ICC to help victims of Pakistan attacks
ICC Note
ICC is sending support to Christian families who lost their homes due to attacks by radical Muslims in Gojra, Pakistan .
11/04/2009 Pakistan (MNN)-Radical Muslim groups are threatening Pakistan ‘s government against amending or repealing the country’s blasphemy law. The laws are often used to falsely charge people practicing minority religions, including Christians. The attacks against Christians in Gojra in August illustrate how those laws can be used to harm believers.
President of International Christian Concern Jeff King: “It all started when there was a Christian wedding party and they were throwing confetti. Someone started the rumor that the party had torn up the Quran and were using it as confetti. The local Imam and the mosque started broadcasting that rumor and encouraging them to attack.”
That’s when a mob of Islamic radicals attacked Christians, killing innocent men, women and children. King says, “Almost 100 homes were burned down. A family was burned alive. [There was] just tremendous, tremendous pressure that these guys live under.”
ICC is reaching out to some of the victims of the atrocities. “We’re helping about 40 different families,” says King. “We’re going to give them $500 each, which is not going to fix their lives, but it’s going to help them. These are people who have lost everything. We’re also helping the church of Pakistan to put a school into one of the areas which was hardest hit.”
