Latest from Barnabas Trust

From the Barnabas Fund
The Arab Spring seems to be having unintended consequences:

A Christian teenager was beaten to death by Muslim classmates at their school in Egypt after he refused to conceal his cross tattoo and necklace.

Ayman Nabil Labib (17) was set upon after his Muslim teacher told him to cover up the cross tattoo on his wrist; he refused and instead boldly displayed another cross that he was wearing under his clothes.

His parents said that their son was murdered in “cold blood”; first Ayman’s teacher nearly choked the teenager in the classroom, and then some Muslim students joined in the beating. Ayman fled to the toilets, where the assault continued. He died at the scene.

The incident happened on 16 October at a school in Mallawi, Minya province. After the teenager’s funeral, over 5,000 Christians marched through the streets of Mallawi, denouncing the murder of Ayman, whom they described as a “Martyr of the Cross”, as well as other killings of Christians in Egypt.

Two Muslim students have been arrested in connection with Ayman’s death and have been detained pending further investigations in the murder case. Ayman’s father said that the senior investigating officer had tried to influence the witnesses, claiming that the murder took place as a result of friction between the students. And he said that the parents of students at the school had not allowed their children to give statements to the police, fearing harassment from the school administration and the families of the two Muslim students who have been arrested.

The governor of Minya, El-Rouby, has suspended the head teacher, two supervisors and two social workers who were on duty when Ayman died; they have all been referred to an investigation committee.

Ayman’s father has called for the teacher, head teacher and supervisors to be charged for their part in the incident or failure to act to stop it.

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A Christian mother of four was slaughtered by a Muslim colleague in Pakistan after she resisted his attempt to rape her at the factory where they worked.
Zubaida Bibi (35), a cleaner at a garment factory in East Karachi, was attacked by a Muslim co-worker on 12 October. She went into the bathrooms to clean the facilities and he followed her, locking the door behind them.

When he attempted to assault Zubaida sexually, she cried for help, at which point the attacker pulled out a dagger and slit her throat. She died at the scene. He was arrested at the factory after the management called the police. Zubaida leaves husband Younas Masih and children Arifa Bibi, Uroosa Bibi, Shahzaib Masih and Aurengzaib Masih.

Younas said: I want justice... My wife was innocent and noble lady. She was working for our children.

Christian women are particularly vulnerable to sexual attacks by influential Muslims in Pakistan, and incidents are on the rise. They often go unreported, and if a case does reach the courts, the Muslim culprits often walk free.

Barnabas Aid supports a Pakistani Christian legal organisation, CLAAS, that helps women who are victims of rape and other crimes. Lawyers fight for cases to be taken up by the authorities and pursue justice for women in the courts. CLAAS recently secured a conviction in the case of a 20-year-old Christian woman, Gulshan Bibi, who had been gang raped. After a long and protracted court battle, during which CLAAS faced pressure from influential opponents, the main culprit, Aman Ullah, was sentenced to life imprisonment, while co-accused Ramzan alias Jani was given a five-year jail term.

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