Story number 1 for 17 Jun 2002

(Pakistan)–Headlining today’s news, Christians are being asked to pray for 10 believers that are in prison on false charges in Pakistan. The 10 have been held for some time, but their safety is a concern now as another prisoner was shot dead by a fellow prisoner last week for blaspheming Mohammad. Open Doors Ministries’ Terry Madison. “If a Muslim can kill another Muslim, they’re not going to feel a great deal of compunction not to kill Christians. Given the ferment and the whole issue of fundamentalism, the environment is so charged that we just feel this will trigger similar acts that would affect Christians.” Madision says the oppression is affecting evangelism. “Christians are very much taking a low profile because of the minority status, the fact that the government tends to look with some disfavor upon Christians. But, Christians in Pakistan have certainly, even long before September the 11th, have felt under the gun as it were.”