On 16th August 2023 a Muslim mob attacked a Christian neighborhood in Pakistan’s Jaranwala city located in Punjab province over the alleged desecration of Quran by two young Christians, leaving twenty-one churches and hundreds of homes damaged.
The Christian colony came under attack when two Christians, Raja Umar and Rocky Masih were accused of committing blasphemy by defaming Quran. Local traders closed shops after announcements were made in a mosque of Jaranwala in Faisalabad district and an angry mob attacked the neighborhood called Basti Maharanwala where thousands of Christians reside peacefully.
A video circulated on social media platforms showed a Muslim cleric asking people to protest over the alleged desecration of Islam’s holy book. “Quran has been desecrated in Christian colony. All clerics and Muslims gather before the mosque. You are having breakfast at home. Where is your Muslim passion? You should have died. Block the roads. All must protest within the law,” the cleric stated in the video.
The mob raided three Presbyterian churches, a Catholic Church, a Full Gospel Assembly Church, a Salvation Army church and many small home based protestant Churches with sticks, stones and explosives. Windows of the churches were smashed and some portions of the churches were gutted in arson attacks.
Some 500 Christian families fled their houses following the attack in order to save their lives. Their homes were vandalized and businesses of Christians were ransacked for hours while police were silent spectators.
This barbarity took place right after Independence day of Pakistan which was celebrated by all the religious communities of the Islamic Republic.
Later on both Christian boys were charged of committing blasphemy by the police and were arrested. One section of Pakistan´s blasphemy law code punishes defaming the Quran with life imprisonment, while another mandates the death penalty for anyone convicted of defaming Prophet Mohammad.
Attacked Churches in Pakistan: A Growing Crisis
The rising number of attacked churches in Pakistan has become a critical concern for Christian communities and human rights organizations. These attacks reflect the deep-rooted societal tensions and religious intolerance that plague the country, particularly against religious minorities. The alarming frequency of church attacks has left many Christians fearing for their safety, with little recourse or protection from the government.
