OPINION:
It’s hard to imagine a world in which one’s decision to believe in Jesus and the Bible could lead to chaos, furor — and even death.
Yet that’s the reality for millions of Christians across the globe who live under restrictive, reclusive and diabolical regimes.
From the bowels of the hermit nation of North Korea, led by madman Kim Jong-un, to the extremist-led chaos brewing in Afghanistan — a nation languishing under the authority of the Taliban — religious persecution is tragically alive and well.
Watchdog Open Doors revealed in its 2025 report that 310 million Christians “face very high or extreme levels” of persecution in the 50 countries where it is raging most fervently, with 4,476 Christians being murdered, 7,679 churches and Christian facilities being attacked, and 4,744 believers being put in prison. These numbers are simply staggering.
Unfortunately, it’s too easy for many people to get lost in these metrics, forgetting that the collective numbers underscore human beings’ lives. Every slaying statistic represents a husband, wife, son, daughter or beloved family member — an innocent life snuffed out simply because of their decision to follow Jesus.
The stories behind the numbers are heartbreaking and tragically plentiful, showcasing how persecution upends and destroys lives. The latest story to make headlines surrounds Zafar Bhatti, a pastor in Pakistan who was imprisoned for 13 years on false blasphemy charges.
Problems for Mr. Bhatti, founder of Jesus World Mission Church, started in 2012 when he was arrested after being accused of sending text messages insulting the Prophet Muhammad’s mother. In most free societies, such an accusation wouldn’t have resulted in much, but Mr. Bhatti was suddenly in the crosshairs of Pakistan’s Penal Code, charged under Article 295-C.
This section of the law is often weaponized and used against Christians, with false accusations wielded as yet another tool in the persecution arsenal.
“In Pakistan, a simple act, such as sweeping trash outside one’s home, having a dispute with a classmate, or even just the fact of being a member of a religious minority can lead to imprisonment, mob violence, the death penalty and permanent displacement,” Christian Solidarity International explained. “The country’s blasphemy laws, particularly Sections 295-B and 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, have created a landscape where accusations alone are tantamount to a sentence, and where Christians and other religious minorities live in perpetual fear.”
And this is exactly what unfolded in Mr. Bhatti’s case. The 62-year-old preacher was finally acquitted Oct. 2 — 13 years later —after his long and arduous battle, but his freedom came far too late.
Just three days after he was released, he collapsed and died after a cardiac arrest, according to The Christian Post. It was a lamentable ending after he and his family lost so much time to the evils of persecution.
It’s impossible to explore Mr. Bhatti’s story without feeling the intense emotions that such evil imposes. Understandably, Pakistani Christians are lamenting Mr. Bhatti’s untimely death, which seems to have come as the result of deteriorating health during his long tenure in detention.
Saif ul Malook, Mr. Bhatti’s attorney, told UCA News that diabetes and heart disease ate away at his client’s health in prison, with heart attacks following in 2019 and 2020, among other ailments.
“Despite all these, he continued to fight for justice,” Mr. Malook told UCA News, explaining the medical issues that apparently went untreated. “He needed a heart specialist, but our prisons only have general physicians. He is a victim of the system.”
Reports also suggest Mr. Bhatti was tortured in prison as authorities tried to force a confession. UCA News detailed just how grueling his ordeal became. The stress must have been monumentally incalculable.
Before Mr. Bhatti’s release and death, he was sentenced to life in prison in 2017. It’s remarkable, considering the allegations against him, that any court would put him in a cell for life, but that’s exactly what happens under these cruel and repressive regimes.
Mr. Bhatti, who lost years of his life to the evils of persecution, had only three days of freedom before his death. His demise was no doubt perpetuated, in part, by the poor treatment he received in prison and the stress he endured throughout his detention.
It’s stories like this that remind us of America’s responsibility not only to defend the First Amendment and religious liberty in our own country, but to also extend that fight for freedom to other nations over which we have sway and power.
Please take the time to pray for Mr. Bhatti’s family as they navigate such profound loss and for the evil leaders persecuting innocents. There’s no excuse or justification for what happened to Mr. Bhatti, yet it’s a daily reality for millions around the globe — one that must be eliminated.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Mr. Hallowell is the author of four books.
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