PAKISTAN - پاکستان
In 1970 Servant of God Pope Paul VI was a pilgrim to Pakistan. Blessed John Paul II followed in his footsteps, visiting in 1981 during his 9th apostolic trip (his only one in 1981 due to the assasination attempt on his life on 13th May, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima).
Ooberfuse, 1 of the bands chosen to play at JMJ Madrid & featured on Totus2us' World Youth Days, TOP CHAT & Word on the Street podcasts, have released a song & video in memory of Shahbaz Bhatti, who was murdered in Pakistan on 2 March last year for speaking out against the blasphemy laws under sharia. The song is entitled Blood Cries Out & is as compelling & powerful as it is eloquent & impressive. It shows what music can do when at the service of culture / truth. Thank you, Ooberfuse, for helping Shahbaz Bhatti's blood cry out with a message for peace.
As Hal said in interview: "In our research for the song we looked at extremely disturbing footage. Shahbaz’s car, after a visit to his elderly mother’s house, was riddled with bullets and spattered with blood following his assassination. ..We also watched an interview with Shahbaz weeks before he was killed in which he anticipates further suffering and continuing death threats. The song, Blood Cries Out, samples a phrase from the interview in which Shahbaz says he has experienced already the suffering of the cross. It is a tragic irony that Shahbaz’s message to those who would listen was Christ’s very own ‘Do not kill in the name of religion, but love each other.’” Ooberfuse will perform the song at a rally in London this Saturday 10th March, sponsored by the British Pakistani Christian Association and Aid to the Church in Need. The march will kick off at the Pakistani Embassy in Lowndes Square and culminate with the rally and concert in Trafalgar Square.