There has been another violent mob attack against Christians in Pakistan.
Hundreds of extremists almost killed an elderly shoemaker after a cleric accused him of desecrating the Koran. The mob filmed themselves kicking and beating the Christian and then looting his shoe factory. They posted the footage on social media.
UK-based Release International, which supports persecuted Christians worldwide, is again calling for the repeal of the blasphemy laws, which are often used as a pretext for violence in Pakistan.
Mob
Up to 400 took part in the attack in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province. They crowded the streets of the Mujahid Christian colony in the city of Sargodha, vandalizing churches, burning Christian houses and hurling stones and bricks at police. According to reports, the police, helped by Muslim moderates, managed to rescue five people.
Shoemaker Nazeer Masih Gill, who is 74, is critically injured, but is said to be in a stable condition in hospital, reports Morning Star News. He has had to undergo head surgery.
According to his nephew, Nazeer had been burning wastepaper in the street, when someone threw a copy of the Koran into the fire. A Muslim neighbour accused him of desecrating the Koran, leading to cries of blasphemy and calls for revenge. Similar accusations are commonplace in Pakistan.
More than 2,000 police had to be called in to restore order. Press reports say they have charged more than 100 with attempted lynching and have opened a blasphemy case against Nazeer Gill.
A police inspector said they managed to rescue Nazeer from his burning building, but the mob pelted officers with stones and snatched the elderly shoemaker from them.
They set about Nazeer with sticks and stones and turned on the police who were trying to intervene. Ten officers were injured. The police inspector said Muslim residents and clerics helped save other Christians from the mob.
Another police officer told Morning Star News that Nazeer and his family had a good reputation in the area, and the claim of blasphemy may well have been made to stir up trouble. A moderate Muslim cleric accused extremists of seeking to create unrest by stirring up religious riots.
This is reportedly the ninth claim of blasphemy to be made in Sargodha since 2023. Last August, a Christian colony in Jaranwala was attacked, following blasphemy accusations against Christians. A mob burned churches and houses. Mercifully, no-one was killed.
Release International’s Pakistan partners say: ‘Whenever we hear news of such incidents where a violent mob attacks a minority over blasphemy accusations, we always ask: why would anyone from a minority commit such a blasphemous act knowing the consequences of what they are doing?
‘The rise in the number of these cases is really distressing. These people seem to be waiting for allegations just to terrorise the public. We have laws and institutions to deal with blasphemy cases, yet these people suddenly turn into a mob and rush towards those accused without any proper investigation.’
‘Repeal blasphemy law’
Release International CEO Paul Robinson says, ‘Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws are often used as a justification for mob violence. Time and again a cry of blasphemy goes out on mosque loudspeakers, and rather than take the complaint to the courts, mobs execute rough justice.
‘Even those later acquitted of blasphemy have been murdered by vigilantes. Charges of blasphemy are often brought just to settle scores.
‘Merely to accuse someone of blasphemy is to pass a virtual death sentence on them.
‘Release International has long been calling for the repeal of the blasphemy laws. As the number of unjustified attacks against Christians grows, it is becoming ever more urgent to change this law immediately.’
Release International is active in some 30 countries. It works through partners to prayerfully, pastorally, and practically support the families of Christian martyrs, prisoners of faith and their families. It also supports Christians suffering oppression and violence, and those forced to flee.
