(Image cred: FMI)
Pakistan (MNN) — What do Pakistan and Sweden have in common? Arson.
Bruce Allen of Forgotten Missionaries International (FMI) says mosque burnings in central Sweden at the end of December were widely reported as arson, and that Muslims were specifically targeted.
Now, according to this blogger, some Swedish media outlets are picking up on the truth: the mosque burnings weren’t intentional. Nevertheless, damage in Pakistan has already been done.
“ISIS proponents ran with this and said, ‘We will go after Christians in retaliation,’ even though there was nothing really to retaliate against,” Allen explains.
“A church was attacked and burned. This was a church in Rawalpindi, just outside the capital of Islamabad.”
Thankfully, no one was in the church at the time it was scorched. However, “the local authorities failed to investigate this fire,” Allen says, which means justice for the affected Christians is highly improbable.
Pakistani police didn’t go after any arson culprits, the guilty party quickly made itself known to church leaders.
After the attack, believers told FMI’s national director that a letter had been sent to the church’s pastor. It explained why their building had been targeted: Islamic State proponents wanted revenge for Europe’s supposed “islamophobia.”
Islamic State terrorists remain a valid threat in Pakistan, Allen confirms, but there IS a silver lining.
Muslim workers pause for a few minutes along an alleyway in the afternoon to offer their ritual prayers.
(Image, caption courtesy FMI)
ISIS-related violence is causing more Muslims to question their faith. This makes them more open to people like FMI-supported pastors.
“For someone even to be willing to openly question Islam right now, that says they’re pretty serious about wanting to know the truth,” explains Allen. “We want to make sure we’re resourcing the pastors with the tools they need, in order to answer those people’s questions.”
Click here to see how you can help through FMI.
Most importantly, surround Pakistani believers in prayer.
“Pray for [pastors to have] courage and boldness, to be willing to connect with people who have very legitimate questions,” Allen requests.
“They’re life-altering questions, if you’ve been a Muslim for decades.”
