Islamabad (AsiaNews) – First he was flattered with offers of money, a house, wives and favours by the local Imam, then beaten unconscious and threatened with death by his brothers. This is the story of Riaz Masih, 26, a Christian from Kallur Kot, a town of Punjab in Pakistan, who is guilty of refusing to convert to Islam. The story dates back to early February and has been reported by Compass Direct News (Cdn), which collects testimonies of Christians persecuted for their faith.
The parents of Riaz Masih, of Christian faith, died when he was young. He, along with his brothers and sisters, grew up under the leadership of Moulvi Peer-Akram Ullah, the local imam. Several times the Muslim leader has tried to convert him to Islam, without success.
On 8 February, Masih (pictured), says his home in Kallur Kot, a town in Punjab, 233 km south-west of the capital Islamabad, was raided. "They threatened me – he states - saying he had reached the point of no return: conversion to Islam or death." According to the young man’s story, the brothers persecuted him saying that "killing an infidel is not a sin" and, conversely, falls within the "full rights in the name of God Almighty."
Previously, the Imam Akram-Ullah and his brothers had offered him one million rupees (about 12 thousand dollars), a wife and a house of choice to embrace the religion of Mohammed. Through these same methods, the Islamic religious leader had convinced his brothers to convert and embrace the more fundamentalist vision of Islam. But the young Christian never succumbed to the lure.
The human rights organization Rays of Development (Rod) confirm that the brothers and sisters of Masih were converted in the same way. Today activists provide economic aid, medicine and psychological support to the young Christian who has been entrusted to their care - when he was wounded - by the Christian Welfare Organization (CWO).
A spokesman for CWO, on condition of anonymity, added that "Akram-Ullah has offered Masih’s brothers and sisters a house and land, along with 500 thousand rupees (nearly six thousand dollars) each, on condition they recite the Kalimah the profession of faith that marks conversion to Islam".