Hardships For Christians - Part 1

Hardships For Christians - Part 1 

On the 8th of March 2013, rioters torched and completely destroyed a Christian colony of more than 170 homes, in Pakistan’s city of Lahore. The colony lies a stone’s throw from one of the largest Sufi shrines in the country. Christians, converted from Hinduism and Sikhism, have lived there, in the heart of one of the busiest parts of the city, for generations.

Badami Bagh’s Joseph Colony lies across the road from Shaikha Basti Colony; the residents of Shaikha Basti are mostly converts from Christianity to Islam. It was between these two colonies the crisis set off. Starting with a harmless greeting, the conversation quickly turned to the taboo subject of religion.

“Shahid called him a choora,” says a friend of Savan Masih, the alleged blasphemer against Islam now in a high security prison. “Choora” is the derogatory term for Christians, inferring that Christians are “sweepers” with links to their past low caste structure prior to their conversion from Hinduism.

“If we are chooras because of history, so are they,” said a resident of Badami Bagh, his voice harboring obvious anger. “They stir up people against us. It is never hard to get a crowd angry against 'low class dirty Christians.’”

All night, counselors and pastoral care workers worked at the impossible task of locating people. “We fled for our lives,” a Christian teacher from Badami Bagh sobbed over the phone. “In our colony everyone is born Christian,” she explained. Speaking at length about the challenges of living for Jesus in Badami Bagh, she added, “This angers the Hindu holy men because faithful Christian women in our colony do not go to the shrines any more. As a result the holy men lose credibility. But, our greater fear is this. How shall we deal with an attack or a false accusation?”

One With Them
It is difficult for American believers to understand how attacks against Christians can flare up so quickly and so violently. In some places, the government may be complicit in the attacks, and in others, it is simply helpless to stop what local leaders instigate. As you join One With Them in prayer, be reminded of Jesus’ words to pray for our enemies and those who persecute us. Praying the Christian persecutors around the world will come to know Jesus as their Savior.

2013.06.19

But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.
(Luke 21:12)