Churches set on fire in Pakistan's Faisalabad over blasphemy allegations
1 year, 4 months ago

Churches set on fire in Pakistan's Faisalabad over blasphemy allegations

Hindustan Times  

Several churches were set on fire by a rampaging mob in eastern Pakistan on Wednesday after a Christian family was accused of blasphemy, officials said. "Photos and video clips of burnt pages of the Quran were shared among the locals, which created an uproar," Rana Imran Jamil, a spokesman for the city's 1122 rescue service, told AFP by phone. "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," he posted on the social media platform X. Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in ultra-conservative Pakistan, where anyone deemed to have insulted Islam or Islamic figures can face the death penalty. Islamist right-wing leaders and political parties across the country frequently rally around the issue, while politicians have been assassinated, European countries threatened with nuclear annihilation and students lynched over blasphemy allegations.

Pakistan Christian Quran Blasphemy Allegations Faisalabad  zealots  religious  triggered  family  told  rescue  christian  social  blasphemy  set  pakistans  faisalabad  allegations  churches

History of this topic

A Pakistani Christian accused of blasphemy and attacked by a mob has died of injuries
6 months, 3 weeks ago

A Pakistani Christian accused of blasphemy and attacked by a mob has died of injuries

Associated Press  

LAHORE, Pakistan — A Pakistani Christian accused of blasphemy and attacked by a mob last month died of his injuries on Monday, a police official said. Police in eastern Punjab province arrested more than 100 Muslim men and charged them under anti-terrorism laws for attacking a Christian father and son over allegations they desecrated pages of Islam’s holy book. He …

Pakistan: Christian man attacked by mob in Punjab province over allegations of Quran desecration dies
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Pakistan: Christian man attacked by mob in Punjab province over allegations of Quran desecration dies

India TV News  

Lahore: An elderly Christian man, who was viciously attacked by a mob over blasphemy allegations in Pakistan's Punjab province that left him critically injured, has succumbed to his injuries, according to police on Monday. Another police officer told PTI that on Saturday morning some youth in Mujahid Colony alleged that an elderly Christian man Nazir Gill Masih, alias Lazar Masih, …

100 Muslims arrested for attacking 2 Christian men on allegations of desecrating Quran in Pakistan
6 months, 3 weeks ago

100 Muslims arrested for attacking 2 Christian men on allegations of desecrating Quran in Pakistan

Associated Press  

LAHORE, Pakistan — Police in eastern Pakistan arrested more than 100 Muslim men and charged them under anti-terrorism laws for attacking a Christian father and son over allegations they desecrated pages of Islam’s holy book, officials said Monday. The mob went on a rampage Saturday after locals said they saw burnt pages of the Quran outside the two Christian men’s …

A mob in Pakistan burns down a house and beats a Christian over alleged desecration of Quran
6 months, 4 weeks ago

A mob in Pakistan burns down a house and beats a Christian over alleged desecration of Quran

Associated Press  

LAHORE, Pakistan — Hundreds of Muslims in eastern Pakistan went on a rampage over allegations that a Christian man had desecrated the pages of Islam’s holy book, ransacking and burning his house and beating him before police officers rescued the man and his father, officials said. The incident occurred Saturday in the Mujahid Colony residential area in Sargodha, a city …

The abyss of religious extremism
1 year, 3 months ago

The abyss of religious extremism

The Hindu  

The horrific visuals of burning churches in Faisalabad, Pakistan, that went viral last month reconfirmed the rapid descent of the country into the abyss of religious extremism. He said, “We are ashamed; we seek forgiveness.” Another cleric, Mufti Taqi Usmani, called the burning of churches as “highly condemnable.” Editorial | In the name of god: On how dangerously sectarian Pakistan …

Pakistan Church Attacks: Police Arrest 3 Main Suspects For Inciting Riots
1 year, 3 months ago

