Two Pakistani Christian students, warden terminated over blasphemy

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ASSIST News Service (ANS) –
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Thursday, February 19, 2009

Two Pakistani Christian students, warden terminated over blasphemy

By Dan Wooding and Sheraz Khurram Khan
Soecial to ASSIST News Service

LAHORE, PAKISTAN (ANS) – Two female Christian nursing students and a Christian hostel warden have been terminated from college over a blasphemy accusation that was leveled against the students by their Muslim roommates on February 13.

Trouble for the Christian nursing students, Amara and Sitara, began when they hung a picture of Jesus Christ in a shared hostel room.

Islamic tradition explicitly prohibits images of Allah, Muhammad and all the major figures of the Christian and Jewish traditions.

Muslim students desecrated the picture by tearing it up and hurling it down after the Christian students refused to remove it voluntarily.

The administration of the nursing college allegedly took no action against the Muslim students, who committed the alleged incident.

Christian-Muslim tension among students at the nursing college escalated after Muslim students accused their Christian roommates, Amara and Sitara, of desecrating Quranic verses on February 13.

Their Muslim accusers and some staff of the hospital have threatened legal action against the Christian students.

Martha, the hostel warden, told the Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan that she had served Fatima Memorial Hospital for 15 years.

She said: “I would stay at the hostel even on my day-offs and give very little time to my family. “The nursing students and hospital administration gave me due respect before this incident,” the terminated Christian warden told SLMP.

ANS has learnt that the Muslim students allegedly turned against Martha when she asked them to restrain from blowing a trivial matter out of proportion.

The Medical Superintendent, Ayesha Nouman did not take any action against the Muslim students, who spoke harshly to Martha.

Instead of taking some disciplinary action against the Muslim students the medical superintendent terminated her.

Martha told SLMP: “I am ready to face any sort of persecution for Christ.

“This is just a termination. I don’t care about my career. I can sacrifice my life for Christ because He died for me.

“I am not afraid of persecution rather I feel honoured to be persecuted for Christ. I also encouraged Amara and Sitara to remain strong in Christ.”

Muslim students still want legal action be taken against the terminated Christian nursing students.

According to the SLMP situation at the nursing college remains tense and they received reports which said Muslim students allegedly thrashed Christian nursing students at the college.

The Ministry alleged that Pakistan TV Geo News and Channel 5 did partial reporting on the incident.

SLMP urged Christians across the world to pray for protection of Amara, Sitara and Sister Martha.

Dan Wooding, 68, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma of 45 years. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS); and US Bureau Chief for the Missionaries News Service (www.missionariesnews.tv) and Safe Worlds IPTV’s Faith, Hope and Charity channel. He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC., and now hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on KWVE in Southern California and which is also carried on the Calvary Radio Network throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on UCB UK and Calvary Chapel Radio UK. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth”, which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloidtotruth.com. E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com.