Photo via assistnews.net

Pakistan’s Minorities Minister vows to end persecution of Christians

Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s Minorities Minister, has vowed to do everything he can to stop Christians and other minorities from being persecuted for their faith, reports ASSIST News Service with a link to Christian Today.

According to Christian Today (www.christiantoday.com), Mr. Bhatti told hundreds of Christians in London, England, on Saturday, October 10, 2009, that the Pakistani government was ready to review the notorious blasphemy law that is routinely misused by Islamic extremists to attack and imprison Christians.

He acknowledged that Christians were being attacked, imprisoned and killed under the pretext of committing blasphemy and that the blasphemy charges being brought against Christians were false, said the story on Christian Today by Maria Mackay.

According to her story, Mr. Bhatti said the blasphemy laws had created intolerance, disharmony and a “sense of insecurity” among minorities.

He was speaking at the annual conference of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a UK-based charity that supports the persecuted church worldwide and has long campaigned for Pakistan’s blasphemy laws to be repealed.

“The blasphemy laws have remained a tool in the hands of extremists to victimise minorities and innocent Muslims in Pakistan,” the Christian Today quoted Mr. Bhatti as saying.

The Christian Today story went on to say that while referring to the recent attacks in Gojra and Korian, which left eight Christians dead, Mr. Bhatti said that the Pakistani government was determined not to allow any more innocent Christians to be victimized.

“We will not allow the forces of intolerance and believers of extremism to destabilize our country and to capture our beloved country for their devilish design,” Mr. Bhatti was quoted as saying.

According to Christian Today, Mr. Bhatti went on to say, “In many cases of violence, it is not only the law which is creating disharmony. It is the mindset of the people who take advantage of the law and the situation and they instigate and incite the people to kill the Christians, the minorities and the innocent people so we need to work to change the mindset of the people and through these initiatives and others we can bring a change in their mindset.”

The story concluded by saying that Mr. Bhatti appealed to Christians in the UK to pray for believers in Pakistan and spare one minute a day to pray for him as he works for religious freedom in the country.

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TAGS: Pakistan Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti persecution of Christians Islamic extremists Christian Solidarity Worldwide

[10/14/2009]

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