Pakistan: Petty Children's Squabble Escalates
Apr 17 2007
Postings >> Pakistan

A petty squabble between Muslim and Christian children has escalated into a major row in which five Christians from the same family have been charged with blasphemy.

Salamat Masih, his 16-year-old son Rashid and their relatives Sahibah Masih Mota and Shehla and Bao Masih, who all live in Toba Tek Singh, Punjab, have been charged under sections 295-A and 295-C.

Their accuser and neighbour alleges that Salamat and Bao snatched a sticker of the prophet Mohammed from his nephew and stamped on it. He also claims that the five defendants raided his house with weapons and hurled abuse at his family and Mohammed. Local Christians allege that the neighbour's story is made up. They say the trigger for the arrests was a row between Salamat's 11-year-old son Daniel and some of his Muslim
friends. The Muslim children reportedly beat Daniel when he refused to play with them. When Daniel's mother went to remonstrate with the parents, a heated argument ensued.

Local Muslims responded to the blasphemy allegations by stoning Christian houses and injuring a number of people, including a disabled man who was badly beaten. Salamat Masih is being held in police custody: the rest of his family has gone into hiding.

• Pray that charges against the Masihs will be dropped. Pray for their safety: extremists have killed people accused of blasphemy even before a conviction.
• Pray that the Pakistani government would respond to pressure to scrap its blasphemy laws which are frequently used to persecute Christians.