Christians worldwide are expressing concern over the planned burning of Korans in Gainesville, Florida. They fear the 9/11 anniversary event may have a ripple affect around the world and place lives at risk.
Nowhere is this of greater concern than in the country of Pakistan.
Christians are a small minority in Pakistan—no more than 2-3 percent of the total population of 175 million people. For years they have suffered at the hands of Islamic radicals and a government unwilling to protect them.
Christians are often falsely accused of blasphemy against Mohammed, Islam, and the Koran and suffer imprisonment because of the country’s archaic 295 Law.
Some like Pastor Rashid Emmanuel and his brother Sajid have been murdered by extremists after acquittal and release from prison. Justice prevailed in the legal system, but not in the streets.
Fifty percent of Pakistanis cannot read or write and that means, when a militant imam at a mosque tells Muslims to go and attack Christians, chances are at least half of them believe their spiritual leader when he says their holy book requires it. They cannot read the Koran for themselves, so they have to take his word for it.
Open Doors President Carl Moeller told CBN News, that militant Muslims cannot attack Christians in America, so they attack those closest to them.
When Islamists become angry about actions in the West, Pakistani Christians usually pay the price.
Some examples:
--Churches were attacked and Christians killed when the United States began bombing Afghanistan in October 2001. One of the worst occurred in Bahawalpur when militants stormed into a church service killing the pastor and 15 others.
--Pakistani Muslims rioted in February 2006 after cartoons of Mohammed appeared in a Danish newspaper. Again, Christians were attacked and several Pakistan churches were burned.
--Later that same year in September, Muslims responded violently again when Pope Benedict quoted a Byzantine emperor’s remarks about Mohammed.
Many other acts of violence have occurred in Pakistan following rumors of alleged Koran desecration.
A recent case in point was the violence in Gojra in August 2009. Eight Christians were killed and as many as 100 homes were burned.
And this week, warnings of a similar response if Dr. Terry Jones and his tiny church proceed as planned. Pakistani Christians are on edge, and they’re asking us to join them in praying for their protection and a peaceful 9/11 anniversary weekend.
I talked by phone with Tumera Bibi of the Apostles of Gospel Ministries in Faisalabad. She says Pakistani Christians are worried, but prayerful. Some of the video used in this interview is of past incidents--the Mohammed riots from 2006 and the Gojra attack last year.
Watch and listen to the interview here.