>> today on christian world news, up roar in pakistan, an entire christian community leaves their homes and a young christian girl is behind bars. as pakistan's blasphemy laws finally gone too far. plus, here in the u.s., refugees from war-torn countries find a safe haven and embrace the gospel message. and healing, deliverance, and salvation. how the power of god is healing drug addicts in vietnam. and giving the church favor from the communist government. a young christian girl sits behind bars in pakistan. will she spend the rest of his life in prison. i'm ephraim graham.

george thomas and wendy griffith are both on vacation. she has been sent to prison for allegedly burning the pages of the quran. she is believed to be between the ages of 11 and 16 and has down syndrome. she was arrested and charged why blasphemy. anyone found guilty of defiling the quran could face life in prison. the girl's parents and christian residents have fled the neighborhood, near islamabad, out of fear of reprisal from muslim extremists. >> translator: we were sleeping in our house that night. the girls' parents fled around 2:30 and the morning. we found in the morning that the house was locked up, and then we left the area. on friday evening i rang my landlord to ask whether we should return or not. he said, don't be scared. i don't want to disturb you, but you should leave the house until the 1st of september. >> police say the girl will

be held for 14 days. some authorities claim she is being held for her own protection. gary lane has travelled to pakistan many times over the years and joins us now with more. what is likely to happen to ramsha, this young girl. >> she is supposed to be released by the 30th of august. we'll see if they will in fact do that. in the past they said we're protecting these christians from this mob. we'll have to wait and see. because in the past, they've kept the christians behind bars many times. >> the blasphemy law in pakistan has been on the books for quite sometime. tell us about it. >> there are three parts to this law. 295 is the blasphemy law. there is 295a, and that is blasphemy gens islam. it is punishable by 15 years in prison. and 295b, blasphemy against the quran.

and 295c, blasphemy against the mohammed. against the quran, up to life, and mohammed, punishable by death. >> and there is also a christian mother in prison awaiting execution. >> yes. she is a mother of two, and stepmother of three children. three years ago, she shared the gospel with some of her colleagues, and defended her faith. and they said she committed blasphemy against mohammed. and here girls are being raised without their mother. many christians around the world have signed petitions, saying let's set her free. >> pred sadari, unlikely to pardon this woman and this girl ramsha, why? >> because those who have stood up and defended those

charged with bla blasphemy have paid the ultimate priv. price. the governor of punjab defended asa bibi, and his body killed him and assassinated him, and this bodyguard was hailed a hero. and there is shabaz bati, and he was a minister in the government, government of religious, and he was also killed. if you speak out and do the right thing, you could pay the ultimate price, and that's death. >> could these laws expand to the west? >> the pakistanis have tried to expand these laws and get them approved at the united nations, but each time it has come up they were defeated. >> how can these laws be defeated? >> anywhereness is number one, and pressure has to be put on. you have to pressure the leaders in pakistan and

others. >> what are your suggestions in terms of christians? how should we be praying for pakistan. >> pray for the pac pakistani christians, and people like shabaz bibi, and pray she will be visited by the holy spirit, and she'll be comforted, and that she will be freed from prison. and pray for their families as well. those poor little girls without their mother, and then this little girl, who should never have been put in jail to begin with. it should have been handled by their juvenile courts. >> and she is suffering down syndrome. >> yes, she didn't know what she was doing even if she was guilty. >> we need you to help spread ramsha's story. simply go to our christian world news facebook page to leave your comments and to share this story with your friends. each year thousands of refugees fleeing religious or political persecution

come to the united states seeking asylum. dallas, texas, is the key destination for many. as charlene israel found, local churches are putting out the welcome mat. >> reporter: this seen of u.s. trop troops toppling saddam hussein made people happy around the world. >> i am so thankful for u.s. troops and all of the heros and their sacrifice. >> reporter: and america's military put him to work as a translator for u.s. and coalition forces. >> it was a safehouse, saddam's cousin, in my neighborhood. that's when the u.s. army took over that safehouse. the next day i walked to them, and i said i live here and i know the area, and i speak 50% english, and i'm ready to help your guys somehow. and they said, yeah, sure. >> reporter: that help

also made him a target of insurgents. >> i didn't want to put my family at risk and in danger. i felt it was a time for me to leave country. >> reporter: getting out was not easy. >> i got blown up in 2007, a roadside bomb that hit our convoy, and i was in a wheelchair for three months. they told me you can't walk anymore. >> reporter: miraculously, abner recovered and moved to the u.s. under a special visa program. he settled in dallas, texas. abner joined a growing number of refugees in this area. many come from iraq, burmma and butan. many are drawn here because of family ties. the state department assigned refugees to places where they have relatives, job opportunities, and a community. many of the refugees in the dallas area are housed in this apartment compleax

complex, which is made up of various ethnic groups. refugees from more than 31 language groups live here in victory meadows, east of interstate 75. leaders from the bible church saw the many needs of refugees, from learning english to how to install a child's car seat. >> here, you know, you have to go get your social security and travel license, get a car and an apartment. >> reporter: northwest church established a number of programs where refugees learned marketable skills, such as sewing. women from iraq, burma, and elsewhere sew purses to sell. >> if i go somewhere in southeast asia, that's missions. but what god has called us to do is live intentional, tran transformational lives.

