I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself… It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
1 Corinthians 4:3-5
Rashid and Sajid Emmanuel (2010)
Blasphemy Charge
Christian brothers Rashid (32), a pastor, and Sajid (24), a graduate student, were falsely accused of blasphemy in Pakistan, where there is a mandatory death sentence for “defiling the name of Muhammad”. They were alleged to have produced a derogatory pamphlet against the prophet of Islam and were due to appear in court to face the blasphemy charge. The week before their first hearing, on 10 and 11 July, a mob of thousands of Muslim protestors descended on the majority-Christian part of Faisalabad where the brothers lived, demanding the pair be given the death penalty.
The court heard from police on 19 July that there was no evidence to support the charge against the brothers and a report from a handwriting expert found that the writing on the pamphlet did not match that of either of the accused. However, as the brothers were being escorted from the court by police, the case not yet concluded, they were shot dead by masked gunmen. Rumours had spread that the Emmanuels would be found innocent and released, so Islamist extremists took matters into their own hands.
Local Christians took to the streets in protest over the murders, prompting calls from mosques for Muslims to come out to “fight rampaging” Christians. Shops were looted, and vehicles and homes were vandalised with at least ten people reported injured.
O God our Father, whose blessed Son, being falsely accused, answered nothing; being reviled not again: Give us faith, when others accuse us falsely, to go quietly on our way, committing ourselves to you, who judge righteously, after the pattern of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Eric Milner-White (1884-1963) and G W Briggs (1875-1959)