February 2023 Persecution Magazine

When I think of struggling persecuted
Christians, I think of Mrs. Mukhtar. She
was married to a pastor in Pakistan, a
man who was incredibly bold for Christ.
In Pastor Mukhtar’s neighborhood, people heard
the Muslim call to prayer five times a day from
minarets atop the local mosques. Not to be
outdone, Pastor Mukhtar installed a loudspeaker
on the roof of his church. He planned to broadcast
short prayers and sections of Scripture to the
neighborhood.
Pastor Mukhtar wasn’t some obnoxious rebel with
a microphone. He had a great love for Muslims
and was a compelling witness; many Muslims
came to Christ because of his outreach.
His deep love for Muslims and his success in
winning Muslims to Christ deeply bothered his
Muslim neighbors, earning him many enemies.
In fact, his effectiveness was practically a death
sentence.
“DON’T WORRY”
Strangers began to arrive at Mukhtar’s door to
politely warn him against witnessing. Over time,
the threats grew less subtle. He was told that he
would pay with his life if he did not stop converting
Muslims to Christianity.
After each visit, his wife asked him, “Who were
those people, and what did they want?” Pastor
Mukhtar kept these threats from his wife so
that she wouldn’t be afraid. He would answer by
saying things like, “Don’t worry, dear, it was only
business.”
Despite the threats, Pastor Mukhtar couldn’t stop.
God had revealed to him the key to life. He had
to share that key with all those still imprisoned.
Threats couldn’t stop him, even when his enemies
offered to let him live if he would only stop
preaching and allow the prisoners around him to
quietly rot in prison. But Pastor Mukhtar could not
accept such a small bribe. His deep love for the
Father and for the prisoners around him forced
him to keep going no matter the cost.
ASSASSINATED
Pastor Mukhtar was eventually assassinated. His
murder was highly publicized. His widow feared
that the men who killed her husband would
one day return and silence her as well. After his
assassination, state security services forbade her
from speaking with foreigners. These restrictions
applied to us, so we met with her in secret.
MRS. MUKHTAR
When I met Mrs. Mukhtar, I was suffering from
extreme jet lag and exhaustion after extensive
travel. But I was there to find out how I could
help her rebuild her life after the tragic loss of her
husband, so I was eager to meet with her.
Mrs. Mukhtar had six children, including several
older daughters at home. In Muslim culture, a girl
without a father is vulnerable, so daughters stay
with the family until they marry.
The stress of losing her husband and carrying
the load of a large family left her shell-shocked.
But Mrs. Mukhtar was stoic as she recounted the
details of her living nightmare. From the outside,
there was no sign that tragedy had engulfed
her life just a few weeks earlier. Her lack of any
outward emotion made it hard for me to relate
to her at first.
When I meet someone’s unvarnished pain, I
tend to respond with empathy. If I see a person’s
tragedy and their sorrows, hurts, and scars, I
share in their suffering. So, while listening to her
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