by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - A 72-year-old Christian widower in Punjab Province, Pakistan is facing a life sentence of imprisonment after a Muslim neighbor falsely accused him of desecrating the Quran in retaliation over a property dispute, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Younis Bhatti was arrested on Feb. 10 at his home in village 211-RB, Jaranwala Tehsil, Faisalabad District, following a complaint by his Muslim neighbor Fatima, MSN reports. Fatima had been angered by Bhatti’s decision to build a wall between his property and her land in order to sub-let his section to poor Christians at a price they can afford. The issue had been a matter of dispute for months when Fatima eventually accused Bhatti of forcing his way into her home, assaulting her while she read the Quran and tearing pages of the book.
Bhatti was charged with desecrating the Quran under Section 295-B of Pakistan’s blasphemy statutes, which carries a mandatory life sentence, MSN reports.
“Bhatti and his family are well known in the area for facilitating Christians,” Jaranwala Pastor Sharoon Masih told MSN. “It’s alarming that our people have also begun misusing the blasphemy laws against each other over personal disputes. The dispute began some months ago, after Bhatti told Fatima that he wanted to accommodate another Christian family on the property. He told her that he would construct a wall to equally divide the 1,361 square-foot property between the two families, but she refused to let him proceed.”
In a website statement about the situation facing Pakistani Christians, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization said: “Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws are often used to target minority groups, but Christians are disproportionately affected. Indeed, roughly a quarter of all blasphemy accusations target Christians, who only make up 1.8% of the population.”
Ruled by a harsh Islamic regime, Pakistan ranks 7th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.