I recently visited Pakistan, where 21 churches were burned in August. Across from me is a Christian pastor from Pakistan who works with the Danish European Mission. For security reasons, we can call him Arham here. He has a calm and friendly demeanor, but when he talks about the situation for Christians in Pakistan, his facial expression becomes indignant. Also on behalf of the other minorities such as Ahmedija and Shia Muslims, who together with Christians make up just under 4 % of the population. The rest of the population are Sunni Muslims.
He gives a number of examples of how blasphemy laws are used in outrageous ways. A well-known example is Asia Bibi, who was sentenced to death simply because she, as a Christian, had a discussion with a colleague about faith. "Another example is a Buddhist Sri Lankan man, Priyantha Kumara, who worked in the city of Sialkot. He was charged under the blasphemy law simply because he had taken down a poster with a Muslim message from a wall in his workplace, even though the poster was not supposed to hang where it did." Arham tells us. The Sri Lankan was beaten to death and then burned by a crowd.

Extremists commit vigilantism
But the law is one thing, because the Pakistani authorities have yet to actually carry out death sentences on blasphemy charges. The problem for Christians and other dissenters is that Islamic extremists incite crowds to commit vigilantism and attack people who are merely accused of blasphemy or fighting to change blasphemy laws. From 1947 to February 2021, at least 89 people have been killed by civil society extremists, according to the Pakistani Center for Research and Security Studies (2021).
"A Christian politician, Shehbaz Bhatti, a member of the National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistan's parliament, was killed in 2013 simply because he wanted to reform blasphemy laws. We Christians and others with minority backgrounds have nowhere to go if crowds attack us or our property," Arham exclaims. And here we are at the heart of the problem for Pakistan's Christians and other minorities - the insecurity they continue to live in. According to the German sociologist Max Weber, it should be a hallmark of a state that its police and authorities can ensure peace and order so that all citizens can live in security.
On the one hand, there are authorities trying to protect Christians. "When Korans were burned in Sweden, we were contacted several times by the authorities who wanted to protect us," Arham says. The pastor shows me a memo from the police inspector in his town sent to the police at district level, informing them of a specific terrorist threat to churches as a result of the Koran burnings in Sweden and instructing them on how to protect churches.
On the other hand, Islamic extremists have gained influence in the police, government, politics and the judiciary. As a result, efforts to protect the country's minorities are sometimes half-hearted. In August 2023, things went wrong in Jaranwala in the Punjab province, where 21 churches were burned.
Education and evangelization is the way forward
How can the situation be changed, I ask the priest. The tone becomes more positive as he gives his answer: "Especially in rural areas, poor children attend Islamic madrasah schools where they mainly learn about the Koran. As a result, many develop a fanatical mindset that Islamist leaders can use to incite violence against dissenters, including Christians. On the other hand, if more Pakistanis go to mainstream school and university, people will become more understanding of people of different faiths."
In the last part of the answer, a quiet smile appears on Arham's lips: "I don't know how God will change the situation. But I believe that the real solution is for us Christians to share the gospel with people from the Muslim majority. The Jesus of the Bible is the true Prince of Peace. Only Jesus can give fanatics real peace in their hearts. And when hearts are changed, our nation can be changed."
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