(Worthy News) - A Christian man in Pakistan who felt led to gather all the local house churches together into one community has sustained critical injuries after Muslim neighbors surrounded his land and viciously assaulted his family.
Azeem Masih had donated some of his land for the construction of a church designed to “unite [the] local worshipping community under one roof in a purpose-built House of God,” the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) told CBN news.
When local Muslims caught wind of the idea, they surrounded the compound where the Christians were gathered, threatened to rape all their women, and inflicted serious head wounds on Azeem and his brother Sajid by firing on them, as well as a severe leg wound on Razaq Masih, a friend, by throwing an axe at him.
“Despite guns being used, a man left critically ill in hospital and a beleaguered Christian community still receiving threats including fear all the young women will be kidnapped, raped and forced into Islamic marriage – local police seem to be doing nothing to progress the case,” the BPCA said of the incident.
Christian Witness Wilson Raza sounded a note of restrained optimism about the deeply perplexing circumstances faced by the Christian community in Pakistan.
“This hatred is so deep there is little hope for our future generations,” Raza said, adding that it was “heartbreaking that the simple act of building a church can cause enough offense to Muslims to lead to such violence.”
“Even then we trust God,” he maintained.
Pakistan is number five on Open Doors USA's World Watch List for the persecution of Christians.