Acquittal looms closer for Pakistan’s youngest blasphemy prisoner!
Published: Sat, 09/25/21
Please note that from September 26th 2021 we will be changing our web platform as Adobe Business Catalyst is terminating. So if you are already receiving our e-newsletter and wish to continue receiving them, then please also use this link (here) to stay in contact with us, or you will not hear from us from this date. This is now our last email from this platform but all links to accounts will redirect you to our new website, where you can and should re-subscribe to our email newsletter, if you wish to continue receiving it. Alternatively you can simply visit the new website at www.britishasianchristians.org which now has a tab that translates our articles into a multitude of languages reflecting our diverse multinational readership and supporters. We remind you that you can re-subscribe to us via the website or use this link (here), otherwise we will not be able to send you updates next month.
Please note we have a new postal address which is listed at the bottom of each page and on our donations page. Though we can still receive mail at the old address for a while via the current tenants please do change our address in your records. This address is much safer than before and it is perfectly safe to send cheques for donations in response to your queries.
We have continued our support and prayers for Afghan Christians both in the UK, across the globe and primarily those remaining in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. We have now begun collecting items that we will share with refugees working with a UK-based Afghan charity. We also partnered with the Muslim Education Centre of Oxford in a protest at 10 Downing Street, you can watch the rallying call by Imam Dr Taj Hargey and BACA's Hannah Chowdhry (here).
Christians in Afghanistan are in hiding they fear being killed for hatred of their faith as they were under the previous Taliban regime. Only this time most of the 10,000 or so Christians in Afghanistan have been more open about their conversions/faith due to being emboldened by the US-backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's more liberal philosophy. Some of them have even listed their faith on their passport not realising the the US and Britain would betray their people with their swift exit, nor that the previous government would capitulate so easily to Taliban insurgents. We talk about this somewhat in our link on the protest above and in our pre-protest link (here). We would also ask you to read the previous report we wrote in which we interviewed Jay an Afghan convert, who like other converts, we helped move to a safer location in the UK to escape persecution here. We share this article again with you (here) only this time it is on our new website.
We call on Christians everywhere to pray for the Christians maintaining God's Kingdom in Afghanistan. Many of who have dedicated themselves to remain a bastion of the faith in their homeland. We also pray for solace for the Afghan refugees who seek asylum in the UK. BACA will continue to link those on British soil who found salvation in Christ with local churches. If you are a church that can provide a safe haven in the UK or help with scriptural and spiritual learning in a safe environment then please do get in contact. BACA will remain a platform for hope and a new start and seek churches dedicated to being part of this response. The Asian church in the UK has commonly been a great comfort to Afghan believers who have a common language and cultural root.
"For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock."
Psalm 27:5
Pakistan Update:
We received very few donations from our last email newsletters and unfortunately the majority of our income is raised via our appeals. This may be because the last newsletter had less appeals than normal as it was written in a shorter spell of time. We receive very few regular committed donations and have had to decline offers of support to a number of victims because of the low yield. This includes the two young girls featured in the story below this paragraph. To remedy this our new
website donation page has a regular giving feature which has actually been requested by several of you. We hope and pray more of you will begin to commit to more regular giving, as this allows for us to plan better and respond quicker to the needs of the persecuted church we serve.
Two further reports of Christian girls kidnapped and forced into Islamic Marriage highlights a disturbing pattern. Read more (here)
Christian girl of 10 years beaten over head with stone and then carried into barn where she was raped by local Muslim teenager. Read more (here)
Acquittal looms closer for Pakistan’s youngest blasphemy prisoner! Read more (here).
Thanks to BACA a man has been arrested for involvement in 16 year old Muqadas's abduction rape and forced Islamic marriage. Read more (here).
BACA food parcels continue to prevent starvation amongst Thailand's Pak-Christian community. Read more (here).
