"But What Can I Do??"

While this has not gotten as bad as the Holocaust -- there are no concentration camps or mass graves and it is not a systematic elimination by the government -- there ARE ghettos and persecution, rape, torture, murder. People have had their tongues cut out, have been imprisoned for years for false "blasphemy" charges. There has also been reports that people have had hot metal dripped into their ear canal. A man recently was beaten to death for drinking from a "Muslim only" cup. That is on my blog.

The Gojra massacre all happened over a little illiterate boy of about five who made little toy boats with some scraps of paper he found outside that ended up being from the Quran. While the local Muslims got their underwear in a knot over this, they in the end did not arrest anyone and let it go. But it was the extremists -- gang members and Taliban -- who descended on Gojra and set it aflame.

My friend's cause will be helped by creating a general outrage and outcry. It will make things worse for Christians there I fear, but in the long run, it may end up helping their cause. If we can shame the Pakistani government on an international scale, maybe they will take these issues seriously, crack down on the gangs, and repeal their blasphemy laws.

But maybe it is all for naught. Remember Benezir Bhutto? She came out of hiding, and one of the things she had in the works was the repealing of the blasphemy laws. She was the one beacon of Muslim hope to Pakistani Christians, and she was murdered mere weeks after coming out of hiding.



"What can I do?"
But things one can do, if one does not have money to give or simply does not trust the vacuous poverty hole that currently exists in this situation, is to call and write to people. Calling is more effective, but you can do both.



Call AND write to:

US Pakistan Embassy
info@embassyofpakistanusa.org
202-243-6500

United States Embassy in Pakistan
Tel: (+92) 51-2082060
Fax: (+92) 51-2278607
E-mail: webmasterisb@state.gov

Your senator/representative

Amnesty International
Telephone: +44-20-74135500
Write: http://www.amnesty.org/en/contact
http://www.amnestyusa.org/take-action-on

line/page.do?id=1031043

Contact the Urgent Action Network

E-Mai: luan@aiusa.org

Mail
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 5th Fl.
Washington, DC 20003

Telephone
1 202 544 0200 (Ask for "Urgent Action Office")
Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.

Church World Service
202-544-2350
info@churchworldservice.org

UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency)
http://www.unhcr.org/pages/4a324fcc6.html
(write to both the US and Pakistan)

The UNHCR is based in Geneva.
address:
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Case Postale 2500
CH-1211 Genève 2 Dépôt
Suisse.
telephone number: +41 22 739 8111 (automatic switchboard).
Working hours are from 8:30 to 17:30 (7:30 GMT to 16:30 GMT) Monday to Friday.

International Christian Concern
persecution.org
phone: 800-ICC-5441
email: superadmin@persecution.org
http://www.persecution.org/suffering/what_can_i_do.php

Ministry Information: (877) 337-0302

National News Stations: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and NPR

Katie Couric: evening@cbsnews.com

The President of the United States: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/


Persecution.org is doing little "gift bags" for these people of Gojra who have lost their homes.: http://etools.781net.com/a/vomso/bg_vomso_wdbm_382.html