Two sisters, both Christians, have been charged with “blasphemy” following an unsubstantiated accusation made by one of their neighbours.
Sonia and Saima, from Toba Tek Singh District, Punjab, were charged with “blasphemy” on 7 August due to a complaint by local Muslim man Mohammad Haider.
Haider claimed that he had seen some pages of the Quran in a bag of rubbish that Sonia threw out on 6 August.
He and two other men went to her house the next day to investigate. The men allege that Sonia’s sister Saima, who also lives there, made some inappropriate comments that led Haider to report both sisters to the police for “blasphemy”.
Sonia and Saima were arrested and charged under section 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code for “wilful defilement, damage or desecration of the Quran”. This section of the law requires a life sentence for those found guilty.
Before the arrest Haider informed others about what he had seen, and a large crowd gathered demanding legal action and threatening Sonia and Saima.
Accusations of “blasphemy” against Christians or other religious minorities can quickly turn into mob violence and riots. Families, and even entire communities of Christians, are at risk of being attacked.
Naveed Walter, president of Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), said, “Christians don’t feel safe and secure in their own country just because they are a minority. Being a minority should not deprive anyone of their rights.”
Christians in Muslim-majority Pakistan currently make up only 3% of the population, and are particularly susceptible to being accused under Pakistan’s “blasphemy” laws. These laws include a mandatory death sentence for defiling the name of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. Many Christians have spent years in prison, and even those not sentenced to death by the courts are in danger of being attacked and killed by extremists.
Please pray for Sonia and Saima, asking that they will be released from prison and that God will protect them from further harm at the hands of extremists. Ask the Lord to watch over the Christian community in Toba Tek Singh, who are now at higher risk of attack.
