Advocate for persecuted Pakistani Christians to receive faith award
A young woman from Pakistan who, for years, has demonstrated outstanding bravery in speaking up for suffering Christians, especially women and girls, has been named the recipient of a leading Catholic charity’s Courage to be Christian Award.
Ribqa Nevash will be presented with the award as part of the annual Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) UK #RedWednesday Mass for persecuted Christians, on the evening of November 20th, at the Brompton Oratory in London.
Nevash, 24, has been especially outspoken about the plight of Christian women and girls in Pakistan who have been kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam and marry their abductors.
She has helped give a voice to survivors of violent persecution, many of whom she has met in person, in interviews and articles, and via other media channels.
She has participated in a number of press conferences calling for justice for Christians who have suffered for their faith, such as in Jaranwala, Punjab Province, a week after the devastating anti-Christian riots in August 2023.
Nevash told ACN that she was “very honored and grateful to be named the recipient” of the 2024 Courage to be Christian Award and that she would do all she could to “help my suffering brothers and sisters.”
She said that she felt “more motivated than ever to speak up” on behalf of those oppressed for following Christ, adding that she saw her award acceptance speech as yet another opportunity to encourage persecuted Christians to “stay strong in their faith despite the daily struggles and difficulties.”
She went on to say, “I really appreciate all that ACN does for Christians in Pakistan. Thank you so much for everything.”
The ACN UK #RedWednesday Courage to be Christian Award will be presented for the second time this year.
In 2023, the first-ever recipient of the award was Margaret Attah, a survivor of a deadly jihadist attack on a Catholic church in southwest Nigeria.
Dr. Caroline Hull, national director at ACN UK said, “We are delighted to present the #RedWednesday Courage to be Christian Award to Ribqa, in recognition of her exceptional strength, courage, and determination in advocating for the suffering Church in Pakistan.
She is a truly remarkable young woman, who has persisted in her faith in the face of discrimination and setbacks that she experienced growing up as a Catholic girl in Pakistan.”
Nevash has spoken to ACN about the adverse treatment she endured as the only Christian student in her class at the University of Faisalabad and at job interviews, as employers rejected her application on the basis of her faith.
Dr. Hull said, “Ribqa’s faith and passion are an inspiration for all of us. She works extremely hard and has already done so much, despite her young age, to help raise awareness of the many injustices facing the Church in Pakistan.”
She concluded, “We look forward to continuing to accompany Ribqa on her journey and helping to amplify her voice, so that she can continue to speak for those who are so often suffering in silence simply because of their Christian faith.”