Pakistan Church Attacks: Police Arrest 3 Main Suspects For Inciting Riots

ABP News  

Lahore: Pakistan's Punjab police chief said on Monday that three main suspects have been arrested for conspiring to trigger "Muslim-Christian riots" in the country. Addressing a press conference here, Inspector General of Police Punjab Usman Anwar said police have taken 300 suspects into custody for torching churches and homes of Christians in Jaranwala. An enraged mob attacked scores of churches …

Pakistan: Christians Hold Sunday Services At Churches Torched By Mob Week After Violence
1 year, 4 months ago

Pakistan: Christians Hold Sunday Services At Churches Torched By Mob Week After Violence

ABP News  

Members of the Christian community in Pakistan held services on Sunday at churches that were vandalised by a mob over allegations of blasphemy in Punjab province’s Jaranwala. The services held at handful churches were led by the bishop of the diocese, Christian community leader Akmal Bhatti told Reuters. As per the Reuters report, a Christian graveyard was also desecrated, said …

Pakistan police say 87 Christian homes, 19 churches damaged in blasphemy riot
1 year, 4 months ago

Pakistan police say 87 Christian homes, 19 churches damaged in blasphemy riot

India Today  

Hundreds of Pakistan's Christian minority fled their homes Wednesday when an angry crowd of Muslim men tore through a neighbourhood in the city of Jaranwala in Punjab province, torching homes and churches. Muslims living in the predominantly Christian area gave shelter to their neighbours and pinned Koranic verses to the doors of Christian homes to prevent them from being targeted, …

20 churches, 86 houses belonging to Christians burnt down by mob in Pakistan: Police
1 year, 4 months ago

20 churches, 86 houses belonging to Christians burnt down by mob in Pakistan: Police

Firstpost  

Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, where anyone deemed to have insulted Islam or Islamic figures can face death penalty. Currently, 3,500 cops and 180 Rangers personnel are posted at Christian areas in Jaranwala Over 20 churches and 86 houses belonging to Christians were burnt down by a mob in Pakistan’s Punjab province and a total of 145 suspects …

Pakistan arrests 2 main suspects in attacks on churches in Faisalabad
1 year, 4 months ago

Pakistan arrests 2 main suspects in attacks on churches in Faisalabad

India Today  

Pakistani police have arrested two prime suspects involved in the unprecedented attacks on 21 churches and nearly three dozen homes of the minority Christian community over blasphemy allegations, Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said. An enraged mob ransacked and torched 21 churches and 35 homes of Christians on Wednesday over blasphemy allegations in Jaranwala town of Faisalabad district, …

Pakistan Blasphemy Row: 135 Arrested, Probe Ordered For Mob Attack On 21 Churches
1 year, 4 months ago

Pakistan Blasphemy Row: 135 Arrested, Probe Ordered For Mob Attack On 21 Churches

ABP News  

Authorities in Pakistan have arrested 135 people in connection with the unprecedented mob attack on 21 churches in the country's Punjab province over blasphemy allegations. On Thursday, the government ordered a high-level probe into the riots and promised to “restore” all the damaged churches and homes of people belonging to the minority Christian community, reported PTI. On Wednesday, an enraged …

Pakistan Riots: Faislabad Jaranwala Christian Settlement Cordoned Off 50 Houses Burnt Over Blasphemy Allegations
1 year, 4 months ago

Pakistan Riots: Faislabad Jaranwala Christian Settlement Cordoned Off 50 Houses Burnt Over Blasphemy Allegations

ABP News  

A Christian settlement in eastern Pakistan has been sealed off by paramilitary troops after a mob wreaked havoc, setting fire to multiple churches and numerous houses. According to a report by news agency Reuters, police personnel present at the scene of the incident did not intervene, prompting condemnation from community leaders and residents. These troops established cordons around the Christian …

Pakistan: Mob Attack on Christians Sparks Outrage, Raises Concerns About Protection of Minority Community
1 year, 4 months ago

Pakistan: Mob Attack on Christians Sparks Outrage, Raises Concerns About Protection of Minority Community

News 18  

After an arson and mob assault targeted a Christian community in Pakistan’s Punjab province, human rights groups are criticising the Islamic Republic for its failure to safeguard the minority community. Responding to the attack on Christian homes, Rehab Mahamoor, interim regional researcher for South Asia at Amnesty International, in a statement said: “The Pakistani authorities must urgently ensure the protection …

