Dunamis Church founder Enenche holds mega crusade in core Islamic nation, Pakistan

Renowned Nigerian cleric and founder of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Pastor (Dr) Paul Enenche, alongside his wife, Dr Deborah Enenche, held a mega crusade in Pakistan on Wednesday.

The crusade, which was attended by thousands of people, marked a significant milestone in the spread of Christianity in the Islamic republic.

According to eyewitnesses, the crusade was a huge success, with many people converting to Christianity.

Pastor Enenche’s visit to Pakistan is seen as a bold move, given the country’s strict Islamic laws and limited religious freedom.

The mega crusade is part of Pastor Enenche’s global evangelism efforts, which have taken him to several countries around the world.

Persecution of Christians in Pakistan

Christians make up just about 3% of the population of Pakistan.

Many Christians and other religious minorities, have fallen foul of Pakistan’s notorious “blasphemy” laws.

A mandatory death sentence is imposed for those convicted under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, which refers to defiling the name of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam (although this sentence has never yet been carried out).

In January 2023 “blasphemy” laws were even tightened with the punishment for insulting the family of Muhammad increased from 3 to 10 years in prison.

The “blasphemy” laws are often used to make false accusations to settle personal grudges.

Christians are particularly vulnerable, as merely expressing some of their beliefs can be construed as “blasphemy” and the lower courts usually favour the testimony of Muslims, in accordance with sharia (Islamic law).

Such accusations can often lead to mob violence. In August 2023 the alleged discovery of desecrated pages of the Quran stirred up a mob to rampage through the Christian area of Jaranwala city.

The mob burned at least 24 church buildings and several dozen smaller chapels, as well as attacking the homes of more than 100 Christians.

Those accused of “blasphemy” often suffer extra-judicial violence instead – for example, a Christian man in his 70s was beaten and stoned by a mob of extremists in Sargodha city in May 2024, following unsubstantiated allegations that he had desecrated a Quran, and he later died of his injuries.

Abductions and forced conversions target Christian women and girls
Christian girls and young women are vulnerable to being abducted by Muslim men and forced to marry their captors and convert to Islam.

These “conversions” are often secured under a threat of violence to the victims and their families, but the authorities rarely intervene.

Among numerous cases of violence against women, in September 2023 the Islamabad Sessions Court sentenced Muhammad Shahzad to 25 years’ imprisonment (considered a life term under the Pakistan Penal Code) for the murder of Sonia Bibi.

Sonia died in November 2020 after being shot by Shahzad on an Islamabad street for refusing his persistent marriage proposal.

Christian women and girls in Pakistan are vulnerable to being abducted, then forced to convert to Islam and marry Muslim men

Sunita Munawar, 19, was hospitalised with severe burns after a Muslim man, Kamran Allah Bux, threw acid on her while she was getting off a bus in Karachi in February 2023.

Bux admitted his crime, saying that he threw acid at Sunita for rejecting his proposal that she convert to Islam and marry him.

Sunita’s family’s previous complaints to police about Bux’s unwanted advances had been ignored.

Discrimination towards Christians and other minorities perpetuates extreme poverty.

Most Christians work in low-paid, dirty and dangerous jobs such as working in sewers, street sweeping or cleaning latrines.

Christians in Pakistan continue to be regarded as “chura” (an offensive term that has come to mean “filthy”) as cleaning jobs are considered impure for Muslims.

The word chura is derived from the name of the low-caste group from which most of the Christian population in Pakistan is descended.

Christians currently make up 90% of sanitation workers in Faisalabad, where cousins Asif Masih, 25, and Shan Masih, 28, suffocated in March 2024 after inhaling poisonous gases while attempting to clear a blockage in the sewer in the city.

They were ordered to enter the sewer without being provided with the recommended protective equipment.

Thousands of Christians are employed as low-paid workers in Pakistan’s brick kilns.

When faced with an emergency or illness, their only option is to take a loan from the brick kiln owner. These debts then keep them bonded to the brick kiln until the debt is paid.

They cannot pay off their debt, as money is deducted from their wages to pay the interest. Debts are frequently passed on to the next generation.

Violence and insecurity in Pakistan
Pakistan is a country beset with security concerns as terrorist groups are active, especially on the borders with Iran and Afghanistan.

Life is especially precarious for Christians in these border regions.

Tensions have been escalating between Pakistan and Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021.

Pakistan alleges that a faction of the Taliban, the Pakistani Taliban or Tehrik-e Taliban (TTP), is being sheltered in Afghanistan.

Diaspora Digital Media presents some pictorials from the crusade

The Dunamis Crusade in Pakistan

The Dunamis Crusade in Pakistan

Dr Deborah Enenche at The Dunamis Crusade in Pakistan

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