Bruce Allen of FMI says the couple was accused of, “Sending a text message by phone that insulted the Prophet Muhammad and insulted the Quran. These crimes, if convicted, do demand the death penalty in Pakistan. All that, trial, conviction, and sentencing, has already taken place. The couple’s been in prison now for [almost seven] years. They’ve been appealing, and there’s been delay after delay. The appeal was set to be heard on June 3, Just a few days ago. but again, it got delayed to June 22.”

The accusations

An imam in Pakistan claims to have gotten this text while in prayers, and an attorney claims to have received similar messages while talking with the imam about the issue. Allen says, “So it really does seem like this whole thing is just a set up against this couple. Whoever was perpetrating it knew who the imam was and who he was talking with, and sent the text messages at the proper time to just inflame and incite people against the couple.”

Stained glass window from a church in Pakistan. Pray that Christians in Pakistan would have relief from persecution. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

The police then entered Shafqat’s house, overpowering him quickly (he is paralyzed from the waist down). The family was arrested, and Shafqat was beaten and threatened until he admitted to sending the text messages.

Lack of evidence

Despite Shafqat’s forced admission, he could not possibly have sent the messages. Allen explains, “He couldn’t. Number one, he’s illiterate. Number two, the text messages weren’t even in Urdu, the national language of Pakistan; they were in English. He doesn’t even know how to speak English, let alone read or write it.”

In fact, most Christians in Pakistan can’t read or write, and most work lowly jobs, like sanitation work.

Shafqat and his wife have languished in separate prisons since their arrest in 2013. Thankfully, they do have lawyer Saif ul Malook on their side, who also successfully represented Asia Bibi.

Allen says Malook lives under a threat of death for even representing clients accused of blasphemy. “He’s willing to put his life on the line to defend those who are unjustly accused. And he has been on the record saying that the evidence against Shafqat is nil.”

Pray for Christians in Pakistan

The judges themselves may be delaying the case out of fear for what may happen to them if they acquit Shafqat and his wife. Allen encourages Christians to pray that justice will be done for this couple. Pray also that their children will be comforted by Christ.

However, he also says, “There are scores of Christians languishing in prisons in Pakistan, who’s been charged and sentenced convicted of blasphemy. The charges are bogus, but things are just set against them. When we pray for this couple, be praying for all of those individuals and their families who wait for them outside the prison.”

Christians in Pakistan often face false accusations of blasphemy charges. (Image by QASIM REHMANI from Pixabay)

Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, former governor of Jakarta, Indonesia (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

The blasphemy charges were leveled against him by extremist Muslims during the election. After Ahok lost the election, prosecutors moved to drop the blasphemy charges for a lighter charge that would only put Ahok on two years of probation. However, Jakarta judges ignored the prosecution’s advising, and moved ahead with Ahok’s blasphemy trial and sentence.

Asian Access’ Joe Handley explains, “In terms of the sentence itself, it’s a blasphemy charge because Ahok had quoted the Quran in what was interpreted to be out of context by the more radical side of interpretation of Islam. The moderates said he had no problem in what he said, but the more radical elements definitely had trouble with the way he quoted the passage.

“He lost the election probably because of this situation…. He was a strong believer and a strong witness for Christ in the midst of a very difficult country. So it’s a sad situation.”

The anti-blasphemy law in Indonesia has been in place since 1965. The utilization of Indonesia’s anti-blasphemy law rose in 2004 and has become an increasingly popular charge.

“It just shows you the need for really keen leadership within a country to be able to address problems like this. You know, [Ahok] did a fabulous job as a governor. But over and above that, when you have false charges that are levied against you, you need the type of environment created where people can speak truth in the midst of court systems; and unfortunately, he was taken out because of the…more radical elements of Islamic society in Jakarta.”

Jakarta, Indonesia (Photo courtesy of Adhi Rachdian via Flickr: https://goo.gl/OucQZF)

Indonesia touts Pancasila as an inclusive, multi-religious ideology they embrace. The country is comprised of multiple ethnic groups and over 700 spoken languages. However, Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim nation with the largest concentration of Muslims in the world — 87 percent of the population. While most are moderate Muslims in the secular society, extremist nationalism seems to be on the rise.

Analysts have remarked that Ahok’s case is disheartening because it showed that even someone who is the governor of the capital city and good friends with the Indonesian president can be targeted by religiously motivated attacks.

