ArkHaven Guest Ministry Page

Meet The Naseems

Rev. Altaf Naseem ("Al") graduated from an American college in Asia. He later traveled extensively in Asia and Europe. He accepted the Lord in 1971 while studying in Frankfurt, Germany. In 1976 he attended the Montreal Olympics Crusade. There the Lord called him into full time ministry.

He resigned his job as chief auditor in Germany and came to the USA. There he worked with the Internationals for a year and half.

Altaf, Eileen, Annan Naseem

He returned to Asia, and married Eileen, in 1984. They have one son, Annan, 23 years of age, who is the only Christian in his Moslem high school where, Bin Laden is worshipped as a hero. Please pray for his studies and security.

They are mainly stationed in Pak-is-tan. This part of Asia is 96% Moslem. Only a tiny 2% of this Asian nation makes up the suffering Christian community.

In the early 80s Altaf worked with the United Bible Society and was in charge of the production of literature. During these years he earned an additional degree in journalism.

In 1986 he went to the Philippines to work on his M. Div., which he completed in the shortest time ever accomplished in the history of this seminary. A record yet to be broken. In 1990 he was appointed to S. Korea as director of an international mission agency project. Having finished their assignment to train the Korean staff, Altaf and his family traveled to Australia to work in establishing the Asian fellowships.

In 1991 Altaf came to the USA for nearly a year of deputation, while his wife continued to pioneer the Asian fellowship in Brisbane, Australia.

At present Altaf and his wife are serving in South and central Asia as inter denominational missionaries. This includes Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and parts of central Asia. They are just next door to Afghanistan, where Qaeeda has prevailing influence.

They have a great burden for this continent where Christianity is greatly misunderstood as the faith of the colonial powers. His beloved wife presently studies extension courses, with an open theological seminary.

In this part of the world fundamentalism is on the rise especially after 9/11. Pray for their ministry in this very difficult context. Sectarian killings are rampant, some underground religious factions are well armed. Recently there have been attacks on Christian churches, school and hospitals. 30 were martyred in four separate attacks by grenades or shootings while scores are injured.

Minority report in this
Asian nation
             MUSLIM: 96%
             CHRISTIAN: 2%
                  -Protestant: 1%
             HINDU: 1.5%
             OTHER: 0.1%
                 -Animist: 20,000
                 -Parsee: 6,000
                 -Buddhist: 2,000

Source: Operation World

Recently President Zardari banned some Islamic militant factions, Terrorists are blocking the foreign and local investors and ultimately its the poor man who suffers. These factions are gone underground. They are trained by Qae-eda, and carry out attacks on the Christian institutions.

Please pray for peace in Pak-istan, and for the President who is trying to eradicate the terrorism, from this society. May the peace of God rule in this region. Pray that we can live together in harmony.

                                       Thank you, and God bless you.

Altaf Naseem

To Email brother Al click here:

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net -- E-mail: assistnews@aol.com

Increasing Instability in Pakistan Puts Minorities at Risk as Taliban Executes Two Christians in Karachi, Pakistan

WASHINGTON, D.C. An international Christian human rights watchdog organization has learned that the Taliban, emboldened by their success in Swat Valley and advance near Islamabad, have attacked a Christian neighborhood and executed two residents after Christians held a rally protesting graffiti ordering them to convert to Islam or die.

International Christian Concern (ICC) -- www.persecution.org -- says that on April 20, residents of Taseer Town in Karachi woke up to find pro-Taliban messages chalked onto the walls of two churches.

In a media release, ICC says the messages included, "Long Live the Taliban," "Talibanization is our goal," and "Embrace Islam or Prepare to Die."

ICC says the next day, the Christian residents staged a protest in the hopes of attracting the attention of the local government to provide protection. Officials, however, did nothing.

The media release states: "The night of the protest, April 21, more than 100 masked terrorists invaded Taseer Town with automatic rifles. The terrified Christian residents ran to their homes and locked themselves inside."

According to Asif Stephen, a Christian politician, one of the protesters said, "We were protesting peacefully and all of sudden, a few militants carrying the latest weapons rushed in. Some of the attackers entered homes and pillaged money and jewelry and abused the women and burned their properties. The elderly were injured and one child fell to the ground and died in my friend's arms."

