巴基斯坦

「不，透過愛我們的人，我們在所有這些事情上已經得勝有餘了。因為我深信無論是死、是生、是天使、是掌權的、是現在的事、是將來的事、是有能力的、是高處的、是低處的、是別的受造之物，都不能叫我們與神的愛隔絕。

（羅馬書 8:37–39 和合本）

 

巴基斯坦國民議會（NA）通過一項決議，譴責最近該國發生的針對基督徒的暴民私刑。 國民議會敦促聯邦政府和省政府確保包括基督徒在內的所有公民的安全。

聯邦國防部長哈瓦賈·阿西夫表示，該國針對基督徒的暴力事件不斷增加，令人尷尬：「我們必須確保少數群體兄弟姐妹的安全。他們和大多數人一樣有權利在這個國家生存。

此前，5 月 25 日，激進伊斯蘭分子帶領一群暴徒以褻瀆《古蘭經》為由洗劫了旁遮普省基督徒擁有的商店。暴徒們挑選了一名基督徒男子納齊爾·吉爾·馬西赫 (Nazir Gill Masih)，殘忍地襲擊了他和他的家人，並燒毀了他的工廠。

馬西赫被送往醫院，情況危急，隨後因傷勢過重而去世。許多基督教家庭將自己鎖在家中以躲避暴徒的攻擊。警方已對一百多人立案調查。

2023年，國民議會投票決定將褻瀆罪的刑罰從三年監禁增加到至少十年監禁。那一年，數千名暴徒以捏造的褻瀆指控燒毀了 400 棟房屋和 26 座教堂，迫使基督教村民逃離家園。專家表示，該國嚴格的褻瀆法經常被濫用來恐嚇基督徒和其他少數群體，並解決個人恩怨。在巴基斯坦，褻瀆神明是會被判死刑的。

 

家庭小組禱告

親愛的主，

我們感謝你們對巴基斯坦這個國家的幫助，並向你們致以敬意，特別是向那些生活在恐懼和不安全之中的人民致以敬意。願您的榮耀光芒充滿這個國家並讓人們皈依您。在夢境和幻像中向人們展現自己，讓他們了解你的愛。

我們特別提出巴基斯坦褻瀆法的問題。我們要求改變或廢除它，並且不要讓人們濫用它來謀取私利。願那裡的信徒知道你的存在，並宣稱你永遠不會離開他們或拋棄他們。請靠近那些正在受苦和被監禁的人。成為他們的希望和安慰。

我們將巴基斯坦交到您手中，並祈禱您為那裡的兄弟姐妹提供保護。

以耶穌的名。

阿門。

「凡求告主名的，就必得救。”
（羅 10:13；使徒行傳 2:21；約珥書 2:32）

巴基斯坦旁遮普省一對基督徒夫婦因在他們家的屋頂上發現「撕碎的《古蘭經》」而遭舉報，警方隨即逮捕了他們。目前，肖卡特·馬西和他的妻子基蘭·馬西面臨根據巴基斯坦刑法第 295-B 條提出的褻瀆指控，該條規定，玷污或褻瀆《古蘭經》可判處終身監禁。刑法第 295-C 條規定，侮辱先知可判處終身監禁或最高死刑。

8 月 16 日，暴徒摧毀了旁遮普邦賈蘭瓦拉市的教堂和房屋，基督徒不得不拋開恐懼，並在嚴密的安全保護下參加週日的教堂禮拜。據稱，在攻擊事件發生前，兩名男子撕下《古蘭經》的紙張並在上面寫下侮辱性言論。這項指控在賈蘭瓦拉和社群媒體上流傳後，暴徒們焚燒了聖經、推倒了十字架，並搶劫、損壞和焚燒了26 座教堂和許多房屋，這是巴基斯坦針對少數基督教徒社區的最嚴重暴力事件之一。

數百名逃離的民眾現已返回被燒毀的家園。有些人說他們可能再也不會感到安全了。 「他們擔心自己的安全；他們擔心自己的孩子，因為他們目睹了這場悲劇，受到了精神創傷，」當地一位天主教神父說。哈立德·穆赫塔爾。年輕母親坎瓦爾的家遭到襲擊，她不得不帶著剛出生的兒子赤腳逃離，她說：“我們非常害怕我們的鄰居……我們不想讓他們毀掉我們僅存的一切。”另一位信徒補​​充說：「我的房子現在已是一片灰燼。如果暴徒如此憤怒，為什麼他們要燒毀房屋並偷走我們的財產？焚燒聖經不是褻瀆神明嗎？

巴基斯坦許多人指責先前被取締的極右翼伊斯蘭政黨巴基斯坦正義運動黨（TLP）煽動了暴徒襲擊。 TLP 否認了這項指控。警方已掌握 170 名嫌疑人名單，並正在對他們的暴力行為進行調查。

