Christians withstand persecution in Pakistan

BANNU, Pakistan — A Christian doctor reported receiving various death threats while kidnapped recently by Islamic extremists in an area of Pakistan reeling from extremist violence. Militants in parts of the North-West Frontier Province have forced Christians and moderate Muslims to don Islamist garb.
Militants have also bombed CD shops they perceive to be decadent and, in the case of Dr. Reginald Zahiruddin, have attempted forced conversion to Islam. Islamist militants released Zahiruddin Jan. 2 after kidnapping him 25 days prior and demanding at gunpoint that he renounce his faith. The kidnappers told Zahiruddin that the main reason for his abduction was to force him to convert to Islam. “I was bold enough to refuse, and I even told them that God has the authority of taking my life as He has given it to me,” the doctor said.