UK Meals for the Homeless Project:Our 'Meals for the Homeless' project in the London Borough of Redbridge will celebrate its anniversary during the beginning of next year. We took an amazing pivotal role in serving food to economically challenged and homeless people during the first UK COVID-19 lockdown, which featured on BBC news (click here). Helped by the Redbridge Council's environmental team and Food Safety Team; at our peak we served 65 people twice a day and numerous friends and family linked to those being served. We know serve around 40 homeless people a week over three days of distribution and a weekly Foodbank for mothers with children.
The service has several partners now, including; Westminster Drug Project who provide counselling services, drug rehabilitation pathways and Lateral flow tests and pathways to vaccines for the homeless at our centre. The NHS undertake Hepatology tests at our centre and pathways to treatment. The work also now involves sharing of reusable items such as clothes and household goods. Very rewarding when you see how many lives have transformed. The UK Government rehoused many homeless people during the lockdown, allowing many to move on with their lives. We think we have have written this report with some interesting links for you to keep up with our progress (click here).
We remind you that we no longer have the tenancy for the community centre and if you live in Ilford or the surrounding area and wish to drop items off to us, this will have to be coordinated. You can call us on 020 8500 1192 and we will get back to you with a date for the deposit. Please remember goods must be in good condition, clean and within appropriate bags for us to then work towards a distribution.
You can donate towards any of the appeals above (here).
We thank you for your support and prayers for British Asian Christian Association. We are grateful that your dedication to us has enabled this group to continue our work serving Asian Christians for 12 years. At this current time we are looking for new trustees especially those skilled in a secretarial role and safeguarding role, if this seems of interest get in contact and we will share further details. We are also seeking volunteers who would be willing to write for our blog and to help with our Meals for the Homeless project. If you are interested in any of the above please get in contact on admin@britishasianchristians.org.
Blessings
Hannah Chowdhry
Below we list all of the current stories listed above in date order. If you cannot open any of the links above or below you can find the articles by using the 'Current News' tab on our websites home page www.britishasianchristians.org. Please feel free to peruse only the accounts that are interesting for you.
Acquittal looms closer for Pakistan’s youngest blasphemy prisoner!
Image of Nabeel Masih on rear passenger seat travelling to Pattoki District Court on 25th September 2021.
We have regularly informed you about the case of Nabeel Masih who was only 16 years old, when he was accused of blasphemy after someone shared an image of the Kabba (Muslim holy shrine in Mecca) with a pigs head on it, on his Facebook page.
Nabeel Masih was entirely innocent but in the furore that arose after Muslim friends accused him of shaming Islam resulted in him almost being lynched, his father being beaten up and almost killed by Police officers during a brutal interrogation, leading to Nabeel giving himself up to save his father.
Read full account (here)
Two further reports of Christian girls kidnapped and forced into Islamic Marriage highlights a disturbing pattern.
- 25-Sep-2021
- Admin Team
Please sign our petition calling for protection of Christian girls and women (click here)
On 27th July, Chashman Kanwal (14 yrs) was kidnapped sometime after being dropped at 8am at Government Higher Secondary School in
Faisalabad. Here parents only realised when she did not return home from school and the immediately contacted the school who were unaware of her whereabouts.
Later they visited Faisalabad Police Station, though an First Information Report (FIR) was only registered the following day (28th July) for a missing person (FIR 622/21).
Her father Gulzar Masih was contacted by the police on 29th July and during a telephone conversation they informed him that Chashman had embraced Islam and was now married to a Muslim man named Muhammad Usman.
Read full account (here)
Partnership working is improving the scope of our 'Meals for the Homeless' project
Early Origins of Homeless support:
Many of you will be aware that our 'Meals for the Homeless' project in Ilford began in January 2021 and as we reach the anniversary of the service, we undertook a review of what was good and bad about our service.
We began our project after many years of interaction with the homeless. Through street barbecues organised to promote awareness of crime and to help towards crime reduction, Queens Jubilee events, Redbridge Carnival stalls and leading Redbridge Easter Parade, we became aware of the homeless. However after a series of outreach events through collaborations with over 10 local churches we really began to understand the scope of the needs of this often forgotten community (click here). Our friendship centre events put us in direct contact with homeless people and other local people seeking help and company and we decided to start a meals project.
