Religious intolerance, fanaticism, and hatred towards Christians are at their peak in Pakistan. At the start of 2022, the pastor of one of FEBA Pakistan’s partnership churches was brutally attacked and killed on his way back home after serving in the north of the country. His junior pastor was badly injured and hospitalized in a critical condition.
FEBC Pakistan is one of the international fields that FEBA has supported for many years. Pakistan is an extremely challenging country to evangelize. Christians are considered second-class citizens and discriminated against in every aspect of life.
Our team and their listeners face the threat of persecution, imprisonment, and even death every day because of the harsh blasphemy laws that are often taken to the extreme by fanatics. Most Pakistani’s agree with the laws and believe that they derive straight from the Quran. Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are considered the strictest in the world, harsher and more specific even when compared to laws in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia, Afghanistan, and other Arab countries where Islam is the predominant faith.
The blasphemy law first enacted by the British was expanded in the 1980’s to include more specific details that consider any derogatory remark against Islamic persons an offense. In many cases this has been taken to the extreme, and thousands of Christians have suffered for it. Our programs must be reviewed with utmost care before they are aired to ensure that not a single word could be taken out of context.
For this reason, training is critically important for our team in Pakistan. They regularly host workshops throughout the year to train existing and new staff. They also sponsor their team members with opportunities for further education. Several of their staff members have recently graduated with degrees in media, communications and other higher certificate programs related to mass communication.
Their most recent three-day training session was held in October 2021, where they equipped 17 new staff members in public service announcements, how to effectively conduct interviews and how to share Christian content in difficult areas and situations. Tremendous growth was seen in the new staff members and the training helped them to share their faith with non-believers safely.
Participants were thankful for the opportunity to take part in this workshop and expressed their gratitude towards the team: “The workshop was amazing. I am so thankful to have learnt how to share our testimonies and thoughts about the Bible with non-believers, while keeping the safety rules in mind. Thank you for equipping me.”
“Developing content for inspirational video stories was a great challenge for me. Thank you, FEBA Pakistan, for teaching me how to develop content with the specific needs of our viewers in mind. This training was a good start and I look forward to my future progress. Thank you for equipping me and providing me with valuable resources.”
Apart from hosting these regular annual workshops as a part of their newly developed strategic plan for 2022, the team is currently producing new audio and video content for Shortwave, FM radio, and social media platforms.
Pakistan’s media ministry is helping their listeners endure various forms of persecution, harassments and hardship while building them up in Christ. One of their programs, JAZBA-E-JAWAN, broadcast in Pakistan’s fifth most populous city, Gujranwala, focuses on community development and is being received well by its audiences.
A listener from the area says that the programs have stirred up a desire in his heart to learn more about Jesus: “The program ‘Uncle Qassim’ has helped me to gain clarification on certain topics about Christianity I had misunderstood. It has stirred up my faith and caused me to think about my present faith. I have started studying the Holy Bible and regularly listen to FEBA’s program in order to learn more about the teachings and personality of Jesus Christ.”
FEBA’s ministry in Pakistan focuses on teaching and educating its listeners and viewers on Biblical topics, empowering them to make their own decisions regarding their faith. Many, once enlightened by the truth, are willing to learn. This year, together with the help of supporters, we provided FEBA Pakistan with the finances to purchase a van that they use to distribute Christian literature to the community, entrusting that through their faithful ministry many will be inspired to learn about Christ and accept Him as their Lord and Savior.