Pakistan arrests 129 Muslims after mob attacks on churches and homes of minority Christians
1 year, 4 months ago

Pakistan arrests 129 Muslims after mob attacks on churches and homes of minority Christians

Associated Press  

JARANWALA, Pakistan — Police arrested 129 Muslims after a mob angered by an alleged Quran desecration attacked a dozen churches and nearly two dozen homes of minority Christians, officials said Thursday. The alleged desecration set off a violent rampage Wednesday in Jaranwala, causing Christians to flee to safer places in the eastern city as the mob inflicted one of the …

More than 100 arrested after Muslim mob attacks Christian churches, homes in Pakistan
1 year, 4 months ago

More than 100 arrested after Muslim mob attacks Christian churches, homes in Pakistan

LA Times  

A woman weeps outside her home, which was vandalized by an angry Muslim mob in Jaranwala, Pakistan, that attacked Christian churches and residences. Police in eastern Pakistan arrested 129 Muslims overnight after a Muslim mob angry over an alleged desecration of the Quran attacked churches and homes of minority Christians, prompting authorities to summon soldiers to restore order, officials said …

Mob burns Pakistani churches, vandalises cemetery over alleged blasphemy
1 year, 4 months ago

Mob burns Pakistani churches, vandalises cemetery over alleged blasphemy

Live Mint  

Hundreds of Muslim men set fire to churches and vandalised Christian homes during a rampage in eastern Pakistan on Wednesday, officials said, after Christians were accused of blasphemy. "The crowd inflicted heavy damage on the area including to homes of Christians, and many churches," Ahad Noor, a district government official, told AFP. A mob gathered and began attacking multiple churches …

Muslim mobs attack churches in eastern Pakistan after accusing Christians of desecrating the Quran
1 year, 4 months ago

Muslim mobs attack churches in eastern Pakistan after accusing Christians of desecrating the Quran

Associated Press  

MULTAN, Pakistan — Muslims in eastern Pakistan went on a rampage Wednesday over allegations that a Christian man had desecrated the Quran, demolishing the man’s house, burning churches and damaging several other homes, police and local Christians said. Father Gulshan Barkat, who teaches church history at the National Catholic Institute of Theology in Karachi, described the blasphemy allegations as a …

Mobs burn Christian churches, homes in Pakistan after blasphemy allegations
1 year, 4 months ago

Mobs burn Christian churches, homes in Pakistan after blasphemy allegations

Al Jazeera  

Hundreds of people armed with batons and sticks attack churches in Jaranwala after the holy Quran was allegedly desecrated. Islamabad, Pakistan – Armed mobs have attacked at least two churches in Punjab province’s Jaranwala town accusing two Christian residents of blasphemy. Videos on social media showed hundreds of people armed with batons and sticks attacking the Salvation Army Church and …

Pakistan: Several churches vandalised by protesters in Punjab province over blasphemy allegations
1 year, 4 months ago

Pakistan: Several churches vandalised by protesters in Punjab province over blasphemy allegations

India TV News  

Pakistan's notorious blasphemy system has once made headlines as several churches were vandalised, set ablaze in Punjab province's Faisalabad district by a mob who were reportedly incited by clerics, said officials. The vandalised churches included the Salvation Army Church, United Presbyterian Church, Allied Foundation Church and Shehroonwala Church located in the Isa Nagri area of Jaranwala tehsil, said Jaranwala pastor …

Christian priest shot dead in northwestern Pakistan
2 years, 10 months ago

Christian priest shot dead in northwestern Pakistan

India Today  

A Christian priest was shot dead and another wounded by unidentified gunmen who opened fire on them as they were returning home from Sunday mass in Pakistan’s northwestern Peshawar city, police said. Bishop William Siraj was shot multiple times and died on the spot, while Father Naeem Patrick was wounded in the attack in the Gulbahar neighbourhood of Peshawar, police …

Discover Related