Christians in Pakistan affected by flooding this summer are being forced to convert to Islam or become slaves, or else they cannot receive help from the government.
More than 60 Christian families in Kasur lost their homes from summer flooding, said Wilson Chowdhry, the president of the British Pakistani Christian Association. The BPCA has arrived in Kasur to provide some help to those families.
According to The Christian Post, Muslims affected by the storms have been offered temporary shelters, water and food, while most Christians have not.
Chowdhry said that some Muslim charities are telling Christians they can convert to Islam if they want to receive help.
"We are aware that this community has previously been offered aid from Muslim charities if they convert but they never accept conversion. They hold strong to their faith. They believe God will be their provider," Chowdhry said.
"These families have literally been struggling without food. Churches have opened up their doors but can't provide them much aid because the churches themselves in the region are struggling. We are talking about a very rural part of Pakistan."
Other Kasur Christians signed labor contracts with Muslim landlords so they can receive help.
"We have come in very late. We first went to Layyah and Gilgit, but if we could have arrived [in Kasur] seven days earlier, there could have been more lives that we potentially could have saved from this modern-day slavery," Chowdhry said. "Several families have already now signed contracts, which has now made them slaves for their Muslim landlords."
Publication date: August 26, 2015
