Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan

Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws Explained 

Pakistan has laws that make it illegal to insult Islam’s Prophet Muhammad or the Quran. Perform a quick search of the term “Section 295-C of Pakistan’s Penal Code,” and you’ll find that it says anyone who defiles the Prophet’s name must receive the death penalty.

The law doesn’t require proof that someone meant to insult Islam. It doesn’t require witnesses to back up the claim either. This means that one accusation, regardless of whether or not it's true, is enough to ruin someone.

Sometimes, the government of Pakistan chooses not to execute people for blasphemy (the case of Asia Bibi is one such instance where a woman accused of blasphemy was declared not guilty based on a lack of evidence).

Yet the smallest accusation have devastating consequences. Sometimes mobs attack the accused and their home. Some people lose their jobs, and others are murdered before they ever see a courtroom. If people survive to their trial, they can face 25 years in prison...or even a death sentence.

BILAL: A Bible Verse That Nearly Cost Everything

Tragically, people use blasphemy laws to attack business competitors, steal land, settle personal grudges, and run extortion schemes.  

This is what happened to Bilal, who grew up in church, spending a lot of time there because his father was a church elder. Bilal ran a successful business and gave money to support his church. But then he posted a Bible verse on social media the day before a Muslim festival on social media. Within hours, a mob destroyed his house, threatened his family, and tried to kill them. His crime? Sharing a verse from Scripture that someone said insulted Islam.

Police arrested Bilal’s parents and two sisters-in-law. Bilal was thrown in jail on blasphemy charges. A Christian lawyer got him out on bail, but Bilal couldn't go home because the mob was still after him, trying to kill him and his entire family. He was hiding with his wife and six children, too scared of being killed to return. He had no way to make money. His family was desperate for a place to live, food to eat, and medical care. His six kids needed to go to school.  

With your generous support, our Help The Persecuted Field Ministers met with Bilal, and they are walking alongside him. Because of you, in addition to ministering to the family and providing ongoing spiritual support, our team provided him with emergency living expenses so that he could feed his family while he looked for stable work. This has given him crucial time so that his children do not have to miss school any longer!

Through this, Bilal holds onto hope. He saw God protect his family when the mob came for them. Despite losing his home, his business, and his freedom to live openly as a Christian, he knows the same God who saved them from death that day continues to provide for them in hiding. His hope is rooted in trusting that Jesus is worthy of the cost...and because of your faithful generosity, he has been able to see the Body of Christ come around him, showing him that he is never alone. 

PASTOR AHMED: When a Church Becomes a Crime Scene 

Above: Our Field Ministers getting ready to deliver Emergency Relief Kits

In a similar story to Bilal’s, Pastor Ahmed learned about Jesus from his father, who had pastored their village church before him. He was baptized, went to Bible school, and became the church’s pastor several years ago. At the time of the attack, the church was serving about 50 families. 

When the mob attacked, they burned every Bible and Christian book they could find. They beat Pastor Ahmed so severely that he needed medical help. His church, and the over 20 others attacked that day, are unable to meet, and members have scattered. The Christians who remain in that area have been persecuted ever since.

Pastor Ahmed’s family previously lived on the income provided by the church; now they barely have enough to eat. Most people in the church are farmers and day laborers who don’t have the money to rebuild. Yet, through the support of Help The Persecuted, our team is serving Pastor Ahmed and some of the remaining church community by providing critical supplies for daily living!

Though the physical structure of the church was destroyed, the families Pastor Ahmed serves haven’t abandoned their faith. Instead, they continue to graciously serve each other and cling to Christ—and they see the critical supplies provided by you through Help The Persecuted as evidence that the Lord is with them even in this moment. In this attack, he knows that the church isn’t a building, it’s people who continue following Jesus together, even when gathering looks different now. 

The "Business" of Blasphemy in Pakistan 

In addition to the targeted attacks on churches and church leaders, there is a growing trend of using the blasphemy laws for extortion. According to Human Rights Watch, a recent report revealed that Pakistan’s Blasphemy laws are being exploited for personal gain. Criminal gangs set up fake social media accounts to trick young people into conversations about religion. They get the victims to say something that could be called blasphemy, then force their parents to pay bribes to make the charges go away. These criminal networks trapped over 450 victims before they were caught.

Recently, a judge ordered an investigation into how people were misusing blasphemy laws. Christians and minorities were hopeful that change would soon come. But religious party members got angry and attacked the judge’s decision publicly. When people feared the protests might turn violent, officials suspended the investigation into these entrapment cases. 

You Can Help Christians in Pakistan 

Bilal is unemployed, he lost his home, and his family hides in fear every day. Pastor Ahmed’s church sits in ruins, its members scattered. Yet they cling to Christ just the same! 

There are the real people behind Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. Christians who posted Bible verses, led churches, or talked about their faith. Now they live in hiding, poverty, or prison. 

The laws claim to protect religion, but they’ve become tools for violence, theft, and revenge. One accusation destroys a family. Mobs burn churches. And courts do almost nothing to help. When anyone asks questions, they are shut down and punished for speaking up. 

Today, our Field Ministers support families like Bilal’s and Pastor Ahmed’s, who have lost everything to false blasphemy charges. They need help immediately with emergency evacuations, safe houses, food, and medical care.

Your generosity helps families survive after losing their homes, businesses, and safety to blasphemy accusations. Even small amounts provide critical help to believers in hiding who can’t go home or work. Give today to support persecuted Christians in Pakistan. 

When the world uses laws to destroy faith, your partnership shows these brave believers they’re not forgotten.