This is Aasiya* and Shae.*

Aasiya’s husband, Sohail, is a mechanic. One day, a man came to his shop to pick up his motorbike, which Sohail had repaired.

When Sohail told the customer how much he owed for the work, the man became angry. He said, “I will not pay you. I am an Islamic cleric, and I will pray for you and bless your children instead.”

Sohail refused, telling him, “No, I believe in Jesus Christ and the Living God.”

The man became enraged and went straight to the police station, where he filed a complaint against Sohail, accusing him of blasphemy against Islam.

Sohail was charged under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which protect Islam. Sections 295-B and 295-C make it illegal to defile the Quran or the prophet Mohammed, with penalties ranging from life imprisonment to death. These laws are often misused against individuals due to personal grudges, and many Christians are currently imprisoned under blasphemy accusations.

Here are a few individuals currently in prison under these charges:

• A man in an executive position at a national company was accused of blasphemy by a jealous colleague.
• A 24-year-old man refused to convert to Islam when pressured by an acquaintance and was then charged with blasphemy.
• A factory worker was accused of blasphemy and sentenced to life in prison. He has been incarcerated for 12 years.
• A man was falsely accused after a friend, who was in love with the same woman, borrowed his phone and sent blasphemous messages from it.

We are Alone

Sohail was arrested, but for a long time, his wife, Aasiya, had no idea what had happened. All she knew was that he never came home.

“We didn’t know where my husband had gone… We searched for him, but we couldn’t find him,” she said.

Eventually, she discovered that he had been charged with blasphemy and was being held in prison. His case is still being fought in court, but in the meantime, Aasiya and Shae have lost their provider.

“It was a very terrible situation for me because I was alone,” Aasiya said.

She and Shae moved in with her father, who has little to share. ICR is providing some monthly living expenses to help them survive.

Aasiya asks for prayers for her husband’s release.

“Only God can open the door for my husband to come back home,” she said.

Aasiya asked for prayer for her husband to be released. “Only God can open the door for my husband to back to home,” she said.

*Names changed