While it isn’t a crime to be a Christian in Pakistan, many believers are accused of blasphemy and put in prison. 

Shafqat Emmanuel, a man paralyzed from the waist down, along with his wife have now been in prison since 2013.  

He was accused of “sending a text message by phone that insulted the Prophet Muhammad and insulted the Quran,” says Bruce Allen of Forgotten Missionaries International (FMI). 

Shafqat, like many other Pakistan Christians, is illiterate and doesn’t speak English. However, the text message in question was sent in English to an imam during his prayers.  

Out of the 200 million people living in Pakistan, only 2% are Christians. Those charged with blasphemy, if convicted, receive the death penalty.