>> reporter: war forced jalil to leave iraq in 1982. >> i started with nothing, with two brothers ahead of me, with almost also nothing, but the lord is gracious and i learned more english and learned about life. >> reporter: today he pastors dallas' only arabic bible church. it is filled with others seeking refuge. people like abner who converted from islam to christianity. he credits jalil for helping him grow in his faith. >> jalil, he was always there for me, to disciple me, and answer my questions. i'm so thankful to him for being there for me. >> reporter: jalil points out that government assistance for refugees ends after about six months. that's why he steps in and tries to help them find homes and jobs. he also believes the church can do more. >> we need to do love those people, and we need to serve them, and we need to get all of the churches involved in

having programs to educate the church about the religion of these people, the background of these people, and how to reach them. for christ. >> i fell in love with jesus. because the way how he is, love, grace, freedom, happiness, joy, everything. i called jesus a package, by the way. when you open it, you find everything in that package. >> reporter: charlene israel, cross-examination cbn news. >> up next, how the uprising in egypt, syria, and even iraq, are making it harder for christians to live and worship.

>> the city of muzola is now the most violent city in the country, and much of the violence is directed at christians. 75,000 christians lived there before the iraqi war began in 2003. today only 25,000 live in the city. the ones that remain are

subject to kidnapping and killings. it is called religioncide. chris mitchell lives and works in jerusalem, but he is here for a visit and here to talk more about the church in the middle east. in egypt, we're seeing the muslim brotherhood take more control. has there been any impact on the church as a result? >> a huge impact. even when the mubarak government fell, people were concerned about the influence of the muslim brotherhood. now tha mohammed morsi has become the president, many christians are leaving egypt because of the concern they have that the muslim brotherhood will, more and more, act in an oppressive government that restrict the freedom of christians throughout egypt. >> talk more about the specific outlook of christians there? >> well, they're concerned because they know that the muslim brotherhood's goal is to eventually impose shari'a law in egypt itself.

that makes christians what they call demis or second class citizens. so we're seeing not only an impact in potential legislation, legislation, and an impact of people in the streets. i've heard christians who said even after the morsi government was enacted, even christian women walking down the street were attacked verbally, and they're concerned that that is going to be verbal abuse, as well as eventually physical persecution. >> let's move to syria. that country is in a full-scale civil war. talk about what that will mean for christians. >> it happened in iraq and now it is happening in syria. christian. they weren't supporting the tyranny and the autocratic governments, but they were protected. but now that that fracture is being demolished and potentially destroyed, there is real concern that again,

just like in electro, the muslim brotherhood might take over and put christians in a precarious situation. >> in both egypt and syria, we're seeing christians deciding to leave. some are actually refugees from iraq. with all of these trouble going on, are these christians running out of safe haven? >> they are. like in 2003 when the iraq war started, the muslim against christian violence, thousands left. some of them fled to syria. and now those christians in syria don't know where to go. some may be going to jordan, which might be the last safe haven. but, on the other hand, many christians are staying. they're what they call m.b.b., who were once muslims and now are christians. they plan to stay and preach the gospel to those muslims. >> you mentioned iraq, and you recently talked with a man called the victor of baghdad. tell us about his church in

baghdad and their experience. >> it is a remarkable story. since the war in 2003, he has had maybe almost 300 members of his congregation killed, murdered, or ambushed or kidnapped. it has been a horrific thing. but in the midst of that, he says that god is, with signs and wonders, showing himself strong in a remarkable way. they have a peace and a joy that is super natural and they're seeing miracles and even people raised from the dead. so he is seeing amazing things happening. >> despite the turmoil, we know that the lord always finds a way to reach people. we hear about muslims have dreams and visions of christ. share some of those stories. >> i think that is one of the most remarkable things happening in the middle east. the missionaries that i heard that talked to the muslim word said more muslims are coming to faith in jesus christ, then 1400

