Rajji Bibi with her husband Photo from Compass Direct

A Christian woman, Rajji Bibi (38), has been falsely accused of theft, beaten and forced to resign from her job as a sanitation worker for a hostel in the city of Sargodha, Punjab province. On May 7, a Muslim office worker accused Rajji of stealing 10,000 rupees (approximately $120 CAD) from her cubicle. The hostel warden learned of the accusation and ordered female police officers to beat Rajji until she confessed. When Rajji refused to accept blame, the warden ordered male security guards to rape her. Rajji's husband, Nayyer Aftab, arrived in time to spare her from rape by paying the 10,000 rupees allegedly stolen. Rajji was then forced to resign. She has said of the abuse: "As I am a Christian, the Muslim hostel officers ... wanted a Muslim regular employee after their hearts instead of me." The hostel warden initially refused to comment on the allegations that she acted unjustly in order to provide a job to someone of her choice, but after repeated questioning she eventually conceded, yelling, "Yes, I have done it!" (Source: Compass Direct)

Pray for God's provision for Rajji in this time of adversity. Pray that she will continue to demonstrate Christ's love and hold firmly to faith in Him. Pray that authorities in Pakistan will uphold true justice for all citizens.

For more on the persecution of Pakistani Christians, go to the Pakistan Country Report.