11/12/2025
The Little Hero the World Remembered: The Unbroken Courage of Iqbal Masih (Christ) -
Iqbal Masih was born in 1983 in Muridke, Punjab, into a struggling Christian family fighting daily for survival. His surname Masih, meaning “Christ” in English, would one day reflect the weight of sacrifice he carried. Life was painfully difficult for his mother, who worked long and exhausting hours trying to feed her children. When Iqbal was only four years old, she borrowed 600. In 1983, this was considered a large amount of money for a poor family—especially when a schoolteacher’s monthly salary, like my own father’s at that time, was few hundreds per month. What began as a small loan for survival quickly grew under interest into an impossible burden. Today, 600 PKR is only about $2 USD, but back then it represented desperation. When she could not repay it, the carpet factory owner took something far more valuable than money—he took little Iqbal and forced him into bonded labour. A child no taller than a table and lighter than a schoolbag was placed before a loom, where his childhood was stolen knot by knot.
Iqbal’s early life became a nightmare hidden behind closed factory walls. At just four years old, he began working 12 hours a day, seven days a week, tying thousands of knots in carpets. His tiny hands bled, his back bent from strain, and his lungs burned with carpet dust. His weekly “salary” was reduced to 15 rupees, which went directly toward the debt that never shrank, only increased as punishment fees and false charges were added. Many children in such factories were tied or chained at night to prevent escape—this is the darkness of bonded child labour in Pakistan. Yet even in the midst of hardship, something in Iqbal refused to die. A strength began building inside him, a courage beyond his years, a spark that no cruelty could extinguish. (This post was first shared by Pastor Naeem Nasir on Facebook .)
In 1993, Pakistan’s Supreme Court declared bonded labour illegal. Word of this ruling somehow reached little Iqbal. For the first time, hope flickered inside his young heart. He ran for freedom—only to be caught, dragged back, and brutally punished. He was beaten, hung upside down, and tortured for daring to resist oppression. Yet this terrible beating did not crush him; it strengthened his resolve. Iqbal escaped once more and found refuge with the Bonded Labour Liberation Front. There, for the first time, he attended school. Teachers were amazed when the boy who had never held a pencil completed four years of education in just two years. Soon, he began to speak openly against child labour. He travelled to America and Europe, where crowds were moved to tears by this small, brave Christian boy who declared boldly, “Every child should hold a book and a pen, not tools and chains.” His voice helped free more than 3,000 children from bonded slavery.
But courage always threatens darkness. Many believe that Iqbal was not only a threat to the powerful bonded-labour mafia, but also an unwanted voice because he was a Christian child who dared to speak out, challenge the system, and expose the powerful. On April 16, 1995 (Easter Sunday), while visiting relatives in Muridke, a gunman shot him dead. He was only 12 years old. His death shook the world. While in Pakistan his story faded too quickly, countries like Germany, Italy, Canada, and the United States honoured him as a HERO. Schools, murals, children’s books, and human rights organisations around the world continue to celebrate his courage. His legacy helped inspire the creation of World Day Against Child Labour, observed every June 12. His life was short, but his impact has echoed across decades. Iqbal Masih became a symbol of hope, justice, and holy courage—a light that pierced the darkness.
The first time I read Iqbal’s story, I could not think about anything else for hours. It shook me deeply, and every time I read it, tears fill my eyes again. His courage inspires me, encourages me, and reminds me why we must fight for children. It is because of stories like Iqbal’s that Good Samaritan Ministries was founded in 2009. Today, hundreds of thousands of Christian children in Pakistan still work in brick kilns—modern-day Pharaohs still enslave the poor. These children should be holding pens and books, but instead they carry bricks and mud. With this burden in our hearts, we established our first Christian school in March 2021—to give dignity, education, and hope to the underprivileged. We believe no child should suffer what Iqbal suffered. This Christmas, we are praying for people who will join us in freeing children and families from brick kiln slavery through our Brick Kiln Freedom Project. You can learn more at www.gsministries.org. I humbly ask you to pray and ask God how He may use you this Christmas to set families free—and put pens, books, and hope back into the hands of God’s precious children.
Pastor Naeem Nasir
Good Samaritan Ministries Pakistan
www.gsministrities.org
Note: Kindly do not use portions of my posts or remove my name. These writings take many hours to prepare.