旁遮普省臨時首席部長賽義德·穆赫辛·納克維宣布，失去家園的基督徒將獲得 200 萬盧比（6,800 美元）用於重建生活。他說，當局已經開始修繕教堂，恢復其原貌。然而，Fr.穆赫塔爾對政府的說法提出質疑，並表示官員只訪問了一座受損的教堂，並沒有前往任何遭受損失的人的家中。他說，兩座教堂的牆壁只被粉刷過，需要重建。

根據2017年人口普查，基督徒約佔巴基斯坦人口的1.27％，其中大多數居住在旁遮普省。最近，針對他們的攻擊和恐怖攻擊事件已發生多起。褻瀆神明的指控常常是為了誹謗和提供攻擊的基礎，為了解決因家庭仇殺而引起的恩怨或個人糾紛。這常常導致針對整個基督教社區的暴民暴力行為。

政府似乎對這些違反褻瀆法的行為漠不關心，也沒有追究責任人的責任。這鼓勵了極端分子，並在所有少數族群中滋長恐懼和不安全感。

禱告要點：

請與我們一起將巴基斯坦這個國家奉獻給主。 請祈禱上帝在該國發揮強大的力量：

• 為了信徒的安全
• 人們不會誣告褻瀆神明
• 政府將採取積極行動核實褻瀆指控，保障基督徒的安全
• 希望人們能為那些被誣告的人說話
• 褻瀆法將會改變
• 那些不得不逃離家園的人將找到安全的住所，孩子們可以自由上學
• 遭受攻擊的婦女和兒童的安全

 

「但願所有投靠你的人都歡喜；讓他們永遠快樂歌唱。求你保護他們，使那些愛你名的人因你而歡喜。
(詩篇 5:11)

巴基斯坦的基督徒 巴基斯坦國民議會（聯邦議會下院）一致投票加強該國褻瀆法後，人們擔心會遭受更嚴重的迫害. 該法律可用於懲罰那些侮辱先知穆罕默德的人，現在其適用範圍已擴大到包括先知的妻子、同伴和近親。被判有罪的人可能面臨十年監禁，不得保釋，罰款一百萬盧比（約12,000美元），甚至死刑或終身監禁。

法律常被用來作為迫害和歧視的工具。在許多案件中，被告甚至在法律訴訟開始之前就遭到暴徒的攻擊和殺害。

伊斯蘭教是巴基斯坦的國教，叛教和褻瀆宗教的人將被處以死刑。巴基斯坦的基督徒被視為二等公民，在公共和私人生活的各個領域都面臨歧視。 目前，該國至少有 40 人因褻瀆宗教而被判處終身監禁或死刑。許多其他穆斯林占多數的國家對叛教者判處死刑，但對褻瀆神明者不處以死刑。

據英國亞洲基督教協會稱，基督徒在「褻瀆罪罪犯中所佔比例過高，而且被監禁的時間比這些嚴苛法律的其他受害者更長」。在無關的糾紛中，基督徒經常被誣告，這可能導致暴徒的攻擊。一個著名的案例是天主教徒阿薩亞·比比 (Asia Bibi)，他被指控褻瀆神明，在死牢裡度過了近 10 年。她於 2019 年離開巴基斯坦，但仍收到死亡威脅。 2011 年，旁遮普省省長薩爾曼·塔西爾因反對褻瀆法而被暗殺，首任少數民族事務部長、內閣中唯一的基督徒沙赫巴茲·巴蒂也因反對褻瀆法和為亞洲解放而戰而被暗殺。

獨立人權組織巴基斯坦人權委員會表示，對最新立法深感擔憂，該立法尚未獲得參議院（聯邦議會上議院）的批准。 讓我們把巴基斯坦和那裡的兄弟姊妹獻給主。

家庭小組禱告：

我們的父親，

感謝您為您熱愛的巴基斯坦這個國家以及您為之獻出生命的巴基斯坦人民。 此時此刻，我們祈禱您能以您的力量和關懷，用您的鮮血覆蓋這個國家。 願您保護那裡的我們的兄弟姊妹。

我們也讚揚該國的領導人和當權者，並要求廢除褻瀆法，並賦予所有人宗教自由。 願你的精神發揮巨大作用，改變人心並使他們轉向你。我們特別讚揚國內的婦女，特別是那些認識您的婦女，並祈求您伸出保護之手。我們知道您正在培養為受迫害者發聲的領導人，並請求您幫助他們。 願您的王國降臨巴基斯坦，願您在這個國家取得超乎我們想像的成就。

以耶穌的名義，我們將巴基斯坦、那裡的信徒和掌權者交到您手中。阿門！

 “… The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

(Hebrews 13:6 NIV)

On 30 January, two pastors in Peshawar, Pakistan were shot by two gunmen on a motorcycle in a suspected terrorist attack. Pastor William Siraj, 75, was killed and Rev. Patrick Naeem was taken to hospital but thankfully discharged without injury. They were driving home after leading a Sunday morning service.

