‘In the name of God, please rescue our daughter…The abductor and his supporters are terrifying us, and we are in danger from these people.’ Tragically, this desperate plea from the mother of Arzoo Raja – a 13-year-old girl kidnapped and forcibly married in October 2020 – could have come from the lips of so many parents in Pakistan. More than 1,000 Christian and Hindu girls are abducted and forced into marriage each year.

Pakistan’s religious minorities – the Christian, Shi’a Hazara, Hindu and Ahmadiyya communities – also continue to face other forms of persistent discrimination and harassment. Blasphemy laws and hate speech are regularly exploited by extremist Muslim clerics and Islamist groups.

Radicalisation through biased education also contributes to widespread religious intolerance. Moreover, in recent years there’s been an increase in sectarian violence and the frequency of attacks on religious minorities. Find out more at csw.org.uk/pakistan

Sunday 4 July

Pray today for the safe return of Arzoo Raja, a 13-year-old Christian girl who was kidnapped from the street outside her home on 13 October 2020. The 44-year-old man who abducted her presented documentation to the police claiming that Arzoo was 18 and had willingly converted to Islam and married him. A court ruled in his favour.

Monday 5 July

Praise God that Maira Shahbaz, a 15-year-old Christian girl from Faisalabad who was abducted in April 2020 and forcibly married, managed to escape her kidnapper in September and was reunited with her family. Pray for her complete healing from this trauma, and her continued safety.

Tuesday 6 July

There’s been an increase in the number of attacks on Ahmadis in recent months. Pray today for an end to the violence perpetrated against the Ahmadiyya community – a religious group which has been discriminated against for decades.

Wednesday 7 July

Today, pray for comfort for the families of Professor Naeemuddin Khattak, a 56-year-old Ahmadi Muslim who was shot dead in Peshawar in October 2020, and of Tahir Mahmood, a 31-year-old Ahmadi doctor who was murdered in front of his family at his home in Punjab in November.

Thursday 8 July

‘Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace.’ (2 Corinthians 13:11) Pray for peace and unity among all religious communities in Pakistan today.

Friday 9 July

The government is in the process of revamping the education system through the Single National Curriculum. Pray that all involved in the process would recognise the presence of religious minorities in Pakistan and develop a curriculum that is inclusive and non-discriminatory.

Saturday 10 July

Lord Jesus, pour out your mercy and peace on the nation of Pakistan today. Transform the hearts of those who cause harm to others, and may everyone come to recognise the inherent dignity you’ve bestowed on all people, irrespective of their beliefs. Amen.

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