Esther John (Urdu: استر جون), born Qamar Zia (Urdu: قمر ضياء), on 14 October 1929; died 2 February 1960) was a Pakistani Christian nurse who was murdered in 1960 for her efforts in Christian evangelism. She was subsequently recognized as a Christian martyr. In 1998, she was honoured with a statue above the great west door of Westminster Abbey, among nine other Christian martyrs of the twentieth century.[1]
- ^ Foxe: Voices of the Martyrs, AD33 – Today. Salem Books. 8 October 2019. p. 275. ISBN 978-1-68451-008-5.
Esther John was born in British-ruled India with the Indian name of Qamar Zia. She was educated in a Christian school where Bible reading and her teachers' vibrant faith led to her conversion as a teenager. When Qamar gave her heart to Jesus Christ, she began a life of service and growth in which each new day was a gift. When India was partitioned, Qamar moved with her family to Pakistan, where she was pledged to a Muslim husband. Unwilling to accept this family decision, Qamar fled to Karachi. There she found a missionary, Marian Laugesen, who provided a Bible, encouragement, and a job working in an orphanage. At this time Qamar took the name Esther John.