Pakistan: Young Man Gunned Down for Refusing to Become a Muslim
Aug 07 2007
Postings >> Pakistan

A young Christian man has been gunned down in cold blood in Lahore -- because he 'refused to become a Muslim'.

Patras Masih, who was 21, had been working overtime at the Crescent Garments factory when he got a call on his mobile phone asking him to meet a Muslim colleague at the main gate. When he arrived, he was shot dead.

Patras' father William, who works at the same factory, said Patras had been pressured to convert to Islam by a colleague a month before he died. RI partner Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan says that William suffered a 'heart attack' on learning of his only son's murder.

Meanwhile, a group of Muslims have unexpectedly confessed to and apologised for attacking a Salvation Army church in Bismillahlpur Kanthan, Punjab, on June 17 (7x7, July 10). Compass Direct reports that the Christians have dropped the case against 41 Muslims arrested over the incident, after their attackers expressed remorse in a signed affidavit.

The out-of-court settlement was agreed at a meeting arbitrated by Christian and Muslim politicians. The Christians' lawyer Khalil Tahir Sindhu said that settlement, though unfair, was 'prudent', given that inter-religious tensions are running high in Pakistan. The Muslims offered no compensation for the attack in which 17 Christians were injured.

• Pray for the family of Patras Masih, grieving for their only son.
• Thank God for the courage of the Salvation Army congregation in Punjab who chose to forgive their attackers for the sake of peace.