Arson has been suspected after a fire broke out at a Presbyterian church in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, shortly after Good Friday prayers, forcing local Christians to hold Easter services in a hotel.
UP Junior Church authorities initially told reporters that a local businessman, identified in some reports as Sheikh Ahmed, had paid someone to set the church on fire in protest of police blocking the road in front of the church. He said he believes he may have paid for it. Protecting it from potential Islamist attacks during Holy Week. Hundreds of local Christians organized a protest on Saturday, demanding a police investigation into Ahmed. But soon after, the pastor who runs the church denied there was any evidence to suggest arson, police said an electrical fault caused the blaze, and it remains unclear whether local authorities will continue to investigate the incident.
Pakistan is an overtly Islamist state, and its criminal law harshly punishes “blasphemy,” including ordering the execution of anyone found guilty of “insulting” Islam’s prophet Muhammad. Local Islamist mobs regularly use the law to accuse non-Muslims, especially Christians, of “blasphemy,” meaning that the person in question has desecrated the Quran, personally insulted Muhammad, or accused Muslims of blasphemy. They often claim that they tried to convert them. Muslims also often abuse the law to accuse Christians of “blasphemy” when they are involved in business disputes or have personal disagreements with Christians.
The Pakistani government has never formally executed anyone for blasphemy, but mob lynchings are not uncommon in the country, and when a mob kills an alleged “blasphemer” in a public place, police may They rarely judge people.
Pakistan has repeatedly attempted to use its position at the United Nations to internationalize blasphemy laws, arguing that global censorship of blasphemy charges is necessary to combat “Islamophobia.”
Pakistan is nation newspaper report On Sunday, the UP Junior Church was almost completely destroyed on Friday night. When caretakers woke up on Sunday, the building was uninhabitable. According to reports, Elder Javad, the chief custodian, said the fire broke out after all the lights were turned off and the church was closed, and it is unclear what caused the fire, which police blamed on an alleged electrical leak.
“Javed claimed that Sheikh Ahmed, who is from the area, got into an argument with them and removed the cloth partition that had been installed for security reasons,” it said. nation Added. “He accused Ahmed or someone else of setting the church on fire on his orders. He further stated that the event was aimed at hurting community sentiments and destroying peace in the city. .”
Similarly, the Catholic Asia News Union (UCA) report Accusation against Ahmed, quoting the pastor in charge, Adeem Alphonse. But on Monday, the UCA announced that Pastor Alphonse claimed he was “satisfied” that police had concluded that the cause of the fire was a short circuit, adding: “We cannot afford to instigate and no one is suspicious. ” he added ominously.
“The police are trying to save a businessman who has economic, political and social influence,” Alphonse was quoted as saying on Friday.
An estimated 500 people protested outside the church on Saturday, amid widespread belief that Mr. Ahmed, who is said to own a shopping plaza being built next to the church, had reason to attack the church. They demanded that police provide evidence linking Mr. Ahmed to the fire.
“Mr. Ahmed was objecting to tents and barricades that police had set up in the area as a security measure ahead of Good Friday,” UCA reported.
The Pakistani government owns the land on which the church was built, and it remains unclear whether the congregation will be allowed to rebuild the chapel.
Pakistan is one of the world’s most repressive states against Christians, both through unofficial government-sanctioned violence by Islamist mobs and officially through blasphemy laws. Many of the country’s Christians come from lower social castes and are forced to face discrimination on both fronts and take on undesirable, dangerous and humiliating jobs, such as cleaning sewers without protective clothing. They are often chased away.
“Persecution of Christians in Pakistan includes large-scale kidnappings of young believers forced into forced marriages, horrific violence directed at churches during public holidays, and societal discrimination that leaves our brothers and sisters poor and vulnerable. ,” Christian aid group Global Christian Relief said. explain Listed in country profile.
An anonymous pastor from the country told Global Christian Relief:
Nowhere else in the world are Christians more at risk of mob violence and persecuted, but the violence is always systematic and strategic. We are constantly being watched, and the moment we forcefully spread the Word, we are in trouble. We will pay with our blood.
The country’s most recent major incident of mob violence occurred in August when an estimated 10,000 people attacked the Christian community in Jaranwala, burning down hundreds of homes and effectively leaving much of the Christian community homeless. became. Local clergy reported that at least five churches were burnt to the ground and tens of thousands of people were evacuated.
The mob reportedly attacked after rumors began to spread that a local Christian named Saleem Masih had desecrated the Koran. Imams at local mosques began using loudspeaker systems to broadcast calls for violence against Mashi and Christians in general, sparking an outbreak of riots.
As I write this, I’m at a loss for words. We, the bishops, priests, and laity, are deeply saddened and saddened by the Jaranwala incident that occurred in the Faisalabad district of Pakistan. As I type this message, church buildings are being set on fire. The Bible is desecrated and Christians… pic.twitter.com/xruE83NPXL
— Bishop Azad Marshall (@BishopAzadM) August 16, 2023
police arrested 129 people responded to the incident.
In a similar series of events in December, a Punjabi Christian was accused of “blasphemy” for posting Bible verses on Facebook, forcing his entire family into hiding and police investigating The man was arrested. The family accused local neighbors of using Facebook to share photos of the man on social media and calling for his death.
Flashback: Mob destroys Christian church, burns homes in Pakistan
Tayyab Husnain/Jaranwala TV, via Storyful
