claas.org.uk
Web: www.claas.org.uk
 
 





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