Pakistan's Only Christian Cabinet Member Assassinated Over 'Blasphemy'

Just hours after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned about the growing threat to Christians in the Middle East, gunmen assassinated Pakistan’s only Christian cabinet member.

Shahbaz Bhatti

Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic who is the nation’s minority affairs minister, was gunned down on Wednesday morning as he left for work in Islamabad. Three or four assassins sprayed Bhatti’s car with bullets and left behind pamphlets stating that he was killed because he opposed Pakistan’s blasphemy law. They also claimed that the Pakistani Taliban and al-Qaida were responsible for the slaying, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The blasphemy law makes it a crime to utter any derogatory remarks about Islam, the Koran, or the Prophet Muhammad.

Clinton said on Tuesday that Christians and other religious minorities are being targeted across the Middle East and need protection as many flee their homes to escape repression.