The province of Punjab in Pakistan has been in the grip of a wave of anti-Christian persecution of rare violence over the last few days.
The violence began on August 16th, following an accusation of blasphemy against a Christian family, who were accused of desecrating the Quran by tearing out pages and insulting the prophet. They strike all Christian denominations, without distinction, and have forced thousands of Christians—around 2,000—to flee to escape the destruction of their property and homes. So far, no deaths have been reported, but many churches have been burnt down and destroyed. According to various journalistic sources, reliable numbers are hard to come by, but they range between 15 and 50.
A climate of terror reigns in the Faisalabad district, the epicentre of the unrest west of Lahore. Christians are subjected to stone-throwing and arson. Liturgical furnishings and parish registers were burnt in the torched churches.
According to a witness working with the international organisation ACN (Aid to the Church in Need), the violence is being fuelled from the mosques, with explicit calls for murder being broadcast from the loudspeakers of Muslim worship buildings, calling on local people to “go out and kill” Christians.
For a member of the local clergy, contacted by ACN, these are not sporadic and isolated acts, but rather an offensive, revealing a “terrorist mentality,” in his words.
For the moment, there seems to be no sign of a return to calm, despite the intervention of the police. The assailants are heavily armed and have no intention of stopping what they are doing. The European Union ambassador called for a return to order and calm, to no avail. According to the Vatican website, a spokesman for the Punjab government said that more than 120 people had been arrested and that the police were also looking for the family accused of blasphemy. The provincial government has also announced an investigation into the violence.
For several years now, leading Pakistani politicians have been calling for the repeal of the anti-blasphemy laws in force in this overwhelmingly Muslim state. The Independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has repeatedly pointed out that blasphemy laws are used as weapons to target religious minorities and exploited to promote personal vendettas. Violent incidents of the type seen in the Faisalabad district have been steadily increasing for several years.
