Mob kills Christian family in Jhelum

[sparklingway]

Muslim Mob Kills Wife, Children of Christian in Pakistan

A Muslim mob in Jhelum, Pakistan murdered the wife and four children of a Christian last month, but local authorities are too afraid of the local Muslim leader to file charges, according to area Muslim and Christian sources.
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Thu, Jul. 08, 2010 Posted: 02:04 PM EDT

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Compass Direct News) – A Muslim mob in Jhelum, Pakistan murdered the wife and four children of a Christian last month, but local authorities are too afraid of the local Muslim leader to file charges, according to area Muslim and Christian sources.

Jamshed Masih, a police officer who was transferred 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Gujrat to Jhelum, Punjab Province, said a mob led by Muslim religious leader Maulana Mahfooz Khan killed his family on June 21 after Khan called him to the local mosque and told him to leave the predominantly Muslim colony. Jhelum is 85 kilometers (53 miles) south of Islamabad.

“You must leave with your family, no non-Muslim has ever been allowed to live in this colony – we want to keep our colony safe from scum,” Khan told Masih, the bereaved Christian told Compass.

Masih had moved to Mustafa Colony in Jhelum with his wife, two sons and two daughters and were living in a rented house. Masih said that a Muslim neighbor, Ali Murtaza, told him that area Muslims notified Khan, telling the religious leader, “We cannot allow these non-Muslims to live here, they will be a bad influence on our children.”

An anxious Masih told his wife Razia Jamshed about the local Muslim response, and they decided to bring their concern to the pastor of a local Presbyterian Church, Saleem Mall.

“Pastor Saleem said, ‘I will also advise you to vacate the house, as it can be dangerous living there – these people can harm your family,” Masih said.

Masih’s neighbor, Murtaza, confirmed to Compass the response of the local Muslims and related incidents that led up to the murders. Murtaza told Compass that after Masih went to work at 7 a.m. on June 21, his children could be heard singing hymns before breakfast.

“Razia sent their eldest son to buy a packet of Surf [detergent], and he was singing a hymn on his way to buy the Surf,” Murtaza said.

Neighbors saw Masih’s s 11-year-old son come into the store, he said. The shopkeeper asked him if he was a Christian; the child responded that he was.

“The shopkeeper refused to give him the packet of Surf and spoke very harshly to him, ‘I don’t sell to any non-Muslim, you are not welcome here, don’t you dare ever come to my shop again,’” Murtaza said.

The boy went home, upset, and told his mother about the encounter; she grew worried and called her husband, saying, “Jamshed, please come home quickly, the kids and I are very worried, we must leave this house today,” Masih said.

His neighbor, Murtaza, said that shortly afterward some area residents came to the door with the Muslim religious leader, Khan.

“Your son has committed blasphemy against Muhammad, our beloved prophet – we can’t allow him to live, he should be punished,” Khan told Razia Masih, Murtaza said. “Razia got scared and said, ‘My son couldn’t do such a thing, he is only 11 years old.’”

Khan became furious and said, “Are we lying to you? You call us liars, how dare you insult us,” Murtaza said. “Someone from the crowd hit something hard on her head, and she started bleeding. The children started crying and shouted for help. Razia kept shouting for help, ‘Please have mercy on us, please let my husband come, then we can talk.’”

Jamshed Masih said his daughter telephoned police as the mob attacked his wife and children. He said he later learned that “the people kept shouting, ‘This family has committed blasphemy, they should be killed.”

Before police arrived, his family was murdered, he said.

Murtaza said Masih rushed home and was devastated to find the dead bodies of his wife and four children.

When Masih tried to file a complaint against Khan for the murder, Station House Officer (SHO) Ramzan Mumtaz refused to do so, according to Murtaza and Mall, the Presbyterian clergyman.

“He said, ‘Khan is an influential man, and he said your son has committed blasphemy – we cannot do anything against him,’” Mall said.