This latest attack and a fresh wave of incidents targeting Pakistan’s Christian community have left believers fearful. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which the police are still investigating.

Pastor Siraj’s funeral was held on 31 January at All Saints Church, the very church where on 22 September 2013 two suicide bombers had killed as many as 127 people, including an estimated 37 children, and injured a further 170.

One of the martyrs was Pastor Siraj’s son-in-law. He had been supporting his daughter in the years since her widowing, and often ministered to the families of other victims.

While Christians make up only 1.9 percent of the population, this still totals roughly 4.1 million people. Pakistan is currently eighth on the Open Doors World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most persecution. Believers not only face the threat of death and violence, but also discrimination because of blasphemy laws.

家庭小組禱告：

Father God Almighty,

We pray for our brothers and sisters in Pakistan and the persecution they are experiencing right now. We can’t imagine the fear they live under every day and ask for your Word and your everlasting peace to comfort them in the midst of this terror.

We also ask for peace and a permanent cease to any further would-be attacks on Christians in Pakistan. We ask you to change the hearts of those who seek harm and deliver them out of the darkness they live in by shining your light on them through the power of the gospel.

We pray for the family of Pastor William Siraj and all who have been victims of all these terrible attacks over the years. We ask for your comfort to envelop them in the midst of their sorrow, for your joy to be their strength, and for your love to help them forgive.

We also pray for the government and authorities of Pakistan, that they would provide protection and support to the Christian minority and stop such attacks. We ask for their hearts to be moved by compassion and for the message of the cross of Christ to be continuously preached throughout the country without fear.

Lord! Please hear our prayer. We ask it all in the name of your son, Jesus the Christ. Amen.

“Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that
God desired for his abode, yes, where the LORD will dwell forever?”
(Psalm 68:16)

A group of armed men in Pakistan vandalized a church in Punjab province in early May.  Police said the group desecrated a cross and demolished the gate and boundary wall of the church in Kala Shah Kaku town, some 40 km from Lahore, the provincial capital. The alleged cause was a land dispute — the group told Christians to vacate the church land, claiming it belonged to them.  Church leaders lodged a police complaint following the incident.

The incident occurred as the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan pointed out in their 2019 annual report that Christians have continued to suffer forced conversions and persecution under the country’s blasphemy law.  The report noted particular cases of forced conversion in Sindh and Punjab provinces.  In Punjab, 14-year-old girls had been forced to convert and to marry.  In Sindh, the families of two Hindu girls claimed they had been kidnapped for marriage and forced conversion.  According to human rights NGO International Christian Concern, at least 50 Christian women and girls faced this issue in 2019.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has not reduced discrimination against Christians in Pakistan.  Authorities have apparently denied food supplies to them by claiming they were meant for Muslims.

Christians in Pakistan often face religious hatred and discrimination.  The country’s blasphemy law is controversial because it is often used to persecute Christians and other religious minorities, with consequences for their places of worship and residential areas. Blasphemy against prophets of Islam is a capital crime in Pakistan.  According to Open Doors, a mission supporting persecuted believers, Pakistani Christians are afraid to express their faith freely in case something they say is interpreted as blasphemy.  False accusations of blasphemy have led to imprisonment or even killings.

Christians constitute around two percent of the population in Pakistan.  Christian communities remain among the poorest sections of society, often do menial jobs, and are regarded as second-class citizens.  Three cities, Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, have large Christian populations.

Pakistan is currently fifth on the World Watch List, an annual report by Open Doors.  It is considered a country where extreme persecution of Christians takes place.

HOME PRAYER GROUP

天父，

We ask your blessings for the people of Pakistan and especially for Christians who are suffering from persecution there. We pray for the church in Kala Shah Kaku and its pastor and congregation.  May they be strong when faced with violence.  We pray for those imprisoned or suffering unjustly from the blasphemy law. We pray that you will help the people who practise violence to see the light and that way is not the answer. We pray that your Holy Spirit will descend on this community and all of Pakistan and cleanse it of religious and other persecution.

Especially in these times of the coronavirus, we pray that people will come together rather than pull apart. We need your spirit of peace and strength to get through these difficult times. We pray that your Holy Spirit will help the government and people of Pakistan turn it into a country where extreme persecution no longer exists. We pray that all will work together in peace and harmony to deal with the coronavirus and all the other ills which affect the country.

Watch over your flock in Pakistan and bring them safely to a land of peace and harmony.  May your Spirit comfort them and keep them safe from persecution and the coronavirus. We need your help and guidance in all we do.

奉耶穌的名禱告。阿門。