Pakistani Christian burned alive dies,Christian community calls for justice

( March 24, 2010) In Pakistan, Arshed Masih died Tuesday night in hospital from the serious burns covering 80% of his body, which the young Pakistani Christian suffered, when he was set on fire because he refused to convert to Islam. The Christian community of Pakistan has strongly condemned the latest episode of violence and denounced the slowness of the federal and provincial government to punish those responsible. Together with Human Rights activists, they held protests outside the hospital. The family has asked for an autopsy on 38-year-old Arshed Masih.
On March 19, a group of Islamic extremists burned alive Arshed Masih, a driver employed by a wealthy Muslim businessman in Rawalpindi. His wife worked as a maid in the same estate. Recently, disagreements had arisen between the employer and the couple because of their Christian faith. The couple had suffered threats and intimidation to force them to convert to Islam. Martha Arshed was raped by police, when she sought to denounce the violence inflicted on her husband. The couple's three children - aged 7 to 12 years - were forced to witness the torture inflicted on their parents.
Since 2005, Arshed Masih and his wife had worked and lived on the estate. The owner had gone so far as to threaten "dire consequences", to persuade them to embrace Islam. The couple were also accused of a recent theft for which the owner had promised to drop the complaint for their conversion.