Muslims in Pakistan have told 300 impoverished villagers they must either produce a Christian accused of blasphemy, leave the area, convert to Islam or be killed.
Imran Masih, a 28-year-old resident of Chak 44 village in Punjab Province’s Mandi Bahauddin District, was accused on April 19 of keeping a ‘blasphemous’ video clip on his cell phone. Tensions flared after local Islamists issued a Fatwa (Islamic edict) against Masih and sanctioned his killing. Masih, a sweeper at a rural health centre in nearby Bosaal, and his family have since fled the village. Some 44 Christian families are now left at the mercy of the 2,000-plus Muslim population, which has imposed a social boycott on the community after police thwarted an attempt to burn down their homes on May 6.
According to Masih, he had left his cell phone on a desk for charging, and when he came to the room he saw three men inspecting the device. As soon as they saw him, the three men accused him of possessing a blasphemous video in his phone.
