by Jordan Sekulow, Washington Post
2011 began with some bleak news for Muslim-Christian relations around the world.
Recent attacks against churches in Iraq, Nigeria and Egypt have killed dozens of Christian worshippers. Meanwhile, the Pakistani government is standing by the country’s controversial blasphemy law which critics say threatens religious minorities.
How should political and religious leaders deal with these challenges to interfaith relations?
Today, the Governor of Pakistan’s Punjab province was killed. Governor Salmaan Taseer lost his life because of Pakistan’s blasphemy law. As an opponent of the law, Mr. Taseer became a blasphemer in the eyes of his own security. From the AP’s report:
An intelligence official interrogating the suspect, identified as Mumtaz Qadri, told the Associated Press that the elite force security guard was boasting about the assassination, saying he was proud to have killed a blasphemer.
A respected Muslim politician takes a bold stand against an oppressive law used primarily as a weapon of fear and he is transformed by violent extremists into an enemy of Islam. Mr. Taseer became a religious minority, suffering the same fate of many Christians in Pakistan.
He was the most courageous voice after Benazir Bhutto on the rights of women and religious minorities,” said a crying Farahnaz Ispahani, an aide to Mr. Zardari and friend of Taseer. “God, we will miss him,” said one media report.
So will the ACLJ’s affiliate in Pakistan. The Center for Law & Justice – Pakistan is located in the Punjab province formerly governed by Mr. Taseer. Our Executive Director in Pakistan Asif Aqeel emailed me this morning writing: “The incident is very shocking for everyone – especially for Christians who thought that there might be some change coming in Pakistani law and society. The Governor’s murder also raises security concerns for our office in Pakistan. It will affect the recent move by parliamentarian Sherry Reham who tabled a bill to amend the blasphemy laws.”
While the Vatican fears an “exodus” of Christians from the Middle East, America’s religious right is prepared to take the international defense of religious minorities to a new level in 2011.
Evangelicals in the U.S. may be mocked and harassed, but we are not persecuted. Our brothers and sisters need us; will we rise to the occasion?
