It all started with a simple conversation between two boys. “Simon told me he had been joking with his older cousin, Adil, about who would win in a fight. One mentioned punching like Muhammad Ali and the other teasingly responded, “You are not Muhammed Ali. You are a dog,” explains Samina. A nearby police officer incorrectly overheard the conversation and concluded the boys were disrespecting the prophet Muhammad. The officer then beat them.
Samina was returning home from work that evening when Simon told her what had happened. With the intent to rectify the situation, she decided to visit the officer. However, while on her way, she saw three police vehicles heading to her house. Her maternal instincts kicked in. “I ran back to my house and quickly hid my son.” But things would only get worse.
The officer had spread the word about the incident throughout the community. A mob gathered in front of Samina’s home and demanded she give them her son to be beheaded.
“I begged the officer repeatedly—begging him to overlook any offense my son may have made, but he refused. I cried and begged the mob gathered outside my house until midnight—to spare my little boy—but they wouldn’t.”
Then the police arrested both Adil and Simon.
“I almost lost my mind—crying, begging, facing the crowd for almost 8 hours. Then ultimately, I had to see my little boy arrested before my eyes,” says Samina.
Simon and Adil are still in jail. The case against them is for breaking a blasphemy law. The police are investigating the incident.
But Samina continues to put her trust in the Lord: “I have put my hope and trust in the Lord. I believe that the Lord will give us justice. Our son has done nothing wrong to face punishment under the blasphemy law.”
Samina’s faith is heartening as she recalls Jeremiah 17:7-8: “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Let’s pray for Simon, Samina and Adil, persecuted Christians in Pakistan.
God Almighty, we ask You keep this family from harm and continue to surround them with a hedge of safety. Please provide for all their needs. Encourage, strengthen and comfort them in the midst of the trials they are facing. We boldly pray You would remove the charges against Simon and Adil and bring the truth to light. In Your name. Amen.
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.
