Church leaders receive death threats as religious persecution increases

oge okonkwo

May 14, 2015 5:35 PM

Javed David, a church planter, has been building churches in poor communities for the past two years, but says he is becoming increasingly afraid of the consequences, particularly in the wake of the double suicide bomb attacks on churches in Lahore where he lives

A woman comforts a man mourning for a relative killed in a bomb explosion in Lahore, Pakistan

Latest reports say Christian leaders in Pakistan have received death threats for their involvement in church planting, leading a country expert to warn that religious minorities are facing worse conditions day by day.

Javed David, a church planter, has been building churches in poor communities for the past two years, but says he is becoming increasingly afraid of the consequences, particularly in the wake of the double suicide bomb attacks on churches in Lahore, where he lives, in March.

"After the tragedy in Youhanabad [a Christian majority suburb of Lahore], circumstances have changed and now there is more fear," David told Asia News. He has personally received two threats on his life since February. Once, a motorcyclist threw a piece of paper though his car window, reading: "This is an Islamic nation. We cannot allow church building. Either you convert to Islam or you leave this country! Stop building churches or you'll pay the consequences!"

In a second incident on April 4, another motorcyclist told him: "We know what you are doing here. Stop building churches. Convert to Islam, which is the true religion. Otherwise we will make a horrible example of you."

Christian Today reports that one of David's colleagues, Ata-ur-Rehman, has also received threats. He said that though there has been some resistance from members of the local Muslim community, Christians and Muslims largely live in peace together. He did, however, express concern about "rising religious intolerance".

"My family and I are scared and worried because I continue to receive threats," David added. "Where can we go to enjoy religious freedom? This is our country; we have lived here for generations."

"Still, I dedicated my life to Christ and I shall continue to serve His people, no matter what happens."

Pakistan has long struggled with discrimination against religious minorities, and a report released in December last year said an "oppressive environment" was making it "increasingly difficult for many religious communities to live securely and free from danger in places where they have often spent the majority of their lives."

oge okonkwo