At the age of 21, Aslam surrendered his life to Christ at a worship service, where he had a life-changing encounter with the spirit of God—but following Jesus in a Muslim country is anything but easy.
“It can be scary to follow Jesus in Pakistan,” Aslam shared. “I can relate to the early disciples. You get a taste of what it was like in Bible times. There’s a great deal of faith required …”
Yet Aslam doesn’t allow fear to control him; he has a heart for the people of Pakistan and longs for everyone to worship Jesus.
“My desire is that every tribe and every nation and every language—and all over Pakistan—would worship Jesus Christ. There’s so much work to be done. But our story here is still being written. It’s a continuation of the book of Acts,” he proclaimed.
During our chat, he painted a picture of what life is like as a persecuted Christian in Pakistan. “This is a Muslim country. It’s been called a fortress of Islam,” he cautioned.
Persecution is an ever-present reality for believers due to severe blasphemy laws. “They can come and arrest you—and even kill you—if you speak a word against Islam,” warned Aslam. “This law is abused and can be used by people who have a grudge against a Christian.”
Aslam told GCR that false accusations can quickly turn violent. “Sometimes the community becomes so riled up that they have killed the accused by stoning or burning them before authorities arrive,” he recalled.
And it can also be deadly when those who were raised Muslim convert to Christianity. “It’s not allowed,” stated Aslam. “This is also blasphemy. You can’t tell anyone, or you will be guilty. Your family will come and beat you and try their best to kill you … Christians have been tortured badly, and many have died.”
Despite the daunting conditions in Pakistan, where less than 2% of the population is Christian, Aslam pushes forward in faith and hope. He knows what is most important in this life.
“Jesus is our treasure … He’s everything to us … things are meaningless if we have many things but don’t have Jesus.”
GCR Family, amid the threats of persecution in Pakistan, let’s pray 2 Thessalonians 3:1-3 over Aslam. This scripture says, “… brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly … And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”
Heavenly Father, we ask that You would help Aslam, a persecuted Christian in Pakistan, and all of the Body of Christ in Pakistan continue to share their faith.
Set up divine appointments for Aslam, so he can share the gospel with wisdom and discretion; open hearts to receive salvation in Jesus Christ.
Strengthen, encourage and embolden Your church there. Provide for all of their needs and comfort them amid their trials of persecution.
Let Your gospel spread in Pakistan like wildfire! Bring in a great harvest of souls. We plead the blood of Jesus over Aslam and all of Pakistan. Let Your will be done there!
*Name changed to preserve security
*Pictured above: Aslam along with wife Aleena
About The Author
Tim Dustin is a staff writer for Global Christian Relief, a nonprofit Christian ministry that works to strengthen persecuted believers and raise awareness regarding Christian persecution. For more information, visit our website at GlobalChristianRelief.org.
