News

Pakistan: Four Christian Women Falsely Accused of Blasphemy

February 28, 2019

Note the mob violence that ensued, resulting in damage to a church and Christian homes. Stories such as this one are all too common in Pakistan, which is home to over two million Christians, including a small and courageous community of Orthodox Christians. Many Christians have been falsely accused of blasphemy in Pakistan; some are in languishing in prison now, suffering for their faith in Jesus Christ. The Order calls upon the government of Pakistan to take decisive steps to end the abuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan, and to end the persecution of Christians in that nation.

“Four Christian Women Falsely Accused of Blasphemy in Pakistan,” International Christian Concern, February 25, 2019:

02/25/2019 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that four Christian women from the Farooq-e-Azam neighborhood of Karachi, Pakistan were falsely accused of blasphemy on February 19, 2019. Following the false accusation, a mob of enraged Muslims attacked the Christian-majority neighborhood, leading to the displacement of approximately 200 Christian families.

The incident began in January 2019, when Fayaz and Samina Riaz, a Muslim couple, were asked to vacate their rented house by their Christian landlord, Amjad Dildar. According to local Christians, the Muslim couple had been “causing trouble among the Christian families in the community” and were asked to leave.

On Tuesday, February 19, Samina Riaz accused four Christian women, including three of her landlord’s daughters, of desecrating a Quran. According to Aslam Masih, a local eyewitness, “Samina Riaz alleged Sunaina Amjad, age 22, Sophia Amjad, age 18, Soneha Amjad, age 14, and Sophia Qamar, age 30, [of] desecrating a Holy Quran. She claimed they stole a copy of the Quran and ruined it by submerging it into a basin of dirty water.”

As news of the accusation spread, a mob of enraged Muslims gathered in Farooq-e-Azam and attacked several Christian properties, including Amjad Dildar’s house and a nearby church. The mob killed pets, livestock, and damaged several Christian homes by stoning them.

Approximately 200 Christian families from Farooq-e-Azam have fled their homes and moved to safer areas within Karachi. Local police have regained control of the neighborhood; however, members of the mob are still refusing to allow Christians to open their churches.

“After police investigated, it was revealed that Samina Riaz borrowed a copy of the Quran from Khalid Khan, a nearby shopkeeper,” Masih told ICC. “When she reached home, she threw it into a water tub in the restroom. She purposely alleged the Christian women of desecrating the Holy Book of Islam.”

Samina Riaz later admitted to orchestrating the incident and she and her husband, Fayaz, were arrested. However, a First Information Report (FIR) has yet to be filed because negotiations between local Christian and Muslim leaders are ongoing….