Persecution

Woman freed in blasphemy case still in hiding in Pakistan - AP
The AP reports: "A week after Pakistan’s Supreme Court acquitted her of blasphemy, a Christian woman who had been on death row for eight years was freed from detention Thursday, but her whereabouts are a closely guarded secret following demands by extremists that she be hanged in public. The case of Aasia Bibi has become a political minefield for Prime Minister Imran Khan. He is trying to placate the Muslim extremists who have threatened to topple his government, while keeping the 54-year-old mother of five safe from a lynch mob and also finding a way to allow her to leave Pakistan without bringing rioters into the streets. Bibi has been offered asylum by the European Parliament, which championed her case after she was convicted in 2010 under Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy law."

Comment: Please join me in praying for the safety of Aasia Bibi and her family and their quick escape to Europe. Can you imagine how sad it is that this one Christian women can bring rioters into the streets and potentially bring down a government? And what of the other Christians in Pakistan, surely this must be a very difficult time for them as well. Please join me in praying for the church in Pakistan, that they may persevere in faith and meet persecution with love, compassion and forgiveness.