Read full account (here)
Protestors converge at 10 Downing Street to oppose Taliban oppression in Afghanistan
An anti-Taliban oppression rally outside 10 Downing Street was attended by diverse people from a multitude of faiths and no faith on Saturday 18th September 2021.
A Muslim-led anti-Taliban rally outside 10 Downing Street was attended by diverse people from a multitude of faiths and no faith on Saturday, 18th September 2021.
Please sign our petition (click here)
The event was organised by the Muslim Education Centre of Oxford headed by Imam Dr Taj Hargey. He said:
"In common with many British Muslims, MECO (Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford) – a progressive and forward-looking community organisation – is horrified by the undemocratic seizure of power by religious militants in Afghanistan.
"Like the majority of right-minded UK Muslims, we fiercely oppose the Taliban's cruel suppression of women and girls, the blatant persecution of the Shi'ah minority and the indiscriminate targeting of dissidents.
"The Taliban's triumphalist fanatics are imposing their warped brand and deranged version of Islam upon the long-suffering Afghan population.
"But these theological zealots must be resisted and exposed for their bizarre non-Qur'anic decrees, while UK Muslims need to firmly express their global solidarity with the oppressed people of Afghanistan.
"For these compelling reasons, MECO has taken the hugely unprecedented step of organising a public protest against Taliban tyranny.
"This timely Muslim initiative is evidence that not all the followers of Islam are resigned to Taliban fanaticism.
"It is high time that British Muslims are more visible and vocal in their repudiation of all forms of religious extremism."
Read full account (here)
Asian Christians to support anti-taliban protest in unity with concerned Muslims
An anti-Taliban oppression protest has been arranged for Saturday, by the Muslim Education Council of Oxford led by the courageous and much loved Imam Dr Taj Hargey a long-term friend of the British Asian Christian Association, who has collaborated with us on many of our protests.
Hannah Chowdhry (17 yrs) a spokesperson for the British Asian Christian Association, will be speaking at the event and will be desire for women in Afghanistan to share the same freedoms as women her in the UK. She will also be calling for protection of the thousands of Christians of Afghanistan who live in fear and anxiety, knowing full well that their faith is anathema to Taliban leaders who adhere to a very fundamental ideology. Hannah will be calling for Britain to provide automatic qualification for asylum to any proven Christians from Afghanistan.
Hannah Chowdhry, said:
"I feel compelled to challenge for gender parity in Afghanistan.
"Many young women had hoped for much brighter futures under the improved freedoms of the previous regime.
"Their dreams have been destroyed by the swift capitulation of Afghan forces to the Taliban.
"During their previous rule the Taliban introduced restrictions included banning women from education and keeping all women, except for doctors, from working.
"Under their rule, anyone who did not follow their strict guidelines could be jailed or beaten publicly.
"Already restrictions on women are being introduced, not at the same severity as before, but I am not convinced Taliban ideological beliefs allow for women's rights."
Read full account (here)
Christian girl of 10 years beaten over head with stone and then carried into barn where she was raped by local Muslim teenager
Aleeza Younis was later left bleeding on a street corner where she was found by her father and some other locals who were out looking for her.
On 2nd September, around 5:00 pm, Zareena Bibi (55 yrs) asked her granddaughter Aleeza Younis to go to the local pharmacist a Dr Noel. She asked for Aleeza to simply check if it was open. Zareena required a medical assessment and a prescription for some medicine and was hoping to visit if the pharmacy was still open.
The pharmacy was close to the home of Zareena but quite strangely Aleeza did not return home for over 30 minutes, which was very unusual.
Zareena Bibi was extremely worried and asked Aleeza's mother Sajida (30 yrs) to go and search for the child, to find out why she had not yet returned home.
Read full account (here)