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Extremists Threaten to Kill Christian Teacher in Pakistan

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Convert or die--that's what a Christian teacher in Pakistan was told when he spoke out about hate messages being preached to children in his school.

Musa Atique, 43, works at Kot Radaha Kishan, a school in the eastern part of Pakistan. 

The Pakistani government recently proposed making changes to the school syllabus, requiring new teaching on the Quran and Islamic prayers, according to the UK Christian website Premier.

The British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) says that some teachers at Atique's school began using the new curriculum to spread hatred about religious minorities, including Christians.

Atique told school authorities that he heard other teachers referring to Christians as infidels, but nothing was done.

Things quickly escalated when Atique was beaten by a Muslim teacher in front of his students and sent death threats saying if he did not covert to Islam he would be killed.

Atique says that since the new curriculum was introduced, bullying of minority children has increased and his own students have been encouraged to shout abuse at him and spit at him.

The BPCA is now representing Atique, who says that people were plotting to charge him with blasphemy.

"Life for Christians will reach an all-time low, now that the Pakistani government has directed schools to include Quranic studies in their school assemblies and hold Islamic prayers in all schools," Wilson Chowdry, with BPCA, said.

"The process is easy to abuse and permits fanatical religious zealots to inculcate vulnerable young minds with their evil ideology," Chowdry continued.

Atique has left the school and now makes money privately tutoring students.

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About The Author

Caitlin Burke Headshot
Caitlin
Burke

Caitlin Burke serves as National Security Correspondent and a general assignment reporter for CBN News. She has also hosted the CBN News original podcast, The Daily Rundown. Some of Caitlin’s recent stories have focused on the national security threat posed by China, America’s military strength, and vulnerabilities in the U.S. power grid. She joined CBN News in July 2010, and over the course of her career, she has had the opportunity to cover stories both domestically and abroad. Caitlin began her news career working as a production assistant in Richmond, Virginia, for the NBC affiliate WWBT