Handley adds, “I think it says a lot, not only about Indonesia, but the entire world. Everywhere we go where you have this kind of hard-right nationalistic approach to governance, you have these kinds of problems. So we’re seeing it worldwide with nationalism on the rise, which exacerbates the hard-line Islamic or other religious fronts. So in this ecosystem in which we now live politically it’s going to be harder and harder; and therefore, believers who are persecuted for their faith, I predict it’s going to be that much more difficult in these conditions.”

So what can the Church do? Handley says, “In these societies where you have radical Islamic or radial Hindu or radical Buddhist societies or elements within the country, we’ve got to be very wise and very judicious in how we lead the Church, in how we talk publicly about our faith, and how we address problems in society.”

Asian Access was recently in Jakarta, Indonesia celebrating 50 years of ministry throughout Asia. And Handley says they hope to have a deeper investment in the country through Gospel witnesses.

(Photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

“When it comes to Indonesia, while we were there, we were able to meet some key leaders who are showing keen interest in the work of Asian Access — and what a better time. When you need Christ-like leadership in the marketplace, in the public sphere in the broader way, this could be a perfect opportunity for Asian Access to come in and do what we do well. We come alongside a few key leaders and help invest deeply in their lives so they can change the many in society.”

Please remember Ahok and Indonesia this week, and lift this case before the Lord. “Pray for Ahok as he’s facing the two years in jail. Pray for the country of Indonesia. There is a vast growing Christian population that is mostly underground, and in the midst of this kind of inflamed situation, they’re more at risk,” asks Handley.

“Then please pray for Asian Access as we discern our capacity and ability to move into the country and help serve the needs of that society. Pray that the right leaders would come to fruition for us, that God would open the doors for us to go in and serve, and then finally that the funding would come just in time for us to open that country and begin to invest deeply in the lives of key Christian leaders. It’s a key period of time for Jakarta, for Indonesia, and for the world at large.”

And if you’d like to support Asian Access as they ‘change the few who change the many’, click here to give at their website! The best thing that could happen in Indonesia is spiritual revival in the name of Christ, and Asian Access’ ministry partners are working to see God’s name made great throughout Asia.

Handley adds, “I just want to say thank you to Mission Network News and all the listeners out there who have come alongside of us over the years and supported the work we do. We’re deeply grateful for that.”

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, former governor of Jakarta, Indonesia (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

But now, Jessica Gilbertson with Asian Access reports, “They charged him during the course of the campaign, which got dropped the day after he lost the election, interestingly…and he’s been fighting it for months throughout the campaign. Even when he submitted his candidacy, they kept having different requirements changed to make sure he can’t even put in his candidacy.”

Gilbertson goes on to say, “Now, a lot of people are really disappointed. You see on Instagram, they’re putting flowers everywhere like a mourning flower, like ones they send to a funeral. They’re saying [to] Ahok we’re just really sad that you left us when we were just falling in love with you.”

The reason several people in Indonesia appreciated Ahok as the capital city’s governor was because his leadership was a breath of fresh air from previous patterns of corruption.

“People had gotten used to the fact that if you govern people, you are like the king, you can do whatever you want and corruption was just running rampant. It was just something that was acceptable. Suddenly, [with Ahok] they realized, ‘Oh, this is what a clean government looks like,'” explains Gilbertson.

“He was basically just running everything transparently. He showed all the contracts, he just showed people how bad the corruption was by simply doing the job he needs to do.”

Jakarta, Indonesia (Photo courtesy of Adhi Rachdian via Flickr: https://goo.gl/OucQZF)

These religious attacks in a critical election show the growing influence extremist Muslim groups are gaining in Indonesia — a Muslim-majority nation.

“Indonesia is actually a moderate country in terms of Islam, but there’s always those radical elements, of course.”

Ahok broke a lot of barriers as a double-minority in Indonesia, being both Chinese and a Christian. “So [radical Muslim] people really feel threatened and they say, ‘We have to do everything we can to make sure he is not elected, because if we allow one Christian and one Chinese to hold such an important position, we’re afraid it’ll become…more of that in the future. So we just have to cut that off in the beginning.’”

