Washington, D.C. (September 1,2009) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on August 25, police in Pakistan arrested two Christians for eating during the Islamic fasting season of Ramadan in the city of Silanwali.
Gull Masih and Ashir Sohail were traveling to Lahore when their bus stopped at the Bismillah Hotel to let off passengers. After the waiter served them tea and a snack, several policemen started to question them as to why they were desecrating Ramadan by eating during the Islamic fasting season. The two Christians told the police that since they are Christians, they are not supposed to fast during Ramadan.
The police then threw them in a van and took them to the Silanwali police station and registered a case against them, alleging that the Christians desecrated the Islamic fasting month. Later the police transferred the Christians to the district jail in Sargodha. Now their case is pending before a court.
Azzaq Bhatti, the father of Gull Masih and paternal uncle of Ashir Sohail, in an interview with ICC said that, “during Lent, all Muslims eat, drink and smoke publicly and neither police nor government authorities take notice of it. And none of the Muslims are arrested for desecrating Christians’ Lent season.”
ICC’s Jonathan Racho said, “Forcing Christians to fast during the Islamic fasting month is both outrageous and a clear violation of freedom of religion. We call upon Pakistani officials to immediately release Gull and Ashir and take appropriate legal measures against police officers who detained them."
Please contact the Embassy of Pakistan in your country and politely ask the Pakistani officials to immediately release Gull and Ashir.
Pakistan Embassies:
USA: (202) 243-6500
Canada: (613) 238-7881
UK: 0870-005-6967
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
"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-online/page.do?id=1031043
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)
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
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
Contact the Urgent Action Network
E-Mai: luan@aiusa.orgMail
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.htm
(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/wha
Ministry Information: (877) 337-0302
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
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