Murtaza added, “The SHO just said, ‘I am a poor man, I have a family, and I was pressured by higher authorities not to register the FIR [First Information Report] as Khan is a very influential man. I am sorry, I don’t have anything in my hands.’”

Contacted by Compass, SHO Mumtaz confirmed that he responded to the request to file the complaint against Khan in these exact words.

Masih has filed a complaint with the chief minister of Punjab Province begging him for justice, Mall told Compass.

“We condemn this brutal murder of innocent children in the name of Islam,” Mall said. “This has to stop now. We appeal to the government to let us live in peace.”

Compass Direct News
John Little

 

[sparklingway]

I'm at a loss for words on this despicable incident. Reading this it's not sure whether he was working for the Punjab Police in Jhelum (perhaps living in the zone of his own police station?) and what has happened after that. However, we know when somebody uses the word "blasphemy", the police cannot do anything but register a case as the mob wishes and they cannot in any realistic way take action against the offenders for they'll be accused of a similar crime if they try to uphold the law. Utter persecution and intolerance.

It's shameful, horrible and utterly horrifying what the mullah thought he could do. However, I find it annoying how fundamentalist Christian newspapers in the US and Australia have picked up the news, and fundamentalist blogs are posting it with derogatory headings.

I hope everybody will reply sanely and not start a flame war.

 

[anathema]

Holy Lord !! When will this madness end in the name of Religion...

 

[Hulk]

Holy Lord !! When will this madness end in the name of Religion...

The basic thing is that all religion should teach that other religion are good as well, it is just their way to worship and follow god. The problem comes when we teach that people belonging to other religion are evil and infidels.

 

[Dr.Evil]

Still some pak members ask why negative news is being discussed.

This a brutal act and this stupid blasphemy law has been abused.

This Dark ages law has to be scrapped to protect the minorities in pakistan.

 

[T-Faz]

What an ill and despicable society. How pathetic is it that these religious bastards can kill innocents and are not even said a word against.

Words cannot express how angry i get when I hear such news and it is often that this happens. These pathetic blasphemy laws, religious extremism and indifference of people are characteristics of the worst societies that sane people vehemently oppose. But in the name of religion, many would provide examples from long ago to show that this cannot be religion. It is religion that caused this murder to occur.

 

[anathema]

The basic thing is that all religion should teach that other religion are good as well, it is just their way to worship and follow god. The problem comes when we teach that people belonging to other religion are evil and infidels.

True -- This was my post in some thread where a child was not allowed to drink water. Cross posting - since its applicable over here also.

Moha -
Pakistan Being the muslim country so i dont think you point will be ever taught in Pakistan of all religions are equal since we muslims believe different about this issue

Anathema -
No disrespect intended , my thoughts are different.

Moha -- this where precisely the intolerance is built up. The mere notion that a religion or way of life is different and supreme to others will always cause intolerance latter down in the life. It doesnt matter if you say to the students in a nicest possible manner that you should be considerate of other religions even though they dont practice Islam! -- Students grow up , with practicallity and the surroundings they observe intolerance is built up.

I say this because i am a Hindu and my mother is school teacher teaching History in a school/area dominated by Muslims. 80% of the students are muslims and rest are shared by Hindu's and Christians. In my early days Mom used to come back from school and taught me the most important lesson of my life "All gods are equal"..Allah, Krishna, Jesus , wahe guru are all same god with different faces teaching essentially the same thing" ...To prove this point she allowed me to go with her students to masjid , church ..etc...When you do this, tolerance builds up ! I am not saying its fool proof - issues can still happen but it gives a strong belief and a reason for you to pull back from this Religious insanity.

This teaching is extensively practiced in India -- in almost all schools. One great fact i loved about this mom's students (muslims , sikhs , hindus and christians) used to come to once a year big pooja to have food and prasad with no malice -- they used to help around for house work also -- this my friend is tolerance. But you can still see Hindu-muslim-christian problems , many due to ignorance resulting out of inadequate education, many due to bad politics

 

[Peregrine]

Still some pak members ask why negative news is being discussed.

