By BosNewsLife Asia Service
SARGODHA, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)– Fighters linked to the militant Taliban group have threatened to kill Christians and burn their homes in Pakistan’s Punjab province if they don’t meet their demands.
In a letter sent to the Christian community in the northeastern city of Sargodha, Taliban militants said Christians should convert to Islam, pay an Islamic tax imposed on religious minorities, known as ‘Jizya tax’, or leave the country.
If Christians refuse to accept these choices, Christians “will be killed, their property and homes will be burnt to ashes and their women treated as sex slaves,” said the letter, which was distributed to BosNewsLife and other media by rights group International Christian Concern (ICC). The Christians “themselves would be responsible for this,” the letter added.
News of the statement emerged as Pakistan’s army prepared for a ground offensive elsewhere in Pakistan, in South Waziristan, following a string of brazen attacks, believed to be part of a Taliban campaign, that killed more than 150 people in the last two weeks.
IN CROSS-FIRE
Christians have been in the cross-fire or directly targeted by Islamic militants with links to the Taliban and al-Qaida. Militants have accused them of representing an evil Western religion and of supporting the U.S.-led war on terror.
It was not immediately clear which faction within the Taliban sent the threatening letter, but local Christian leaders apparently took the statement seriously.
Reverend Zaheer Khan, pastor of Maghoo Memorial Church, Reverend Aamir Azeem, pastor of United Christians Church and Reverend Zafar Akhter, pastor of United Presbyterian Church apparently each received a copy of threatening letter.
Other Christian institutions reportedly included St Peter’s Middle School, the Sargodha Institute of Technology, Sargodha Catholic High School, St John’s Primary School and Fatima Hospital.
Besides these Christian institutions, the letter was also sent to a key center of Shiite Muslims, the Immam-Bar-Gha, ICC said. Shiites are a minority Muslim group in Pakistan where the majority of the population is Sunni Muslim.
“SOFT TARGETS”
ICC representative Jonathan Racho told BosNewsLife in a statement that “Christians in Pakistan are soft targets for attacks by Islamic extremists. Over the past four months alone, 12 Christians have been killed by Muslims due to their faith.”
Racho said ICC has been “alarmed by the increase in attacks against Christians in Pakistan. We urge Pakistani officials to take the threatening letters seriously and take measures to protect the Christians and their institutions from attacks.”
ICC said it had urged Christians around the world to contact Pakistani embassies in their countries and express concern about the situation. (With reporting by BosNewsLife’s Stefan J. Bos).
I am trying to make our people understand that they themselves have to protect their lives, property and familes. Christians must fight back no matter what weapon they have.
Please read Luke Chapter 22.
I encourage our Christian nation to take stand against satanic Islamic extremist forces like Taliban and Al-qaida. They should protect their families. Pakistani police is not sincere with Christian community to trotect.They take side of their muslim brothers.Christians are killed in the police custody by the police. It is time to think carefuly and all the christian nation should get together. Jesus already informed us about all the problems and persecutions face to his followers. Its up to us take measures against all the satanic forces in the world.
God does not help those who do not help themselves.
Who is afraid of dying, dies every day. Christians have to wake up and raise their heads
and voice.
Honestly speaking, christians are not organised, they are not faithful to each other( rather
not sincere to oneself),
Leadership is not sincere.
Now is the time for the Pakistan Government to realise the seriousness of growing number and influence of Talibans in Pakistan. My prayer for our brave Chrsitian comunity in Pakistan and the Government officials is of courage to take a bolder stand to stop the extremeism in Pakistan. We must all wake up to the needs of our neighbours or the time will come when no one will be left to help anyone, as Martin Niemoller once said; “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me”.
God help us all…
send this Email the Follwing Persons and inform them about threatning of Christians and Shia
1 American Embassy ,
2 President Of Pakistan,
3 Prim Minister
4 Cheif Minister
5 I.G Punjab Police
6. Altaf Hussain Leader of MQM
7. nawaz Shrif (Chairman of NOn League )
8 .speaker of National Assembly
9.all the Cheif ministers of Provinses
10.Imran Khan
11.Ashfaq Pervez Kyani(Milatry CNC)
you bible promotes the same evil !!!
your bible commands you to take over every land in the name of god and kill, rape, enslave and destroy.
if you don’t like what you see in Islam than you should stop supporting Christianity because it is the same evil.
If people weren’t so content to harbor under the delusion of religion in the first place, Pakistan wouldn’t be facing this problem of having to defend their lives and the Taliban wouldn’t exist.
To all my the Islamic peoples in Pakistan, Taliban, Al-Qaeda Network.
Please stop this bloodshed of killing your own Pakistani Christian peoples who have the same DNA as the those who fire the shots or swing the swords to behead Pakistani Christians created in the Image and Likeness of Almighty God. Since Jesus Christ is also accepted in Quran as a Prophet and that He will Return again to this World, and that Jesus will Judge this World in the End, who are you to wield the Guns and Swords to kill those who follow Jesus, who the Muslim world also acknowledge.
So to all the Muslim World in other countries, please do not keep silent and see this atrocities go on against the Christians in Pakistan, it is not in keeping with the Conduct of Good Muslim Practice. It must STOP !