Death of a Christian Man Shot by Extremists in Pakistan
A 28-year-old Christian man was shot and killed by Islamic extremists in Pakistan.
After a week had passed, the death of a 28-year-old Christian father in Pakistan has made headlines and sparked widespread reactions. According to reports released by CLAAS (Pakistan’s Legal Aid Services Center), Marshall Masih was attacked by Islamic extremists in his home in the early hours of Wednesday, July 10th.
“Jacob Masih,” Marshall’s father, spoke about his son’s killing: “Around 4:20 AM, a group of armed Muslim men entered our house from the roof. At that time, all family members were asleep and no one noticed their entry. As soon as they reached my son’s room, they started firing at him, and despite our pleas and cries for mercy, they continued shooting until my son was covered in blood and fell to the ground. At that moment, neighbors hearing the gunfire and our screams entered our house, and the attackers fled.”
Marshall was quickly transferred to a hospital in Lahore, but doctors’ efforts to save him were unsuccessful, and Marshall, who was a father of four children, lost his life. He was the sole breadwinner of the family and owned a small grocery store, but the Islamic extremists murdered him in front of his wife and children’s eyes.
His family are members of the Catholic Church in Lahore, and the incident that befell Marshall caused great shock to the Christian community in Lahore, so much so that after his death, everyone took to the streets in protest and demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible for this killing and swift justice. So far, none of those responsible for this crime have been arrested.
Marshall Masih’s killing has sparked widespread reactions regarding the protection of religious and sectarian minorities in Pakistan, and many people are calling for more serious measures to protect vulnerable communities and ensure swift justice. No perpetrators of this crime have been detained so far.
It should be noted that CLAAS is a non-profit civil society organization that provides services to Christians who are persecuted due to their beliefs in Pakistan.
