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Muslim men and women attacked yet another church in Pakistan in Kanwanlit, a village some 3 kilometers from Daska, a sub-district of Sailkot, at 10:00 am on Friday, February 3rd. Some of the attackers smashed doors, windows and the altar of the church. The mob reportedly spat on the Bible and hymn books after trampling them under their feet. Muslim women inflicted torture on Christian women. Verro and Salima, two Christian women, sustained critical injuries. Both of Verro's legs were broken by the Muslim women. The village falls under the control of the Daska Saddar Police Station, but the police only appeared at the scene of the incident after Muslim residents of the village were done with the job of ransacking, and desecrating the church. According to Religion Today, the roots of the attack go back to November 2005, when a landowner named Iqbal bought a piece of property adjacent to the church. He then began a process of "encroachment," using more and more of the church's land to park his vehicles and tie up his animals. After failed attempts to buy the property from Iqbal, the Christians opened a court case against the landowner on January 12, leading to Iqbal's arrest. Released on bail on January 26, Iqbal threatened the Christian community with retribution for opening the case against him. The February 3rd attack was triggered when Verro Masih and Saleema Masih challenged Iqbal's relatives for tying up livestock on the church property. After the Muslims left, the women were immediately admitted to a government hospital three miles away.

Pray that God will work a miracle of His grace, giving these Christians His forgiving heart toward their attackers. Pray that justice will be done in the courts to allow the church to use their property without interference. Pray for the women's rapid healing and recovery will be a witness of Jesus' love and healing power.

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