Man Builds A 14-Storey Cross In A Community That Is 90% Muslim

A 58-year-old man who built a 14-story cross at the entrance to the largest Christian cemetery in Karachi, Pakistan says it’s an idea from God, telling him that he needed to “do something different” to protect Christians from persecution. Parvez Henry Gill, a lifelong devout Christian, spent sleepless nights wondering how he could achieve God’s wishes ever since he heard His call over four years ago.

Then the Lord planted in his mind the idea for the massive symbol of Christianity in the Muslim-dominated country. ‘I said, ‘I am going to build a big cross, higher than any in the world, in a Muslim country,’ Gill said. “It will be a symbol of God, and everybody who sees this will be worry-free.”

Gill hopes that the huge cross, which towers over thousands of Christian tombstones frequently vandalized by Muslims, will give followers of Christ hope that one day, their situation will change and they will be free to worship as they please without persecution. The massive testimony to the power of God is nearing completion after around one year in construction.

The signs of Christian persecution in Pakistan can be seen by the vandalism in the cemetery, and “every few weeks” he hears of a Christian family who plan to leave Karachi on account of threats received, said Gill. However, he hopes that some families will be encouraged to stay in the impoverished country to achieve the same kind of success his family has found by the placement of the new cross.

Although the new cross will be a sign of encouragement, some believe it will take more than a 140 foot construction to change the way Christians are treated in a county which has extremely harsh blasphemy laws. Islamic law forbids insults of any form, even the suggestion of such, against their revered prophet, Muhammad, on the penalty of death.

Gill’s family has a long history of generosity, including paying for over 100 eye operations for the blind and meeting the educational expenses of thousands of children. Gill did not want to follow on in the footsteps of his father, Henry, who owned wheat and cotton fields in Punjab, but his dream of becoming a pilot were cut short on account of a medical condition.

Making his money in real estate after moving to Karachi in the mid 1980s, Gill has seen successful business ventures most of his career, but he has always helped those in need. Since his cross sits on a 20-foot underground base and contains “tons and tons of steel, iron and cement,” it’s “bulletproof,” said Gill. “If anyone tries to hit this cross, they will not succeed.”