Some Pakistani Christians are considering leaving their homeland to live in another country with less persecution.
In an article on ChristianToday.com, Lubna Thomas Benjamin wrote about Christians leaving their country because of discrimination and blasphemy laws in the mostly Muslim country.
In 2009, Asia Bibi, a Christian woman was charged with blasphemy and is still in prison awaiting an appeal against her death sentence.
The conditions are forcing the move.
"I was attacked brutally once by the armed men, I had bruises all over my body. After few days, my older brother was also beaten severely," a Pakistani man told Benjamin about his move to the United Kingdom.
Among other countries, Pakistani Christians are fleeing to Buddhist Sri Lanka.
Catholic Church leaders say Sri Lanka has more than 600 asylum seekers claiming to be victims of persecution in Pakistan.
The Pakistanis are not eligible to work, and must rely on support from Christians in Sri Lanka.
“The burning of Christian villages, assaults, desecrating the churches and the Holy Bible have happened over the years in Pakistan,” Benjamin wrote. “Therefore, the conditions in the homeland is bringing the Christians to the verge where they have to take this decision of leaving their motherland, which they have never thought of.”
