UNDER PERSECUTION / PRISONER ALERT

Shabaz Kaka
Location: Pakistan
Arrested: June 2001
Days Imprisoned: 1822
Shabaz Kaka boarded a bus bound from Lahore to Faisalabad in June 2001. When the bus stopped at Jamia Mosque in Faisalabad for a break, Shabaz visited the restroom along with the other passengers. The leaders of the mosque saw he was wearing a cross and began to question him. Learning of his Christian faith, the authorities objected that he had visited the restroom adjacent to the mosque and therefore accused him of desecrating the Koran saying he had torn out pages and trampled them under his feet. This is a common lie used by Muslims to trap Christians. They contacted the nearest police station and filed a complaint. Shabaz was arrested and charged with committing offenses under articles 295a and 295b of the Pakistan Penal Code generally referred to as the Blasphemy Law. He was held in the local jail. The authorities did not advise his parents of his arrest or imprisonment. For more than a year, his parents did not know what had happened to their son or where he was. More than three years after his arrest, Shabaz appeared in court in Faisalabad for his hearing. On September 25, 2004, Judge Shahid Rafiq made the final decision of life in prison for this young man. His attorney has appealed this decision.
Please pray for protection and spiritual strength for Shabaz while he is in prison.




Rhanja Masih
Location: Pakistan
Arrested: May 1998
Days Imprisoned: 2945
Christians comprise only two percent of the population of Pakistan. During a Christian funeral on May 8, 1998, Muslim witnesses say that Rhanja threw a rock at an Islamic sign. Rhanja denies this claim. He has been in prison since his arrest, a victim of Law 295c, blaspheming Mohammed, which normally carries a mandatory death sentence. But on April 26, 2003, Rhanja was sentenced to life in prison and fined 50,000 rupees ($830).
Please pray for protection and spiritual strength for Rhanja while he is in prison.



Mrs. Ratna, Mrs. Eti and Dr. Rebekka
Location: Indonesia
Arrested: May 2005
Days Imprisoned: 380
These three women, Mrs. Ratna, Mrs. Eti and Dr. Rebekka, (L-R in photo) were arrested May 16, 2005, and charged under the Children Protection Act of 2002. Their trial began June 30th and ended September 1, 2005, when Indonesian judges sentenced the women to three years in prison plus a fine for allowing Muslim children to attend a Christian Sunday school program. According to Compass Direct News Service, Islamic extremists directed threats inside and outside of the courtroom during the trial. An observer who had attended most of the court sessions indicated there were nine trucks of protestors at this final hearing. These protestors brought with them a coffin to bury the accused if they were not found guilty.

The irony of this case is that the women launched the “Happy Sunday” children’s program in September of 2003, in response to a request by a local elementary school for assistance to meet legal requirements to comply with the National Education System Bill. Because of the popularity of this program with Christian students, some Muslim children wanted to attend. These Muslim children were only permitted to attend if they had their parent’s permission. Later some Muslim parents complained that a picnic held in Jakarta was a trick to Christianize their children while they were away from their village. Eventually their protests went to the Council for County Officers (Muspika). The local MUI (Indonesia Ulama Council) then urged that this problem be resolved by law, which led to accusing the three women of trying to Christianize Muslims.
Please pray for protection and spiritual strength for Mrs. Ratna, Mrs. Eti and Dr. Rebekka while they are in prison.



Pastor Hamid Pourmand
Location: Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Arrested: September 2004
Days Imprisoned: 629
Pastor Hamid Pourmand, a former Iranian army colonel, was arrested when security police raided a church conference of more than 80 church leaders that he was attending. He had become a Christian about 25 years ago. During his military career, his superiors had acknowledged that he was a Christian and he had even been excused from observing the Muslim month of fasting. However, it is illegal for a non-Muslim to serve as a military officer; and on February 17, 2005, a Tehran military court sentenced Hamid to three years in jail and ordered his transfer to Evin Prison. Found guilty on charges of deceiving the Iranian armed forces, his sentence automatically discharges him from the army, cuts off his regular income, and eliminates his military pension. His wife and two teenage children were forced to leave their military housing.

In addition, he was charged with apostasy from Islam and proselytizing Muslims to Christianity. Both charges are punishable by death. Because news of his appearance before an Islamic Shariah court in Tehran leaked out to the international press he was taken by armored car to Bandar-i Bushehr to stand trail. On May 28th an Islamic judge acquitted pastor Pourmand of these charges. According to Compass Direct, the judge reportedly stated “I don’t know who you are, but the rest-of-the-world does,” a clear reference to the international attention that this case has attracted.
Please pray for protection and spiritual strength for Pastor Hamid while he is in prison.




Parvez Masih
Location: Pakistan
Arrested: April 2001
Parvez Masih, was the headmaster of a Christian school near Lahore, Pakistan when some of his students asked him if it was true that Mohammed had a nine-year-old wife. Parvez graciously mentioned her name, "Aisha," and told them to ask their religious leaders (Mullahs). On April 1, 2001 he was arrested and accused of violating Law 295C, blaspheming Mohammed as a result of the testimonies of two of the boys. It is believed that a teacher of a rival high school was involved in an attempt to close this rival school. Attacks on Christians in Pakistan include the elements of ignorance, greed, anger and misinformation.
Paryez is RELEASED.
God bless You Parvez.

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