12/03/2019 Pakistan (International Christian Concern) – On October 21, Naveed Masih, age 24, was found dead, hanging from a tree, in Kotri, a town located in Pakistan’s Sindh province. According to Naveed’s family, he was murdered because he was protecting a Christian woman from being harassed by local Muslim extremists.
“Carrying your son’s dead body in your arms is heartbreaking and unbearable,” Herbert Masih, Naveed’s father, told International Christian Concern (ICC). “It almost ended my life when I had to shoulder my son’s funeral.”
According to Herbert, Naveed was protecting a Christian woman, who is married and already has two children, from being harassed and forcefully converted to Islam by Sajid Ali.
“On the incident day, Naveed received a call on his phone,” Herbert explained. “He followed the instructions and reached the decided meeting point. There, he was brutally tortured and he was hanged from a tree as a result of protecting a Christian woman’s faith.”
About two months prior to Naveed’s murder, a mob of 20 individuals attacked Naveed’s house. The mob beat Naveed and damaged many of the family’s belongings. The mob further threatened Naveed to not interfere with their efforts to convert the Christian woman.
In response to this attack, Naveed’s family sent him to Karachi for protection. According to Herbert, Naveed had returned to Kotri for just two weeks before he was murdered.
“My family is still under threats to withdraw the case against the culprits,” Herbert told ICC. “However, I have nothing to lose now. Therefore, I will never quit and will make sure the culprits are brought to justice and punished.”
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