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Muslims Burn a Christian Alive in Pakistan
By Lee Jay Walker - THE SEOUL TIMES
Tokyo Correspondent
THE MODERN TOKYO TIMES
Christians in Pakistan
In Pakistan it is clear that minorities reside in fear because non-Muslims are deemed to be inferior and the state apparatus is not working when it comes to protecting minorities from Islamic radicals. Therefore, another Christian was killed in barbaric circumstances because Arshad Masih, a Christian, was burnt alive.
Arshad Masih was brutally killed by Muslims because he refused to renounce the Christian faith. He died from burns which covered 80 per cent of his body and it took three agonizing days before he finally passed away from being burnt alive by Muslims.
It is clear that in modern day Pakistan you have elements within the Muslim community who have deep hatred in their hearts and who have little time for diversity or religious pluralism. Instead, some within the Muslim community desire to kill in the name of Islam and to victimize all non-Muslims and minority Muslim followers like the Ahmadiyya.
In 2009 a Muslim mob burnt Christians alive in Pakistan and you had many other cases of severe persecution. The ongoing violence and persecution is relentless and minorities can be killed or victimized on a whim.
Therefore, just like 2009, the same cycle of violence is being directed towards non-Muslims and others like the Ahmadiyya Muslims who face vilification and persecution by the dominant Sunni Muslim community.
Already in 2010 you have had major cases which have been highlighted and this applies to the brutal killing of a 12 year old Christian girl called Shazia Bashir and the burning alive of Arshad Masih.
According to Christian advocacy groups Shazia Bashir was raped and tortured to death and Sohail Johnson from Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan (SLMP) was scathing about the ongoing situation in Pakistan. For Sohail Johnson stated “….that 99 per cent of Christian girls from poor families are hired by wealthy Muslims, and are often physically, psychologically and sexually abused.” He continued by stating that “In some cases, their employers marry them off to Muslim servants, and forcibly convert them to Islam.”
Sohail Johnson also highlights the institutional system in Pakistan which is betraying citizens who come from non-Muslim backgrounds. He comments that “These vulnerable Christian girls do not have any state protection. We urge the government to ensure protection of these disadvantaged girls.”
Therefore, for Christians, Ahmadiyya Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and other minorities, it is clear that the government of Pakistan, the legal system, the police, and other vital institutions, are neglecting a significant part of the population.
In modern day Pakistan the growing trend of radical Sunni Islam is on the rise and for minorities they face death and persecution. Radical Sunni Islam is clearly a menace to all in Pakistan who espouse moderation or pluralism.
Yet what is even more alarming is that the brutal murders of Shazia Bashir and Arshad Masih were done by ordinary Muslims and they did not kill them in the name of radical Islam. On the contrary, these normal Muslims in Pakistan deem others to be inferior and this is clearly based on Sharia Islamic teaching and the Hadiths. After all, non-Muslims are not equal according to Islamic Sharia law and the Hadiths, therefore, this hatred and loathing towards minorities is inspired by the very teachings and systems of Islam itself.
Therefore, in modern day Pakistan the threat is multiple and this applies to radical Sunni Islamists, the state apparatus, the legal system, and ordinary Sunni Muslims who commit evil towards minorities because of the notion of supremacy, which is stated in the Hadiths.
I hate to think how many more Christians, Ahmadiyya Muslims, and other minorities, will be killed before real change happens in Pakistan?
Lee Jay Walker
http://themoderntokyotimes.wordpress.com