ICC reports the Taliban militants went door to door, breaking into Christian homes and dragging the elderly and the women out into the street by their hair.

The Taliban leaders shouted, "You infidels have to convert to Islam or die. Why did you wash up warnings inscribed on walls of church and home doors? How dare you are to take out procession against Taliban?"

ICC also reports the terrorists sexually assaulted several women and physically abused dozens more with clubs, iron rods, and whips.

"They set a number of homes on fire. When two Christians resisted, the militants killed them execution-style directly in front of their families. The identity of those killed has not yet been confirmed," the media release explained.

According to AsiaNews, police have arrested seven of the Taliban militants involved in the attack. However, they are unsure who was behind the incident.

Jeremy Sewall, ICC's Advocacy Director, said: "The Pakistani government has created an opening for terrorists to attack Christians indiscriminately by acceding to their demands in the Swat Valley.

"Formerly, Christians in the major cities of Pakistan experienced discrimination, but up till now they had not had to fear threats of forced conversion or execution on a wide scale. This attack is a harbinger of worse to come if the Pakistani government continues to cower in the face of Muslim radicals."

Sources. Assist news Service.

Please Pray For Us One Minute A Day . Remember the persecuted in Pakistan

Feb. 18, 2009

Pakistan:

Gulsher Masih is in prison in Pakistan, charged along with his daughter, Sandul, with violating section 295-B of the Pakistani legal code, the "blasphemy" law. The Voice of the Martyrs contacts report that Sandul found pages of the Quran on the ground picked them up and handed them to her Muslim neighbor. As a result, she and Gulsher were falsely accused of ripping pages from the Quran. On Oct. 9 a large crowd of Muslims attacked Gulsher's home throwing stones and firing guns. They were shouting, "Kill Gulsher and his daughter Sandul."
More Info...

Location: Pakistan
Arrested: October 2008
Days Imprisoned: 137

Sandul , Gulsher's daughter.
Arrested: October, 2008
Days Imprisoned: 137

Learn More

Sources: Voice of Martyrs, USA

02/19/09 Pakistan:

Pakistani Police Open Fire on Christian Protesters:

Pakistani police robbed a Christian widow on February 9. When the widow's Christian neighbors flooded the streets to protest, the police returned and fired on the crowd, sparking a three-hour standoff. Police had broken into the home without a warrant to search for suspects in a drug bust. While they were in the home, the police stole 20,000 rupees, and the jewelry of the widow's daughter in law. Police have promised that this incident will be investigated, but the press is taking the opportunity to portray Chrisitians in a negative light, linking them to drug violence. Full Story.

Pray for peace in the widow's neighborhood.
Pray that the Christians find grace with the press and police.
Pray that the belongings of the widow's family are returned.

Muslim Kidnaps Wife to Force Her to Convert to Islam

Kiran Bibi fell in love with a Muslim man and married him seven years ago, despite the protests of her Christian father. Kiran married Muhammad Khan with the agreement that he would allow her to follow her religion freely. After the birth of their son, Kiran's husband began to insist that she convert, and raise their child as a Muslim. On the night of February 8, Khan and three accomplices kidnapped Kiran and her son. Police have ignored any attempts by Kiran's relatives to find her, saying that it is simply a marital dispute. Full Story.

Pray for the safe return of Kiran and her child.
Pray that her husband chooses to keep his promise and respect her religion.
Pray that Kiran's husband comes to Christ.

For more general information, please go to ICC�s website on Pakistan.

Sources: International Christian Concern, Washington, DC

February 20, 2009

16 of a Pakistani Christian family flee home
over �blasphemy�

NAROWAL:
Increasing threats and pressure from fundamentalist Muslims have forced some 16 family members of a Christian teenager, who was accused of blasphemy last month, to flee their home even though the police had cleared the 15 year old of the blasphemy charges.

Naveed, was a resident of Badomali village in Tehsil Narowal, ( Sialkot in the Pakistani Punjab province.) Earlier, he and his pastor brother were accused of Blasphemy for keeping a page in his book, about the comparative religions.

