For the first time in nine years, Asia Bibi will be with her husband on Christmas.

But many of her fellow Christians in Pakistan are afraid of a backlash this holiday season in the wake of Bibi’s on October exoneration by the nation’s Supreme Court on blasphemy charges.

Recent cases of abductions, allegations of blasphemy and hate crimes against Christians, who make up 2 percent of the South Asian country’s population, have led churches to beef up security as parishioners sing carols around bonfires and watch Nativity dramas.

“This is the best time for us. We plan the Christmas play throughout the year and arrange several programs in the festive season,” said a 17-year-old college student in Lahore. “But it is a tense situation in the country. We hope that the government will facilitate us in marking our religious season.”

A mother of five, including three stepchildren, Bibi was arrested on blasphemy charges in 2010 after she allegedly insulted the Prophet Muhammed during an argument over whether she should have drunk from the same water bucket used by her Muslim co-workers on a farm.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court acquitted her of the charges. That sparked unrest in Pakistan as Islamic hard-liners called for her death. She and her husband are now in hiding in a government safe house.

The backlash has led many Christians to tone down their celebrations this year.

“We used to conduct carol singing in our neighborhood every Christmas,” said Natasha Joseph, a 31-year-old housewife in Karachi. “This year we are scared to use loudspeakers as some Muslims might complain.”

Some Christians will stay inside this Christmas.

As Christmas approaches, officials in China have requested strict controls on festive celebrations as the country continues its crackdown on religions at the end of a year that has seen stepped -up persecution of Christians.

Shops and street vendors alike are reportedly being banned from selling wares considered “controversial” by the state in various parts of the country.

Meanwhile, some underground churches — including those organized at people’s homes, and others not sanctioned by the officially atheist, communist government — have been warned not to hold any gatherings.

A notice issued by the Urban Management Bureau in Langfang city of Hebei province in northern China on Dec. 15 that was circulated online requires all local law enforcement agencies to “comprehensively ban all Christmas items such as Christmas trees and Santa Claus placed along the street.” Moreover, they have been instructed to “clear away all Christmas stickers, banners, signs, light-box advertisements and other related promotional items.”

Two Christian brothers have been sentenced to death in Pakistan on blasphemy charges, the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) announced on December 14.

Qaisar and Amoon Ayub, from Lahore, were arrested in 2015 after one of the two was accused of posting offensive material against Islam on their website. Qaisar and his wife Amina have three children, whilst Amoon is married to Huma, a teacher at Lahore Cathedral School.

The allegations surfaced in 2011 when they were accused of posting disrespectful material on their website; however, the accused say that their website was not active since 2009.

The two brothers have been held in Jhelum District Jail since their arrest. Additional Session judge Javed Iqbal Bosal informed them of the sentence directly in the prison for security reasons.

CLAAS, an interdenomina-tional organisation dedicated to the victims of religious intolerance, has been representing the accused and now plans to appeal the sentence before the Lahore High Court.

Blasphemy charges tend to trigger violent reaction among Islamic radicals, who interfere with the proper operations of the court system and threaten judges.

A church in Dubai has cut down on its golden jubilee celebrations and donated 10 million rupees (Dh 542,643) to the flood-ravaged south Indian State of Kerala, church officials said. Announcing the details of the valedictory function of the 50th anniversary celebrations of St Thomas Orthodox Cathedral scheduled on Dec. 28, church officials said many programs in the year-long celebrations were called off to divert the money for flood relief. Worshipers, majority of who hail from Kerala, also generously contributed to the church’s management which donated 200,000 rupees to the state Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund and directly helped 130 families affected by the deluge in August.

While many would search online for wallpapers and images of Jesus Christ on special occasions like Christ-mas, this Indian expat has one of the largest collections of Christ’s images on the wall of his Dubai accommodation.

Lorence Maman Neriam-parampil, 45, proudly owns a collection of over 25,000 unique pictures of Jesus. He has displayed all of them in a massive fabric banner measuring 33×8 feet on the wall of his apartment in Al Ghusais.

Hailing from the south Indian State of Kerala, Lorence was born in a family with strong connections with the Catholic Church, with 10 priests and 31 nuns belonging to the family.

“We had the rare privilege of Mother Teresa visiting our ancestral home. My family has built a church as an offering in my name in Eenthumkari village in Kannur district,” Lorence, a Dubai resident for 15 years, told Gulf News.

His cousin, Fr George Alumkal, who has a mammoth collection of crosses and statues and figurines of Jesus and Mother Mary in Kerala, was the inspiration for Lorence to start a collection of Christ’s images. That was when he was just 20.

The St Joseph’s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi has a message of peace to deliver Pope Francis during his visit to the capital from February 3 to 5. According to the official itinerary of Pope Francis released by The Vatican, he will make a stop at the St Joseph’s Cathedral on February 5 Tuesday before heading to Zayed Sports City. “We are very excited the Pope will make a visit to our church. The church committee has prepared a symbolic message which will be delivered to the Pope during his short but one we know will be a very sweet visit,” said Fr Gandolf Wild OFMCap.

“The theme we have picked for the message is ‘Make me a channel of your peace,’” he added. In an interview to Gulf News at the Cathedral, Fr Gandolf revealed a logo developed by the church to symbolise this message of peace. The logo has been framed and ready to be handed to the Pope.

“We have a dove carrying an olive branch twig. The olive twig is a symbol of peace and so is the dove. The wings of the bird have been done in UAE flag colours signifying the country and its inherent values towards peace. There is a wonderful co-operation between the Vatican, our church and the UAE government to ensure the Pope’s visit is a great success,” he said.