But Gilbertson says Jakarta’s former governor is still holding to his faith. “I think his future is bright wherever he goes. He’s famously said, ‘I don’t care if a thousand hands are trying to take me down, because I know I just need one hand of the Lord to keep me in my place.’”

As a country, Indonesia has a unique terrain to deal with since it’s made up of around 18,000 islands. The landmasses are far-spread and while the government protects freedom of religion, policing all the islands can prove to be difficult.

Asian Access works with Christians in Indonesia, including the outer areas, and Gilbertson says they hear reports of social pressure.

(Photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

“Even the Chinese community decided that maybe we should not vote for Ahok, otherwise we’re going to be targeted if he’s won. Some of the Muslims outside the island of Java really did a big rally and said if you’re a Muslim woman and you voted for Ahok, than by right, it’s okay to rape you…. The radical element will still happen in the outer parts of Indonesia, and it’s still a concern.”

But there’s good news. The Church in Indonesia is growing, and Asian Access stands witness to that. Often, Indonesian evangelists they work with will start conversations about Jesus by starting with what Muslims read about Him in the Koran. Then from that starting point, they introduce them to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, through the Bible.

“We need to pray for them (the evangelists) because they’re the ones being targeted…. We talk to a lot of churches and they all confirm the conversion rate is really high in Indonesia.”

Please also pray for the continued growth of the Body of Christ in Indonesia, and for the believers to be bold in witnessing their faith.

This time, it's a 16-year-old Christian boy named Ryan Stanton. Late last week, according to a BosNewsLife report, Stanton, his sister, and his parents went into hiding in Pakistan.

Police had just charged him with blasphemy against Islam's prophet Mohammed through text messages, while an angry crowd burned their home. Stanton claims a friend borrowed his phone and used it to send text messages that abused the prophet.

He began getting angry phone calls and death threats, but the situation turned frightening when a mob formed outside the family home. With no one home, angry Muslims allegedly looted and set fire to the house.

According to the BosNews account, the family was spirited out of the danger zone by other Christians. Police officially charged Ryan with making "derogatory remarks" towards "the holy prophet," a charge that carries the death penalty. Investigators say he also faces charges for violating Anti-Terrorism legislation and the country's Telegraph Act. Soon after, Stanton's mother lost her job.

Pakistan's blasphemy laws are controversial because they're often used to settle personal scores, or abused in other ways. As a result, Open Doors and Voice of the Martyrs say there are at least 15 people on death row facing similar blasphemy allegations.

This case bears similarities to that of 11-year-old Rimsha Masih, a Pakistani Christian girl who was falsely accused of blasphemy. Baptist Global Response Executive Director Jeff Palmer notes, "When something like this happens, there are all kinds of spin -offs and backlash things happening. People have a lot of fear."

Although her innocence has been proven, that didn't stop enraged mobs from attacking the neighborhood where the Masih's lived.

Other Christian families were driven from their homes, too. Palmer says, "They want to flee, and they do, away from their homes, and they seek shelter in places." As many as 600 families evacuated the neighborhood, many of them taking refuge elsewhere with other Christians.

The Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund responded with food, blankets and other aid needs which were distributed by Baptist Global Response partners. The team also prepared meals for some of the displaced, many of whom have returned home, says Palmer.

As the meals were served, Christian leaders were able to pray with the traumatized families and share Bible stories that helped them understand how to live out Jesus' command to love one's enemies. Palmer adds, "When Jesus talked about the cost of discipleship, He said, ‘People will hate you on My account. There will be persecution.' However, we can't be shy and non-forward to share our resources and share our faith with those who are in need."

"It's such a privilege to be able to help people who find themselves suddenly in desperate need," said Francis Horton, who with his wife, Angie, directs work for Baptist Global Response in South Asia. "When this story broke in the international news, many people in the United States were shaking their heads, wondering what to do about a crisis like this. Southern Baptists can celebrate that their partners were actually on the scene, helping people in need. And they were able to respond because Southern Baptists give generously to their World Hunger Fund."

Palmer agrees. "In the midst of these crises, there are always opportunities not just for the physical expression of Christ's love, but…to share truth that's in the Gospel as well."

The first line of defense, though, is prayer. "Pray for wisdom for those responding–local believers and [BGR ministry] partners…. Pray for wisdom and knowledge as they respond [and] show compassion. And pray for those that are actually doing the persecuting. The best that could happen here would be a heart change."