Home 
The car had no sooner left its driveway when it was suddenly attacked by terrorists bent on assassination. The killers mercilessly sprayed the vehicle with gunfire as neighbors dove for cover.
When the smoke cleared, a powerful advocate for Pakistani Christians lay in a puddle of his own blood.
Shahbaz Bhatti was elected to the office of Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs in his native Pakistan in 2008. Many people – including his killers – thought it strange for a practicing Christian to be placed in such an influential government role in a Muslim nation. But his Christian faith was well-suited for his role…and vice versa.
Bhatti was responsible for representing and defending Pakistani citizens who were oppressed and marginalized. In a nation as poor and war-torn as Pakistan, there was never a shortage of those who lacked justice, equality, and freedom. In Bhatti’s mind, much of their hardship came from the country’s strict – and misused – “blasphemy laws.”
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws restrict its citizens from making derogatory or critical remarks against Islam, its representatives, or its ideals. Penalties for breaking these highly contested laws range from prison sentences to death sentences. Bhatti knew those laws were being used to persecute Christians, so it wasn’t long before his faith put him in a difficult – and dangerous – situation.
Very early in leadership, he began receiving death threats, and in January of 2011, his colleague Salman Taseer, the governor of the Punjab Province, was murdered. Bhatti understood the risks he was taking, and in late 2010, recorded a video of himself in which he boldly stated, “These threats and these warnings cannot change my opinions and principles. I will die to defend their rights.”
On March 2, 2011, that’s just what he did.
Shahbaz Bhatti was gunned down by multiple terrorists who then dispersed flyers to those nearby identifying themselves as the Pakistani Taliban and Bhatti as a “Christian infidel.”
Set aside the cultural differences, the politics, the religious disputes, and even the cowardly act of terrorism that’s part of this story and focus on the fact that fellow disciples in that part of the world lost one of the only voices they had in their defense.
In Proverbs 31:8-9, we are instructed to, “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
One disciple lost his voice. Will you use yours?
Click here for the online report. (Special thanks to Jon Forrest from Ashland City, TN for this resource.)
Topic Illustrated Include:
Advocate
Assassination
Christianity
Christians
Courage
Death
Help
Islam
Justice
Kill
Law
Martyr
Murder
Oppression
Persecution
Politicians
Taking a Stand
Violence
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)
