Source: Mission Network News, October 13, 2020
Sawan Masih, a Pakistani Christian accused of blasphemy in 2013, has been [acquitted and] released from captivity after seven years.
MNN reported on his case in 2013 and the extreme violence that followed his accusation. A mob of Muslims descended on the primarily Christian neighborhood of Joseph Colony after Masih’s accusation was broadcasted over the PA system.
Nehemiah of Forgotten Missionaries International (FMI) says the motivations behind the violence weren’t exactly religious. “The government and business community wanted to grab this colony, this land. They wanted to build a factory on this land. So first, they tried to convince Christians of this area to leave [the] colony. When they refused, they just made a story and accused [Sawan] with a false charge of blasphemy and burned the whole town. Many churches, shops, and more than 200 Christian houses were burned.”
Masih also lost many family members in the devastating attack, Nehemiah says.
Despite the lack of evidence, Masih’s case has languished in the courts ever since, prolonged by threats from extremists. Even now that he has finally been acquitted, Masih can’t leave the prison for fear of attempts on his life.
» Full story includes Masih’s photo and compares his case to Asia Bibi’s.