At least five churches were vandalized, and nearby Christian homes were ransacked and set on fire after a Christian family was accused of blasphemy in the Pakistani city of Faisalabad.
The incident took place on Wednesday in Jaranwala district of Faisalabad. Local Muslims are outraged when a Christian man, who works as a sweeper, was accused of blasphemous comments against the Quran. After demolishing his house, the mob also ransacked churches and other Christian houses in the Christian colony.
Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar said that they are negotiating with the protesters and the area has been sealed off. However, according to our team, the police remained silent spectators as Christian homes were looted and ransacked.
The police registered a First Information Report (FIR) bearing No 1258/23 against the accused Christian man under Sections 295B (Desecration of Holy Quran, etc.) and 295C (Using insulting words against the Prophet of Islam) of the Pakistan penal code (PPC).
Even the Church of Pakistan Moderator Bishop Azad Marshall in his statement said hundreds of Bibles were desecrated and Christians were tortured and harassed, He further added Christian family was falsely accused of violating the Holy Quran.
This is not the first time that Christian colonies have been attacked on the subject of blasphemy. In 2009 similar allegations were leveled against the Gujra Christian Colony, in 2013 the Joseph Colony in Lahore was vandalized and destroyed by Muslim extremists.
Enmity and hatred against Christians in Pakistan are at an all-time high. Today Videos on social media show excited crowds climbing atop churches, hammering, and kicking the cross, a symbol of respect for Christians. There are even live videos of Muslim clerics inciting angry mobs, attacking Christian churches and homes if the police fail to act against blasphemers. The Hatred was on the next level. An organization working in Pakistan We believe that the coming days will be worst for Christians in Pakistan as extremism is on the rise.
