A Christian girl remains in hiding in Pakistan to escape Muslim in-laws. She was beaten and raped for fleeing her forced marriage and refusing to practice Islam.

Asya Khadim, 16, won a divorce from her abusive Muslim husband in February 2006 and sought shelter with a local aid organization to avoid reprisal attacks, according to Compass Direct.

Khadim had been married to Tanveer Qadir for almost 13 months when her mother filed the divorce case on her behalf in January 2006.

"They tried to force me to read the Qur'an," Asya told Compass Direct. "My husband beat me every day for two months because I refused."

A majority of Pakistani women can relate to Khadim's experience with domestic abuse. As much as 70 percent of Pakistani women suffer from domestic violence, the Peace Council of Pakistan reported in March 2006.

Another form of persecution against Christians is Pakistan's blasphemy laws, which stipulate life imprisonment for defamation of the Qur'an and a death sentence for blasphemy against Muhammad. No blasphemy convict has been executed since the law was established in 1986, but extra-judicial killings of blasphemy prisoners are common, according to Compass.

At least 23 people involved in blasphemy cases have been murdered in Pakistan, according to the National Commission for Justice and Peace. A quarter of the victims were Christians, although Christians constitute less than 2 percent of the country's population. Ninety-seven percent of Pakistan is Islamic.

Pakistan was recommended by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in May 2006 to be designated a "Country of Particular Concern" by the Department of State because of the government's toleration of "systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom."

On a positive note, local believers, with the help of Christian organizations, were able to reach out to their Muslim neighbors in the aftermath of the October 2005 earthquake that killed 73,000 and injured 80,000 in the Kashmir area.

Persecution Report is presented in cooperation with Open Doors USA, which serves the Persecuted Church through training, Bible distribution, and community development. For more information, call 1-888-5-BIBLE-5 or visit www.odusa.org.

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