A pregnant Christian woman and her husband were beaten and burned alive by dozens of villagers in Pakistan—after being accused of criticizing Islam.
The couple, identified only as Shahrzad and Shama, lived in Pakistan’s Punjab province and were targeted by rumors that they had violated Pakistan’s controversial “blasphemy law,” namely that the Christian couple had burned the Quran.
“We had no enmity with anyone,” Shama’s brother, Iqbal, told the media. We had been living [in the village] for 18 years and never fought with anyone. They fabricated these accusations of blasphemy. Accusations that she burns the Quran, but our religion tells us not to do this. Despite this, they made announcements and gathered a lynch mob.”
Shahrzad and Shama, who was four months pregnant, were beaten by villagers at a local brick factory, and their bodies were then thrown in the oven used to bake bricks.
About 2% of Pakistan’s population is made up of Christians— and they have frequently been targets of the so-called blasphemy law, even just through rumors and hearsay.