Police released Naveed and his brother, Pastor Shafique, after they were found not guilty during an investigation. But the radical moslem islamists, went after them, forcing them to flee from their homes.
The Christian family is currently taking refuge with relatives, at an unknown place.
Sources: ANS, Lake Forest, CA.

Please Pray For Us One Minute A Day . Remember the persecuted in Pakistan

American Aid Official Gunned Down in Pakistan

Source: www.voanews.com

Date: November 12, 2008

Militants have stepped up attacks in northwestern Pakistan, where authorities say at least five people - including an American aid official - were killed in two separate attacks. Meanwhile, Pakistani security forces are also hunting pro-Taliban extremists in the region, who were allegedly involved in this week's hijacking of 13 trucks carrying supplies for foreign troops in neighboring Afghanistan. Ayaz Gul reports from Islamabad.

Pakistani policemen make way for an ambulance carrying the body of a US aid worker from the scene of an attack site in Peshawar, 12 Nov 2008

Police officials say that unidentified gunmen shot and killed an American aid official, along with his local driver, as he left his home in Peshawar. The attack took place in an upscale area of the city, the University Town neighborhood, popular among diplomats and foreign aid workers.

A senior police official, Hassan Asad Alvi, tells VOA about the assassination.

"The U.S citizen was on his way to his office when unknown people in a car stopped his car and killed him," Alvi said. "We do not have any witnesses as yet as to who these people [attackers] were. Nobody has claimed any responsibility so far."

Acting spokesman for the U.S Embassy in Islamabad, Wesley Robertson, says the dead American was not part of the U.S diplomatic mission in Pakistan.

"I can confirm that an American citizen and his Pakistani driver were killed in that attack in Peshawar and the attack is currently under investigation and we were coordinating with local authorities," Robertson said. "This person was not a diplomat assigned here."

A senior U.S. diplomat based in Peshawar narrowly escaped a similar gun attack on her armored vehicle in August. Afghanistan Ambassador-designate Abdul Khaliq Farahi was kidnapped from the city, in late September, and his whereabouts are still not known.

Pakistani officials say that, hours after the shooting, a suicide car-bomber struck a military camp in nearby Shabqadar, killing at least three soldiers and wounding several others.

Parts of northwestern Pakistan are believed to have become safe heavens for militants linked to al-Qaida and Taliban. These extremists are blamed for the rising violence in the country and for launching attacks on NATO forces, across the border in Afghanistan.

Pakistani troops and paramilitary soldiers are engaged in major anti-insurgent operations and have killed more than 1,500 militants in the Bajaru tribal region on the Afghan border. Also, unmanned U.S spy planes have carried out frequent missile attacks, in recent weeks, targeting al-Qaida hideouts in remote tribal regions of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Pakistani security forces are hunting for pro-Taliban militants who seized 13 trucks carrying military vehicles and supplies for foreign troops in Afghanistan. The incident took place Monday, in the Khyber tribal region bordering Peshawar, which serves as a main supply route for U.S and NATO forces stationed in Afghanistan.

A spokesman for the American military is reported as saying that Humvees and water tank trailers were among the items missing in what he described as a highly organized attack.

10/23/08 Pakistan

Blasphemy Accused Doctor Seeks Bail from Pakistan's Supreme Court-

Dr. Robin was arrested in May this year after being accused of passing derogatory remarks against the beard of Prophet Muhammad. Following rejection of post arrest bail in September, the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance's (APMA) panel of lawyers has filed a post arrest bail petition on the doctor's behalf in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Full Story.

For more general information please go to ICC's webpage on Pakistan.

10/24/08 Pakistan

Girl�s Account Re-Opens Custody Fight For Sisters in Pakistan-

10-year-old Aneela, just recently released back to her parents, says Muslim captors abused her and older sister and forced them to convert to Islam. Lawyers for the two underage Christian sisters plan to use Aneela's statements to renew a custody fight for the older girl who was coerced into marrying her captor.

