Washington, DC (Baptist World Alliance) — The small Christian community in Pakistan has been experiencing increasing difficulties as a result of anti-Christian violence and the Pakistani government’s war against Taliban fighters. On July 30, hundreds of members of Sipah-e-Sahaba, a Muslim organization banned by Pakistan’s government, torched Christian homes and killed Christians in the Punjabi city of Gojra and in the nearby village of Korian for allegedly defiling a copy of the Koran, the Muslim holy book. According to Pervaiz Khokhar, a Baptist pastor in Pakistan, between 60 and 70 Christian homes were torched. “Many children and women [are] feared burnt to death,” he reported. Another pastor told the BWA by email that at least nine Christians “were burnt alive,” four of whom were children.
Khokhar said that a young boy, who was present at a wedding ceremony, was accused by Muslims of burning “pages of the Holy Koran.” Christian elders and Muslim leaders met to diffuse the tension, clarifying that the accused had not burned the Koran, said Khokhar. However, on the night of July 30, announcements were made over loudspeakers at mosques in Korian and other nearby villages “to gather and teach [a] lesson to infidel Christians who are protecting [the person] accused of blasphemy, burning [the] holy pages of [the] Koran.”
Mobs gathered shouting, “Kill the infidels,” and started setting fire to Christian homes. Khokhar told the BWA that this was the second incident in recent weeks, following on a similar incident on July 1 after a mob attacked some 100 houses belonging to Christians in Kasur District in Punjab province, injuring many persons after a blasphemy charge.
Khokhar asked for prayer from the worldwide family of Baptists for Christians who suffered attacks. “These people need your prayers,” he said in his email. “They need our support and prayers. Please remember them in your prayers and if possible support them.”
Another Baptist pastor informed the BWA that many Christians in northern Pakistan have been displaced by the fighting between government forces and the Taliban, a number of whom were in camps. Approximately 160 Christian families were among the displaced. Some families have since returned home, but are still in need of food, clothing, medication, and proper shelter, as houses and other property have been badly damaged or destroyed in the fighting.
There are an estimated 2.8 million Christians in the Muslim-majority country of more than 180 million people.
