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“Pakistani journalists now readily refer to Asia Bibi when a new case hits the headlines. They have realized the importance of the issue and it is becoming increasingly difficult to sweep blasphemy-related cases under the carpet.”

“Throughout Pakistan, people had been praying, every day praying that the court would rule in their favor. It is a big day for us all. The accused have been through a big, big trauma and now, thank God, they have come out the other side.”

It is the first case of forced conversion to Islam and forced marriage ever to come before a Pakistani High Court; and it is the first time that the Child Marriage Restraint Act has been cited in court.

“The [parents] are too poor to be able to afford the legal expenses to bring such cases to court. The result is that the abductors have an easy time of it, often thanks to the complicity of the police themselves who, instead of encouraging the parents to pursue the case, actually help abductors by advising them about the legal loopholes they can make use of.”

“I cannot go anywhere alone, for I might be attacked again, and I cannot worship freely. I have no security or legal protection. Still, I do not want to leave my country. This is my home.”

“But despite this, I know that God is on my side, and I am comforted by His presence. I have the Bible on my phone, and I read it when I am afraid, especially Psalms 23 and 121. And I pray constantly.”

“Muslims believe that converting one person to Islam earns them eternal life. If an initial effort fails, people turn to kidnapping. Kidnappings and forced marriages are most common in rural areas, where people have little education.”

He believes there is a religious aspect to the kidnappings, particularly as the girls are Hindu or Christian. Yet, the archbishop did not believe it was the only explanation. “It is lust. They think ‘she is pretty and I want her.’ It is a crime and it has a possible religious component too.”

“I quickly noticed that something was seriously wrong. Though the matchmaker had told me that my husband was a Christian, I never saw him praying or reading the Bible. He didn’t provide money for meals, and he often beat me. He even confessed that he had only pretended to be Christian in order to get me to marry him.”

“On June 8, 2019, he went to work but did not come home. I was very worried, as he was never late. His brother helped me look for him. We went street by street but could not find him. The next morning, someone told us that he’d seen the body of Safdar Masih in the local hospital. He had been murdered.”