Pakistan :

Conversion by a Muslim to another religion is punishable by death. Bans proselytizing by non-Muslims. Christians regularly put in prison for charges of blasphemy. Islam is the state religion, and in a court of law the testimony of a Christian carries less weight than that of a Muslim. Section 295(c) of the Penal Code calls for a death sentence for anyone who defiles the name of the Prophet Muhammad and requires the testimony of four Muslims for a conviction. This fosters an environment in which Muslims can feel free to use intimidation and violence against religious minorities for personal gain. Also, if any criminal Muslim rape with any Christian female and then take plea that she has accepted Islam and marry with him. Such person is not culpable under Pakistani criminal law.

Farsi Christian news Network
http://www.fcnn.com

For more general information please go to ICC

Muslim Mob Attack Protestant Church In Pakistan

15 July 2008

KARACHI, PAKISTAN -

A tense calm returned Tuesday, July 15, to the outskirts of Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, after several Christians, including a pastor, were injured when Muslim militants stormed a Protestant church during a prayer service.

Witnesses said an angry Muslim mob raided the United Presbyterian Church in the suburb of Noorknan last week, July 10, carrying "swords, daggers and batons" and slogans that included "Infidels!" and "Stop false rituals."

Up to "18 Muslims of the radical group entered in to the Church and attacked and desecrated the church" and destroyed a Bible and other Christian books placed on the altar, said advocacy group Compassion Asia in a statement .

They allegedly said that the worshipers were "infidels" who "can not stay" in Pakistan as this "is the country of Muslims." The believers were reportedly told to �recant Christianity and become Muslims or be ready to die."

ATTACKING BELIEVERS

Compassion Asia said the mob also attacked believers, seriously injuring Pastor Iqbal Anthony "with daggers and swords." The pastor and several other wounded Christians, including women and girls, were rushed to hospital with unspecified injuries, local believers said.

This was the second major attack on the church since 2001, Muslim residents backed by local leaders militants destroyed the building. The government of Sindh Province later gave permission to Pastor Anthony to rebuild the church at the same location with support of the congregation.

Following last week's attack, Christians have appealed to the provincial government to take action against Muslim attackers and to beef up security around the church and Christian residential areas. It was not immediately clear Tuesday, July 15, what if any measures had been taken by local authorities. The church attack came amid growing concern over Islamic extremism in Pakistan.

Source: Compassion Asia

2/15/08

Muslims Seek Revenge Murder Christian Teenager After Settling Dispute

Amir Saleem, a 13-year-old Christian boy, was murdered by Attiq and

Sharjeel, Muslim neighbors from a village in Sheikhupura district, on January 11, 2008. Full Story.

For more general information please go to ICC's webpage on Pakistan.

2/10/08

Christian Youth "Kidnapped" for trying to marry Muslim woman.

The father of a Pakistani Christian continued to search for his son (Anneal) who

was allegedly kidnapped two weeks ago by suspected religious extremists, after attempting to marry a Muslim woman. Full Story.

For more general information please go to ICC's webpage on Pakistan.

01/23/08 Pakistan (ICC) Muslim Radicals Mistakenly Murder Brother of a Pakistani Christian Accused of Blasphemy

Islamic extremists have murdered a man after mistaking him for his brother, who had been accused of blasphemy against Islam. Simon Emmanuel was shot to death after his brother, who has been living in the United States, came home to visit his family. The police tried to cover up the! murder as a suicide. Full Story

For more general information please go to ICC's webpage on Pakistan.

BLASPHEMY ACT

typical hanging scaffold

Under this article (295--C) a Christian can falsely be sent to jail and ultimately hanged. Dozens of Christian are in jail at this time waiting for their fake trials.

This law is being misused to settle personal disputes. Any Moslem can accuse any Christian of (self claimed) derogatory remarks against their prophet Mo-ham-mad.

This way the whole town rises up in anger and beats up on the accused, even to death. This law has sent waves of insecurity among the Christian community. Recently a pastor was martyred while building a village church. The entire judicial system is in the hands of the Moslems, so justice is hard to come by. Several attempts to amend this law have failed.

Please PRAY for this black law to be undone. Praise God for Ayub Masih, who is just acquitted by the supreme court after 7 yrs in jail.

The bread and cup of the Lord�s Supper are clearly the two most ingenious symbols the world has ever known. These two symbols literally summarize the entire Christian life