Christians Under Attack

Christians say they're not going stop serving God.

Muslims, outraged over offensive cartoons, began rampaging through Pakistani streets. This time their anger is directed against Denmark and the United States.

But more often than not, when radical Muslims take to the streets in violence, Pakistan's minority of Christians bear the brunt. This is what happened in February, in the town of Sukkur.

Radical Muslims burned down two churches, St. Mary's Catholic Church and the St. Savior Church. False rumors that a Christian desecrated a Koran – Islam's holy book - triggered the attacks.

Pakistanis Mumtaz Bibi, Mohan Shazad, and a female evangelist we'll call Esther were all brutally assaulted because of their Christian faith.

Each has a story to tell of persecution at Pakistan's brick kilns.

Poor and uneducated, many Pakistani Christians are forced to work in the kilns, and that is where much of the persecution is occurring. This is especially true for those who share their faith with their co-workers.

Eighteen-year-old Mohan Shazad grew up at the brick kilns. Like most workers there, his parents labor from sunrise to sunset making bricks. They earn the equivalent of about 5 U.S. dollars for every thousand bricks made. Each of them can make about 1,000 bricks per week. In a good week, the family will earn approximately 10 dollars.

Mohan says he longed to be used by God. At the urging of his pastor, he began to sell Christian literature at the brick kilns. Both Muslims and Christians alike bought the publications.

But the Muslim brick kiln owner didn't like Mohan's evangelistic outreach.

Mohan told me, "He urged my father to stop me from selling the Christian literature and he threatened my father saying, 'If something happens to Mohan, you are responsible for that. I am not responsible.'"

Last September, at sunset, as Mohan returned home, two masked men jumped out from a sugar cane field. One sliced into Mohan's left arm with an axe. Mohan survived the attack, but his arm had to be amputated. He says the attack will not prevent him from continuing his ministry.

Mohan said, "This is just a test from God. I've decided to sell Christian literature for the rest of my life – even if they cut off my other arm. If they cut off my legs and I cannot walk, I'll somehow find a way."

Mumtaz Bibi has a similar story. She was unable to walk for more than a year. This worker was brutally beaten when the son of another kiln owner attacked her because she and her family left work at Christmastime to attend church services.

Ray Thorne is with the Voice of The Martyrs.

Thorne said "He did it to her because she was a Christian and did not want her worship Jesus Christ." In spite of this, she and her family made a conscious decision to go and worship God during Christmas. That is why she was beaten and had her leg broken.

Pakistani Christians are a small minority - only about 2 percent - in a nation dominated by Islam.

But that dominance hasn't deterred another brick kiln worker named Esther from sharing the Good news with her Muslim co-workers.

Esther started a Sunday school class in the courtyard of her home at the kiln. Muslim children were among those in attendance.

Esther said, "Their parents agreed to send them. We taught them about Christianity. We also showed them the Jesus Film and they sang Christian songs."

The song Esther sings is a song of blessings. She sings it when she enters homes to pray and minister to the brick kiln villagers. She sings, "Greetings … we come in peace, in the name of Jesus. We've given our lives and everything we have for Him."

Esther's ministry angered the kiln owner. He repeatedly warned her to stop leading Bible study and prayers, because too many Muslims were being attracted to these events.

Each time Esther refused. She said the Christians can not stop because daily prayer is a crucial part of their faith.

In September 2005, while Esther was home alone, the brick kiln owner abducted her. He said he would teach her a lesson and then proceeded to brutally beat and rape her.

Despite her suffering, Esther remains firm in her Christian faith. She says she will continue to share the Gospel with Pakistani Muslims.

Esther told us, "God often tests the people He loves. He did that with Job and this is my test. And like Job, I will remain faithful in the midst of persecution."

Esther is no longer working at the brick kilns. She has left the area and is ministering elsewhere.

She says as long as there is more of this radical rioting and persecution in Pakistan, there'll be an even greater need for her to continue teaching the Gospel.