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Religious hatred ‘motivated
murder’ in Pakistan
The father of a 20-year-old Christian
who was gunned down in Pakistan said
the confessed killer was driven by a
strong hatred for Christians and Jews.
Farhan Ul Qamar died after being
shot in his house in Talwandi Inayat
Khan village in Punjab Province in the
presence of other family members.
Farhan’s father, Noor Ul Qamar, said the
killer showed hatred for Christians and
Jews, mistakenly referring to the family
as Jews as he ranted at them.
Noor Ul Qamar said he was unsure why the man targeted his son in
particular, though the killer and Farhan had had a minor argument the
previous day. In the early hours of November 9 the killer held the family
hostage at gunpoint for nearly 40 minutes, refusing to let them go near
their fatally injured son, Ul Qamar said.
‘My son was struggling for his life, bleeding profusely from the bullet
wounds, but his murderer did not allow us to even give him some water,
let alone comfort him,’ Ul Qamar told Morning Star News. ‘He repeatedly
called us “Jews” as he cursed and waved his weapon at us. We all watched
helplessly, pleading with him to leave, but he wouldn’t go.’
Eventually the attacker fled on his motorcycle. Farhan died on his way to
the hospital.
The killer had never hidden his hatred for Christians, but his behaviour
worsened after the Israel-Gaza war started, Ul Qamar said.
(Source: Morning Star News)
Listen to our
latest podcasts
NO PLACE FOR EVANGELICAL FAITH The war
in Ukraine has been prominent in our news
headlines over the last year, but how has this
conflict impacted Christians there? In the
first of a two-part conversation, we speak to
Maciek from our sister ministry, Voice of the
Persecuted Christians, Poland. VoPC Poland
has been working to support evangelical
Christians living in the occupied areas of
Ukraine where life has become extremely
challenging in recent times.
WHERE FAITH IS VULNERABLE Last August
mob attacks on Christian homes and
churches in Pakistan hit the news headlines
around the world. In this edition of Release
International’s Voice podcast we speak to
former staff member Imtiaz, who recently
visited the area and met those who lived
through that ordeal. Listen as he reflects on
this and on the broader needs of the church
in Pakistan, and hear how you can stand with
our brothers and sisters there in prayer.
FAITHFUL WHERE WE ARE North Korea is a
country that fascinates many of us – not least
because it seems so secretive. What is life
like there? What’s it like being a Christian
in North Korea? In this edition of Release
International’s Voice podcast we continue
our conversation with Eric Foley, head of our
sister ministry, Voice of the Martyrs Korea.
Last month Eric spoke about his ministry –
and how it was transformed by listening to,
and understanding, North Korean Christians.
Listen now as Eric suggests how we are to
view and pray for our North Korean brothers
and sisters in Christ.
CHRIST IS SUFFICIENT The first of two
podcast conversations with Eric Foley, of
Voice of the Martyrs Korea. In his letter to
the Colossians the Apostle Paul emphasises
that our sufficiency is in Christ alone, ‘for in
him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
and [we] have been filled in him’. And yet
Paul speaks of his sufferings. In this edition
of Release International’s Voice podcast
we speak to Eric Foley, head of our sister
ministry, Voice of the Martyrs Korea. What
does ministry to North Korean Christians
look like – and how did Voice of the Martyrs
Korea begin?
Sunday service turns into
communist party performance
An officially recognised church in northeast China transformed a Sunday
worship service into praise for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the
country, ChinaAid reported.
The ‘service’ took place in compliance with a newly passed ‘Patriotic
Education Law’.
In the name of using literature and arts performances to promote excellent
traditional culture in churches, the church featured a song titled Ode to
the Motherland, composed by one of the church’s pastors. It also brought
together various art groups to celebrate the CCP and its rule.
According to the Gospel Times, a Chinese website that has long reported on
the activities of officially recognised churches, on November 19, a Sunday
morning, on the eve of the implementation of the Patriotic Education Law,
the Liaozhong District Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee and the
Christian Council in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, China, held a sermon
and praise gathering at the Liaozhong Christian Church. The event was
themed ‘The Practice of the Sinicization of Religion, Introduction of Excellent
Traditional Culture into the Church, Calligraphy and Painting, Literature and
Art Performances.’
The Patriotic Education Law was passed on October 24. It formally includes
Chinese youth and children, Chinese citizens, residents of Hong Kong and
even overseas Chinese, among others, as subjects of patriotic education.
The law aims to promote the spirit of patriotism, widely seen as a further
consolidation of the personality cult around President Xi Jinping.
(Source: ChinaAid)
Farhan Ul Qamar Photo: Morning
Star News (courtesy of family)