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Pakistan: Christian man shot dead by Islamic extremists

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – As Christians in Pakistan continue to face mortal danger because of their faith, a Christian man was falsely accused of blasphemy and then murdered by Islamic extremists in Punjab earlier this month, News Intervention reports.

Malik Ijaz, a Christian resident of Sheikhpura, Punjab, was murdered after a mob of Islamic extremists stormed into his home, News Intervention reported on August 22. The killers accused Ijaz of blasphemy because he believed in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and did not believe according to the Islamic religion.

“A viral video being circulated on social media shows a frenzied mob targeting a man named Malik Ijaz, while the gunshots could be heard in the background,” News Intervention said in its report. “The mob barged into his house and vandalized it. They looted and threw the belongings on the road. Later, Ijaz was shot dead.”

The murder happened just a few days after Islamic extremists ransacked 21 Churches and other buildings belonging to Christians, News Intervention noted.

“Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws target religious minorities (including Muslim minorities), but affect the Christian minority in particular – roughly a quarter of all blasphemy accusations target Christians, who only make up 1.8% of the population,” the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization explains in a website statement. “Christians in Pakistan are considered second-class citizens and face discrimination in every aspect of life. They lack proper representation in politics and … there are almost constant attacks against individuals. Many do not feel safe to worship freely.”

Pakistan ranks 7th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.