years ago. many are coming through dreams and visions, people having dreams of a man in white who calls himself jesus, and he says follow me, for example. it is happening in eastern. in fact, iran, some say, is the fastest growing church in the world. most of the people that are coming are influenced by a dream or a vision that tells them about jesus. and through that, they may get a bible, they may meet a christian, and it is sort of initiation to their faith in jesus christ. there is a book coming out in a few weeks by a man named tom doyle, and i would recommend it to anybody. it is an amazing story about how people in egypt and iran and syria are having these dreams and visions, sometimes to save themselves out are a desperate situation, and many times to give them a saving faith through jesus christ. >> wow, amazing stories. amazing stories. always a pleasure to have you. thank you so much for being here. >> great to be with you, ephraim,. >> coming up, in communist

vietnam, a church gains favor for its work with drug addicts. learn how the power off set the.

>> christians in vietnam are reaching out to those lost in a world of drugs and dispair. lucille brings us the story of their long road from bondage to redemption. >> reporter: at the emmanuel full gospel church and ho chimin city, these men gather every day to pray, worship, and read the bible. they could pass for seminary students, but in reality, all 30 of them are former drug addicts who have found forgiveness and freedom through the church's ministry. pastor homden says that only god's love has the power to deliver men and women from the bondage of drug addiction. >> they are considered as the garbage. their families, and even they, themselves, give up.

most say they have not been successful with rehabilitation centers. but here in this center, they feel the power of god's love and they experience deliverance miraculously. >> fen la is a recipient of that love. he came to the center in 2007, very sick with tuberculosis and intense stomach pain. afflictions caused by his years of opium and heroin abuse. >> translator: i didn't want to live anymore. i wanted to die. the doctors gave up on me. they sent me home. but at that time i met this person who got out of drugs and stayed at the center. she shared with me about jesus, and that's when i felt i had hope. i was surprised after they prayed for me. i don't feel pain anymore in my chest, in my stomach, and i was also delivered from drugs. >> reporter: today, he leads the church worship team. he is amazed how god gave

him the skill to play instruments, despite never having had any formal musical training. he has dedicated his life to sharing the grace he has received. >> translator: now that i experienced the miracle, i want to share jesus to people or in the same situation, a drug addict like me, that they can be set free and get salvation from the lord. >> reporter: over the past two years, the number of people who get into drugs here in vietnam has remarkably decreased by 25%, and that is because the government is serious in giving treatment to the drug dependent. but the christian churches here are also playing a very important role in transforming these people lives. vietnam is a communist nation, and the government is hostile to christian churches. pastor haang says police often come to the church and ask him questions. however, the success of the

church's ministry to drug addicts has earned it favor from government authorities. >> they persecute us and threaten us. i tell them i don't go against the government. i only do the work of the lord, to teach and to love. after they see my faith and see the transformation of the people here, they respect me and they don't bother us anymore. >> reporter: because of god's miracles of healing and deliverance, these former drug addicts and their families worship the lord with great passion. it is an intensity that demonstrates their deep gratitude for the new-found freedom they now enjoy. lucille tulusen, cbn news, freedom they now enjoy. lucille tulusen, cbn news, ho chi minh, s[hip-hop music]] ♪

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super hero. archeologists say they have found evidence of the biblical strongman. julie stahl reports on the amazing find near sampson's home town. >> reporter: the exciting discovery about the size of a pebble depicts one of sampson's adventures. >> you can see a very large thing, definitely a lion, and reaching up. maybe he is defending or attacking the large animal. >> reporter: the cone-shaped seal dates back to 1200 b.c., which matches the bible's time for sampson's life. it illustrates a scene from the book of judges, where sampson is on the way to meet his fiancee about four miles away from the dig site. suddenly a lion became roaring towards him, and the spirit of the lord came upon him and he tore the lion apartapart like he might

have a goat. >> it is in the right place, the right thing, in the right time. >> reporter: this place is also of great archeological interest for other reasons. it is where the bible says the philistines returned the captured arc of the covenant. >> to put it on the cart with two cows pulling it, and the arc went on the way to betemish. >> reporter: dr. vse letterman and others have led the excavations here for the past 20 years. a british group first did it in 1911, against the growing popularity of darwin's theory of evolution. >> they wanted to expose the background of the philistines, to bring the biblical stories alive. >> reporter: and people inhabited the area for more

than 1,000 years, until the syrian king destroyed it in 1701 b.c. today modern beshemish is across the highway. next month, archeologists hope to uncover a palace they think may have belonged to mysterious female who ruled the area. >> that's our report for this week. thanks so much for joining us. george and wendy are back next week. until them, good-bye and god bless you.