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LAHORE: A drunken row
between two friends was the
trigger for blasphemy allegations
that prompted a mob of angry
Pakistani Muslim protesters to
burn more than 100 Christian homes, police and witnesses said. More than 3,000 Muslims
rampaged through Joseph
Colony, a Christian area of the
eastern city of Lahore, on
Saturday after allegations that a Christian had made derogatory remarks about
the Prophet Mohammed three days earlier. Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan,
where 97 per cent of the 180 million population
are Muslims, and even unproven allegations can
trigger a violent public response. Police said they had arrested more than 60
people over Saturday's attack and Pervez Rashid,
spokesman for Punjab provincial government,
told Geo television that "culprits would be tried in
anti-terrorist courts". Sawan Masih, a Christian sanitary worker, was
arrested on Friday after his Muslim friend Shahid
Imran complained he had made blasphemous
remarks about the prophet. The arrest prompted
many Christians to flee, fearing a backlash. The senior police official for the area, Multan Khan,
said Masih and Imran had been friends for many
years. "They used to sit together and drink together
almost every evening. They were drunk on
Wednesday when they had some arguments,"
Khan told reporters on Saturday. It was during the argument that Masih allegedly
made the blasphemous remarks, Khan said. Local resident Altaf Masih, also a sanitary worker,
said "while they were drunk they had an
argument over discussion on religious issues". Spokeswoman for Punjab police Nabila Ghazanfar
said four senior officers including Khan had been
removed from their posts for "negligence" and
"failure to control" the mob. No-one died in Saturday's violence but it is the
latest in a series of attacks on minority
communities in Pakistan this year, following four
bloody bombings targeting Shiite Muslims that
killed more than 250 people. Those who lost their homes stayed in makeshift
camps overnight and protested on Sunday
outside the charred wreckage of their homes. Rights campaigners say Pakistan's strict
blasphemy laws, which can carry the death
penalty, are often used to settle personal disputes
and should be reformed. The legislation came under international scrutiny
last year after 14-year-old Christian girl Rimsha
Masih was held for three weeks in a high
security prison for allegedly burning pages from
the Koran. The case against her was eventually
thrown out. Punjab government spokesman Rashid said the
families affected by Saturday's violence would
each receive 200,000 rupees ($2,000)
compensation, and the authorities would pay for
repairs to their homes. Tahir Ashrafi, president of Pakistani Ulema
(religious scholars) Council, condemned the attack
saying Islam did not permit such violence. "Resorting to arson on mere speculations is
immoral, illegal and Islam does not allow this," he
said.
http://www.timesofindia.com/world/p...-anti-Christian-riot/articleshow/18891310.cms
between two friends was the
trigger for blasphemy allegations
that prompted a mob of angry
Pakistani Muslim protesters to
burn more than 100 Christian homes, police and witnesses said. More than 3,000 Muslims
rampaged through Joseph
Colony, a Christian area of the
eastern city of Lahore, on
Saturday after allegations that a Christian had made derogatory remarks about
the Prophet Mohammed three days earlier. Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan,
where 97 per cent of the 180 million population
are Muslims, and even unproven allegations can
trigger a violent public response. Police said they had arrested more than 60
people over Saturday's attack and Pervez Rashid,
spokesman for Punjab provincial government,
told Geo television that "culprits would be tried in
anti-terrorist courts". Sawan Masih, a Christian sanitary worker, was
arrested on Friday after his Muslim friend Shahid
Imran complained he had made blasphemous
remarks about the prophet. The arrest prompted
many Christians to flee, fearing a backlash. The senior police official for the area, Multan Khan,
said Masih and Imran had been friends for many
years. "They used to sit together and drink together
almost every evening. They were drunk on
Wednesday when they had some arguments,"
Khan told reporters on Saturday. It was during the argument that Masih allegedly
made the blasphemous remarks, Khan said. Local resident Altaf Masih, also a sanitary worker,
said "while they were drunk they had an
argument over discussion on religious issues". Spokeswoman for Punjab police Nabila Ghazanfar
said four senior officers including Khan had been
removed from their posts for "negligence" and
"failure to control" the mob. No-one died in Saturday's violence but it is the
latest in a series of attacks on minority
communities in Pakistan this year, following four
bloody bombings targeting Shiite Muslims that
killed more than 250 people. Those who lost their homes stayed in makeshift
camps overnight and protested on Sunday
outside the charred wreckage of their homes. Rights campaigners say Pakistan's strict
blasphemy laws, which can carry the death
penalty, are often used to settle personal disputes
and should be reformed. The legislation came under international scrutiny
last year after 14-year-old Christian girl Rimsha
Masih was held for three weeks in a high
security prison for allegedly burning pages from
the Koran. The case against her was eventually
thrown out. Punjab government spokesman Rashid said the
families affected by Saturday's violence would
each receive 200,000 rupees ($2,000)
compensation, and the authorities would pay for
repairs to their homes. Tahir Ashrafi, president of Pakistani Ulema
(religious scholars) Council, condemned the attack
saying Islam did not permit such violence. "Resorting to arson on mere speculations is
immoral, illegal and Islam does not allow this," he
said.
http://www.timesofindia.com/world/p...-anti-Christian-riot/articleshow/18891310.cms
