Photo via islamicity.com

Continued violence threatens to unmoor Pakistan

Militant groups are tightening an alliance aimed at bringing down the Pakistani state, reports MNN.

The instability puts the country closer to the edge of becoming a "failed nation" says Glenn Penner of Voice of the Martyrs Canada. His sentiment was echoed in the headlines where Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that a "syndicate" of militant groups wanted to see "Pakistan as a failed state."

When law and order fail, believers bear the brunt. "A complete failure would be a complete disaster for Christians, just as what we would see in Somalia," says Penner.

Although the current violence is not taking place in the same areas where the persecution has spiked, the two issues are still connected. Penner says the Taliban continues to pressure Pakistan's leaders as they try to modify the nation's blasphemy laws. "They're already under tremendous pressure from Islamic leaders to simply leave these laws alone."

These laws are often used to persecute Christians, and the definition for blasphemy isn't clear. Voice of the Martyrs Canada says many have been falsely accused under Law 295c. Courtrooms packed with militants have often pressured judges into returning a guilty verdict or continuing trials indefinitely.

Penner says after constant attacks and unjust treatment in the courts, it's easy for believers to become angry. "And they need to understand that it's God who brings down governments; it's God who moves in the hearts of kings and rulers to modify their policies. So we need the Pakistani Christians to become a people of prayer and not necessarily people of protest."

SALE! 40% OFF! How to Be Happier 7 Days a Week

TAGS: Pakistan militant groups violence persecution Voice of the Martyrs Canada the Taliban blasphemy laws

[10/19/2009]

Print Version