“By turning it into a religious conflict, the Muslims involved hope the Christians would stop speaking out for their property rights.”
Over two million Christians, including a small and courageous community of Orthodox Christians, live in Pakistan, and their existence is precarious and difficult. In fact, the persecution of Christians, as this article indicates, is increasing in Pakistan, with religion, as we see here, often being turned into a weapon of this persecution.
Please pray that our beloved Orthodox brothers and sisters of Pakistan and all the Christians in that nation will experience a period of peace and security, and that their persecutors would turn in repentance and become followers of the One whose Church they are trying to harm now.
“Christian-owned lands in Punjab held by Muslim mafia for 30 years,” by Shafique Khokhar, AsiaNews, July 18, 2019:
Gojra (AsiaNews) – Twenty-four Christian families from Dostpur, a village near the city of Gojra (Punjab), are demanding justice in connection with land that was legally granted to them by the provincial government in 1987, but grabbed by a local Muslim-dominated land mafia.
In 1987 the Punjab government granted seven marlas (175 square metres) per family. Three years late, Muslims went to court to oppose this. A few years ago, the court ruled in favour of the Christians, but in the meantime, those who had seized the land continued to hold and exploit it thanks to their political connections.
The land is worth a small fortune now. A marla is currently valued at 80,000 rupees (US$ 500). So, for the land mafia, there is a lot to gain by refusing to return it to its rightful owners.
In addition, some plots were sold to build of [sic] a mosque, with the knowledge that no one would dare to claim the land if religion was involved.
A few days ago, Mehak, a Christian woman, was mocked by a Muslim, Muhammad Shahid on her way to school. The young woman’s family filed a complaint, angering Muslims who, out of revenge, destroyed two houses.
By turning it into a religious conflict, the Muslims involved hope the Christians would stop speaking out for their property rights. This time, however, the victims have no intention of giving in.
“The court’s ruling clearly states that the land belongs to the Christians,” activist Yasir Talib told AsiaNews….
