by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - A court in Pakistan on Monday sentenced Christian Ashfaq Masih to death for allegedly “disrespecting” the Islamic prophet Muhammad five years ago, the Print reports.
Working as a mechanic in Lahore, 28-year-old Masih was arrested in 2017 after he stood up for his faith in Christ during a dispute with a customer, the Print said. The customer had asked Masih for a discount for repairing his bike because he is an Islamic religious devotee, but Masih refused. Masih explained that he is a Christian and that, for Christians, “Jesus is Supreme.”
At Masih’s statement of faith, the customer became enraged, police were called, and Masih was arrested and imprisoned.
Masih had been in jail awaiting trial since his arrest in 2017, the Print said. His trial was adjourned numerous times due to the judge or witnesses, or prosecution lawyer failing to appear. A husband and father, Masih have now been sentenced to face the death penalty.
“Pakistan's infamous blasphemy laws continue to be leveraged to accuse non-Muslims (or minority Muslim sects) of insulting the Prophet Mohammed or the Quran—even a false accusation can lead to mob violence,” Open Doors USA said in a 2022 website statement.
With extremely harsh blasphemy and anti-conversion laws, Pakistan ranks eighth on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2022 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.