[vc_row][vc_column][vc_raw_html]JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjI1NjAlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjIzMTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGcVhXQzYxallVRjglMjIlMjBmcmFtZWJvcmRlciUzRCUyMjAlMjIlMjBhbGxvdyUzRCUyMmFjY2VsZXJvbWV0ZXIlM0IlMjBhdXRvcGxheSUzQiUyMGNsaXBib2FyZC13cml0ZSUzQiUyMGVuY3J5cHRlZC1tZWRpYSUzQiUyMGd5cm9zY29wZSUzQiUyMHBpY3R1cmUtaW4tcGljdHVyZSUyMiUyMGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbiUzRSUzQyUyRmlmcmFtZSUzRQ==[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]03/01/2021 Pakistan (International Christian Concern) –Two years ago, Azrah, a 14-year-old Christian girl living in an Islamic country, faced tragic abuse at the hands of her Muslim employers.
Not only did Azrah not receive justice for the harm done to her, but the family plotted against her to protect their own reputation. They went to the police and falsely accused Azrah of stealing jewelry, money, and other valuables from the family home. As a result, the police filed a report against Azrah and her entire family, including her fiancé.
Young Christian girls living in Islamic countries are especially vulnerable to incidents like these because of their social degradation and lack of economic resources to defend themselves.
Azrah fell prey to an evil family, but even more so, she fell prey to a system of injustice. Azrah does not have a voice to defend herself. The state and the culture has stripped her of her rights and her voice.
In order to support Azrah and her family through this difficult season, we stepped in to provide six months of financial support and food aid. Over the holidays, we also provided the family with Christmas and Easter gifts.
Azrah expressed, “The incident which I experienced could not be forgotten. I wanted to earn more and more for the betterment of my family; however, the Muslim family damaged my trust and commitments. I am happy that God listened to my cry and created ICC as an opportunity for me… After losing my job, I was extremely depressed; however, [I’m] thankful to ICC for making my life happy and healthy.”
You can read more about Azrah’s story here.
You can prayerfully consider giving here to our Rescue Fund for Wives and Kids here.
Transcript
I have a question for you. If you were raped, would you report it if it meant you were to be arrested and your family ruined? Well, this is persecution life.
Two years ago, Azrah, a 14-year-old girl in Pakistan wanted to earn a little extra money for her family. She goes to work for a Muslim family in the neighborhood. They’re having a wedding and there’s going to be lots of work. She is basically a servant or maid.
The week prior to the wedding, it’s full tilt all day and all night. She is a live-in maid. She starts to receive sexual advances from a family member, and eventually is raped one night.
When she says to the rapist that she’s going to report him, he proceeds to lock her in her room and beat her repeatedly. When she doesn’t change her mind, he then calls the police and tells the police that she stole valuables and jewelry, etc.
The police then respond by arresting her. She’s eventually bailed out, but then what happens is that she can’t get hired in the community. Everyone knows that these are the horrible Christian people that accuse this fine, Muslim family of this terrible thing and brought shame on this family and that they’re the ones that suffer.
Unfortunately, this is persecution life. The Christians are third-class citizens. They have no rights or power with the police. When they’re victimized, the police will come in and threaten to arrest them, or actually arrest them in this case. Oftentimes they’re made to apologize.
Imagine having to apologize to your rapist. This is unbelievable, but this is what happens with persecution. We found out about Azrah’s case and we were able to step in and provide six months of food aid. When Christmas came, we provided Christmas presents and even Easter presents.
It went full circle because in the end, she just wanted to provide a little help for her family. So let me read what Azrah said just as a response after she received help from us.
“What I experienced can’t be forgotten. I simply wanted to earn some money for my family, but the family I worked for ruined my reputation and prospects. I’m happy that God listened to my cry and created ICC as an opportunity for me. After losing my job, I was extremely depressed. However, I’m thankful to ICC for taking care of me.”
Money can’t fix Azrah’s core problem. It can’t take away the emotional trauma, or the damage she suffered, but we can do what the Lord does. And that is we heal and restore, and we do that together. There are people that contribute to the work, there’s the donors, and we simply act as your hands and feet.
If you’d like to help women that are persecuted for their faith, follow the link below. God bless you and thank you.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1614614981368{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]
For interviews please contact Alison Garcia: press@persecution.org
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
