By BosNewsLife Special Correspondent Jawad Mazhar, reporting from Pakistan
UPPER DIR, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)– A man selling compact discs in Pakistan’s war-torn North West Frontier Province remained in critical condition Monday, November 23, after suspected Islamic militants blew up his CD shop because its collection included a film about Jesus and other Christian movies.
“Thirteen neighboring shops were also partially damaged,” during the bomb blast in Saleem Commercial Plaza in the Kas town area of Upper Dir District, said the still bed-ridden shop owner Muhammad Taos Khan in an interview with BosNewsLife.
Khan, 41, said a child had given him a threatening letter some 30 minutes before the explosion on November 11.
He said he initially “shrugged off the threat laughing over the letter” but soon became ” extremely stunned when noticing that a boy was staring” at him “with great fury.” “When I tried to call him he ran away and disappeared in the crowd,” Khan said.
“It is evident from the threatening letter that I was attacked for keeping the Jesus Film [about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ] in the Pashto and Urdu languages as well as Islamic and Christian films about [the Biblical persons] Abraham, Isaac and Adam and Eve. We have many such movies on CDs,” he added.
MILITANT GROUP
Police and Khan have linked the blast to the ‘Ideological Supremacy to uphold Islam in the World’, one of several groups fighting to establish strict Islamic rule in the North West Frontier Province.
It was not immediately clear whether the group had officially claimed responsibility for the attack and no arrests were reported.
“Allah is the greatest and hail Islam,” said the letter shown to BosNewsLife which also included slogans such as “Death to the U.S, Christians and all the Jews in the world.”
Khan said the letter also accused business people selling CDs of “disseminating vulgarity in Pakistan society.” You, “not only view the movies of the prophets yourself but also rent out those among the masses…”
ISLAMIC VALUES
Khan said the letter also demanded that he and other business people “instead of attacking Islamic values should teach the Koran” deemed a holy book by Muslims, “to children.”
He and others were also “cursed” in the letter. “They are all destined to go to hell and deserve divine retribution…by the orders of the Allah the Almighty,” added the letter, shown to BosNewsLife.
Khan isn’t the only attacked these days. In Pakistan’s turbulent Punjab province a Christian security guard was recovering Monday, November 23, after being attacked in the industrial city of Gujranwala.
Police told BosNewsLife Younus Masih was injured after trying to stop robbers stealing 1,470,000 Pakistan Rupees (some $18,600) at a branch of United Bank Limited.
Christians in Pakistan have expressed concerns about what they say are increased attacks against them, often involving Islamic militants. (Follow BosNewsLife via Twitter. www.twitter.com/bosnewslife)
Christain were persecuated since Pakistan came om map of the world, more tense specially when pakistan was declared islamic country and islamic laws were imposed, no missionary to come to pakistan for preach, PoorPakistani christains were oppressed by taking christains schools colleges and hospitals which were bulit by the missionaries in pakistan to serve pakistani people regardless thier faith or religions, mostly staff were Christains.
pakistani islamic government took over these Christains schools , colleges and hospitals which blocked the income for Christains, now if Christains apply any kind of Job muslims soon see the name idicate Christains thier application been thrown out and hired muslims and thises muslims anr unqualified for thier jobs,
Pakistani police will favour muslims against Christains in any kind of legal problems .
It is pitty wesetrn countries are welcomming Muslims to thier countries , and declaring Christains unqualfies to come to western countries , the reason are most western countries have muslim staff in muslim countries in thier embassis, and these muslims staff putting muslim application head of Christains applications and most of the time these muslim staff in western countries will ask Christains to provide such a documents for visas where they will be unqualifiy,
I wish Western countries see this as a threat to western countries stability, many muslims in western countries against western countries and will ttry to help muslims terriost in western countries to unstable the safet of these western countries, More over these muslims are getting welfare from the local government same time working under the table in muslims shop.on cash, these muslims also calling thier daughter as wives and sons as fiance
So many thing to say i will be in touch with you with some reality thanks John
Jesus is the Son of God and blessed are those who lose their lives for His name’s sake. Be full of joy when you are counted worthy to be persecuted. Blessed in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
I can only imagine what it would be like to be a Christian in such a land.
My family and I pray for you all that If it be his will,the Lord will grant you peace and protection.