Six churches attacked in blasphemy riot in Pakistan
Six churches attacked in blasphemy riot in Pakistan
A Muslim mob attacked a Christian neighborhood in Pakistan’s Punjab province over the alleged desecration of the Quran by two Christians, leaving six churches damaged, says a Christian leader.
The Christian area came under attack on Aug. 16 after two Christians -- Raja Umar and Rocky Masih -- were accused of committing blasphemy by defaming Quran, said James Rehmat, executive director of Ecumenical Commission for Human Development (ECHD), a faith-based charity.
Local traders closed shops after announcements were made in a mosque of Jaranwala in Faisalabad district and an angry mob attacked the neighborhood called Basti Maharanwala, Rehmat said.
The mob raided three Presbyterian churches, a Catholic Church, a Full Gospel Assembly Church and a Salvation Army church with sticks, stones and explosives, he confirmed, adding that windows of the churches were smashed. Some portions of the churches were gutted in arson attacks.
Some 500 Christian families have fled their houses following the attack, he claimed.
The ECHD issued a statement condemning the attack on Christians.
“This is unfortunate that we are witnessing a resurgence of this barbarity right after Independence Day was celebrated by all the religious communities of the Islamic Republic,” the statement said.
“We demand a thorough investigation of the announcements made through mosques. It shows that the majority has still not accepted us as equal citizens,” it stated.
Father Khalid Rashid Asi, director of the Commission for Interfaith Dialogue and Ecumenism in the Faisalabad diocese that covers the area, condemned the violence.
“We condemn the desecration of the Quran but also condemn how people took law in their hands,” Father Asi told UCA News.
The priest said he was “in great pain” to know the parish priest was harassed and barely escaped mob violence, forcing him into “hypertension.”
A video circulated on social media platforms showed a Muslim cleric asking people to protest over the alleged desecration of Islam’s holy book.
“Quran has been desecrated in Christian colony. All clerics and Muslims gather before the mosque. You are having breakfast at home. Where is your Muslim passion? You should have died. Block the roads. All must protest within the law,” the cleric stated in the video.
The violence came after three local Muslims filed a complaint with local police alleging two Christians violated two sections of the blasphemy law.
“After getting the information, we confiscated the pages of the Quran on which blasphemous remarks were written in red pencil. A calendar was also drawn. The accused were at large,” said police sub-inspector Abbas Ali, who accepted the complaint.
One section of the code punishes defaming the Quran with life imprisonment, while another mandates the death penalty for anyone convicted of defaming Prophet Mohammad.
Church of Pakistan president Bishop Azad Marshall expressed shock over the violence via Twitter on Aug. 16.
“Words fail me as I write this. We, bishops, priests and laypeople are deeply pained. A church building is being burnt as I type this message. Bibles have been desecrated and Christians have been tortured and harassed having been falsely accused of violating the Holy Quran,” Marshal stated.
“We cry out for justice and action from law enforcement and those who dispense justice and the safety of all citizens to intervene immediately and assure us that our lives are valuable in our own homeland that has just celebrated independence and freedom,” he added.
Religious minorities as well as Islamic sects like the Shia community routinely face abuses, violence, and criminal charges under Pakistan’s repressive blasphemy laws.
Register free christianworldmatrimony.com
