by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – As Christians in Punjab Province, Pakistan, continue to face intense violent persecution from Islamic extremists, a Christian father of three was arrested on November 3 and jailed pending trial for blasphemy, Morning Star News reports.
Zafar Iqbal Ward of No. 12 of Kahna in Lahore, Punjab Province, was arrested after three local Muslims accused him of setting fire to pages of the Quran near his house. Iqbal is the most recent in an extending line of Christians who have been arrested for allegedly defacing Quranic pages.
Iqbal has been charged under Section 295-B of Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy law, which carries a life sentence for defacing the Quran.
Pakistani rights activist Napolean Qayyum told MSN: “Iqbal is now in prison on judicial remand, while his family has gone into hiding and are inaccessible.”
In a website statement about the situation facing Pakistani Christians, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization reports: “Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws are often used to target minority groups, but Christians are disproportionately affected. Indeed, roughly a quarter of all blasphemy accusations target Christians, who only make up 1.8% of the population.”
Ruled by an Islamic government that promotes harsh blasphemy laws, Pakistan ranks seventh on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
A suspect in the shooting outside the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner reportedly sent a disturbing anti-Trump manifesto to family members just minutes before the attack, according to multiple reports.
Former Israeli prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid announced Sunday that they will merge their political factions into a unified list ahead of upcoming Knesset elections, signaling a major realignment within Israel’s center-right political landscape.
War-torn Ukraine is commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster amid lingering fears that the tragedy could occur again as war continues.
U.S. authorities have charged a suspected gunman after a shooting disrupted the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, forcing Donald J. Trump to be rushed from the venue and the event to be postponed, officials said Sunday.
German authorities have launched an investigation after a protester threw red liquid over Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi in Berlin, where he had denounced a ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
Christian advocates have urged legislators in Pakistan’s Punjab province to approve child marriage legislation in a country where millions of girls are married as children.
Authorities in the Philippines reported ash emission from Mount Kanlaon on Saturday morning, with volcanic ash drifting westward toward nearby communities.