{"id":1617,"date":"2021-08-24T09:25:58","date_gmt":"2021-08-24T09:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/?p=1617"},"modified":"2021-10-25T15:58:52","modified_gmt":"2021-10-25T15:58:52","slug":"stories-of-christian-martyrs-samuel-masih","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/stories-of-christian-martyrs-samuel-masih\/","title":{"rendered":"Stories of Christian Martyrs: Samuel Masih"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>&#8220;The blasphemy law in its present form has become more of an<br>instrument of persecution and vendetta than of justice,\u201d a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/pakistan\/?_source_code=VSLEG02P1\">Pakistani <\/a>newspaper editorial stated. Blasphemy means showing<br>extreme irreverence toward something sacred, and for centuries Christians have been accused of blaspheming Islam. Often in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/pakistan\/?_source_code=VSLEG02P1\">Pakistan<\/a>, contrived witnesses with false accusations have spoken out against believers, sending them to jail and even to death. Such was the case with Samuel Masih, whose body was found bloodied and battered, his skull smashed.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Masih spent his days as a whitewasher and painter. He had just<br>finished a job and stopped at the local mosque in order to use the restroom. As he returned outside, bystanders grabbed him and shouted<br>accusations. Masih\u2019s accusers, knowing he was a Christian, claimed that<br>he had spit on the walls of the mosque; two false witnesses confirmed<br>this story. Samuel was immediately arrested and put on trial.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under the maximum penalty for violating Section 295 of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/pakistan\/?_source_code=VSLEG02P1\">Pakistani <\/a>penal code, Masih could have been jailed for two years and fined,<br>if convicted of \u201cdefiling a place of worship with the intent of insulting<br>the religion (Islam).\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\r\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-vom-subscribe-ad\">\r\n\t\t<figure>\r\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.persecution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/plugins\/vom-custom-block-subscribe-ad\/assets\/magazine-cover.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\r\n\t\t<\/figure>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"text-button\">\r\n\t\t\t<p>Request your free magazine<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/free-magazine\/?_source_code=VSTORYM1\" class=\"wp-block-button__link\" aria-label=\"Subscribe to our free magazine\">Subscribe<\/a>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\n\n\n<p>The pungent odor of urine and sweat filled the dirty prison. The<br>sounds of coughing and scuffling feet echoed along the walls. Just down<br>the hall lay Masih, struggling to breathe and continuously coughing up<br>blood. Although the head of the prison deeply resented his Christian<br>prisoner, he sent Masih to the hospital to treat his advanced<br>tuberculosis.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During his stay, a policeman was posted near his bed. When Masih<br>should have been safely recovering, a horrible crime occurred. Early one morning, the police constable entered the room and swung<br>a hammer down on Masih\u2019s head. Bleeding profusely from his wounds,<br>Masih fell into a coma and was rushed to the emergency neurosurgery ward, where he died a few days later. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/globalprayerguide\/pakistan\/?_source_code=VSLEG02P1\">Pakistani <\/a>police constable who<br>took his life claimed, \u201cI wanted to earn a place in paradise by killing<br>him.\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is a case that brings out, like nothing else, the myriad contradictions that these [blasphemy] laws have infused in this state and society,\u201d a Daily Times newspaper editorial stated the day after Masih\u2019s death. \u201cThe fact is that it is a bad law both in its conception and its implementation, and the legislation has created a psyche that encourages vigilante behavior.\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samuel Masih was arrested for a crime he never committed. His only<br>crime was following the call of the one true Savior, Jesus Christ. Masih\u2019s<br>murderer thought killing him would earn him a place in paradise. Samuel<br>Masih, however, knew the one true way to get to Heaven, through Jesus<br>Christ, and he is now with his Savior.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This story is an excerpt from Foxe: Voices of the Martyrs. <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/foxe\/offer\/?_source_code=VSAEG01\"><em>You can get your own copy<\/em> <em>free with any donation to The Voice of the Martyrs.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;The blasphemy law in its present form has become more of aninstrument of persecution and vendetta than of justice,\u201d a Pakistani newspaper editorial stated. Blasphemy means showingextreme irreverence toward something sacred, and for centuries Christians have been accused of blaspheming Islam. Often in Pakistan, contrived witnesses with false accusations have spoken out against believers, sending them to jail and even to death. Such was the case with Samuel Masih, whose body was found bloodied and battered, his skull smashed. Masih spent his days as a whitewasher and painter. He had justfinished a job and stopped at the local mosque in order to use the restroom. As he returned outside, bystanders grabbed him and shoutedaccusations. Masih\u2019s accusers, knowing he was a Christian, claimed thathe had spit on the walls of the mosque; two false witnesses confirmedthis story. Samuel was immediately arrested and put on trial. Under the maximum penalty for violating Section 295 of the Pakistani penal code, Masih could have been jailed for two years and fined,if convicted of \u201cdefiling a place of worship with the intent of insultingthe religion (Islam).\u201d The pungent odor of urine and sweat filled the dirty prison. Thesounds of coughing and scuffling feet echoed along<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[96],"tags":[46],"class_list":["post-1617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-foxe","tag-pakistan","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Stories of Christian Martyrs: Samuel Masih - Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Samuel Masih was arrested for a crime he never committed. 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