This a brutal act and this stupid blasphemy law has been abused.

This Dark ages law has to be scrapped to protect the minorities in pakistan.

They have not been killed because of the "Blasphemy laws" so please spare us the rant about how primitive they are & how they should be scrapped.

 

[Dr.Evil]

They have not been killed because of the "Blasphemy laws" so please spare us the rant about how primitive they are & how they should be scrapped.

Please atleast read the hightlighted section of the article in the 1st post.

 

[sparklingway]

They have not been killed because of the "Blasphemy laws" so please spare us the rant about how primitive they are & how they should be scrapped.

I understand your objections on the usual rants. However the people might have just (since I hope they will not) gotten away because they invoke "blasphemy laws" and the police cannot do **** about it.

The logical conclusion therefore is that if you kill a non-Muslim in this country, you can get away by labeling that he committed blasphemy since the police cannot arrest you and the district attorney cannot in any realistic way prosecute you for they do not want to get killed themselves. The police cannot stop somebody from registering a fake blasphemy case (many times to pressurize into selling land) and they cannot arrest you for killing somebody in the name of blasphemy.

So, in the end this case is linked back to the blasphemy laws.

 

[Hyde]

sometimes i feel EmO GiRl is right, when i see these idiots killing in the name of religion

May Allah have mercy on all of us

Its a sad incident - strongly condemned by a Muslim

 

[BATMAN]

This news is not in local news... while a foreigner knows it all! sounds like fabricated.

In past also there had been incidents where foreigners had been staging dramas and fabricating stotries on their short covert trips to Pakistan.

I did not understood the point of highlighted part?

 

[Peregrine]

It is religion that caused this murder to occur.

Only in your head. for a mod this is highly conservative approach, i don't know why would you directly jump to pin the blame on religion just because some mobsters have said so to justify these murders.

Quran says
"that whoever kills a single soul for other than a soul or corruption in earth, it is as though he has killed all of humanity together, & whoever saves the life of a single soul, it is as though he has saved the life of all of humanity together"

It is said that once at the time of conquest, a singing girl was brought to al-Muhajir b. Abu Umayya who had been publicly singing satirical poems about Hadrat Abu Bakr. Muhajir got her hand amputated. When the Caliph heard this news, he was shocked and wrote a letter to Muhajir in the following words:

"I have learnt that you laid hands on a woman who had hurled abuses on me, and, therefore, got her hand amputated. God has not sought vengeance even in the case of polytheism, which is a great crime. He has not permitted mutilation even with regard to manifest infidelity. Try to be considerate and sympathetic in your attitude towards others in future. Never mutilate, because it is a grave offence. God purified Islam and the Muslims from rashness and excessive wrath. You are well aware of the fact that those enemies fell into the hands of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) who had been recklessly abusing him; who had turned him out of his home; and who fought against him, but he never permitted their mutilation."

 

[sparklingway]

This news is not in local news... while a foreigner knows it all! sounds like fabricated.

Nobody rules out the exaggeration but since you think that coverage by foreign media is obviously fabrication, you might want to think what would have been the treatment handed out to the local journalist who would have reported this (and by local journalist I do not mean a journalist working in Islamabad or Karachi but the part-time journalist who sends reports from smaller cities and far flung areas)

It would not the first time the local journalists didn't cover an event out of fear of the mob (or even the newspaper refusing to print such a story).

But since this has now been reported, it will most probably be reported on further by our local media. Perhaps your apprehensions will be assuaged then.

However, this does not rule out the exaggeration, flames added and masala added to the story by the agency.

In past also there had been incidents where foreigners had been staging dramas and fabricating stotries on their short covert trips to Pakistan.

Facepalm.

I did not understood the point of highlighted part?

I guess using bold means important and highlighting the main part.

 

[Peregrine]

Please atleast read the hightlighted section of the article in the 1st post.

Actually i did read it thoroughly, just because some moronic incompetent so called religious leaders are involved doesn't mean it was the religion which advocated this inhumanity. see the post #14.