Pakistan (Mission Network News) — Christians often get accused of blasphemy in Pakistan, and the story of Shafqat Emmanuel and his wife follows familiar trends.

Bruce Allen of Forgotten Missionaries International says the couple was accused of “sending a text message by phone that insulted the Prophet Muhammad and insulted the Quran. These crimes, if convicted, do demand the death penalty in Pakistan.”

“All that — trial, conviction, and sentencing — has already taken place. The couple’s been in prison now for [almost seven] years. They’ve been appealing, and there’s been delay after delay. The appeal was set to be heard on June 3, just a few days ago. But again, it got delayed to June 22.” …

Despite Shafqat’s forced admission, he could not possibly have sent the messages. Allen explains, “He couldn’t. Number one, he’s illiterate. Number two, the text messages weren’t even in Urdu, the national language of Pakistan; they were in English. He doesn’t even know how to speak English, let alone read or write it.”

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