For many decades now, Back to Jerusalem has been telling you about the persecution of Christians around the world. We have published articles about mob violence and corrupt courts and about religious discrimination—especially in the Muslim world. But what happened in Pakistan this week is not only horrifying, it is utterly predictable.
Last week in Wah Cantt, a married woman named Samira Aziz was shot to death in her own father’s house. Her husband and uncle were not present, but they were on the phone, and by video call they gave direct instructions, telling relatives from abroad how to do the killing. Samira’s sister was dragged out of the room while on the phone with her husband. Then Samira was shot five or six times to make sure she was dead.
Her crime? Suspicion. Nothing was proven. Only the accusation that she may have spoken to another man. This kind of accusation-turned-execution is not rare. It is tragically common across much of the Islamic world.
In Islamic thinking, killing can be reframed—not as evil—but as moral, necessary, even merciful. The Qur’an itself provides the framework, with the message being unmistakable: killing in advance can be justified as righteousness. Bloodshed can be rebranded as protection.
Within this system, honour killings are easily absorbed. They are often not treated as the murder of an innocent person, but as an act of mercy or family duty. These are not fringe ideas or rare interpretations. They are long-standing rulings that still influence modern legal outcomes, where killers frequently receive reduced sentences or walk free altogether.
The answer to this kind of violence is not military force, political slogans, or quiet silence disguised as patience. The answer is the Gospel lived out the way Jesus lived it. This is why the church must respond with the Word, not the sword. With Christ, not coercion.
As those committed to taking the Gospel back to Jerusalem and to the ends of the earth, we cannot soften the truth. Until hearts are changed by Christ—and until human life is valued above codes of honour—women like Samira will continue to die, and their killers will continue to be shielded by religion.
Our response should not be bombs, but Bibles. Not revenge, but repentance. Not silence, but the saving truth of the Gospel.
Bibles Not Bombs: A 30 Day Devotional is now available. The ebook is available below and the paperback available on amazon:
