Christian and Muslim leaders condemn attack on church during anti-Islam film protests
ICC Note:
Christian and Muslim leaders in Pakistan jointly condemned an attack on a Protestant church in Mardan. The church was torched during protests denouncing a US-produced anti-Islamic film on Friday. Those responsible for the church’s destruction are believed to be members of the Taliban. Violent demonstrations throughout the country destroyed dozens of buildings and killed at least 6 people in Peshawar on September 21. Pakistan’s Christian minority—who is often associated with the West because of their religious convictions—fear being the target of future attacks. The destruction of the church and other Christian buildings in Mardan follows a violent anti-Christian protest in Hyderabad, Pakistan, where armed men opened fire on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cathedral on September 16.
By Jibran Khan and Shafique Khokhar
09/24/2012 Pakistan (AsiaNews.it)- Christian and Muslim leaders have condemned the attack on a Protestant church which took place on September 21, in conjunction with protests led by Pakistani Muslims against the anti-Islamic film. The attack has caused severe damage to the building and the adjacent library; several copies of the Bible were desecrated. The bishop of Islamabad condemns the act and the violence that characterized the Friday protest as “unjustifiable”; the comments of leading figures of the Islamic front is even more critical, that “Pakistani Christians are peaceful people” and “have never insulted” the religion of Muhammad. Meanwhile, the Pakistani and U.S. government have expressed their disapproval of the bounty imposed by a Minister in Islamabad against the director of the film “The innocence of Muslims,” the film that has sparked a wave of violence across the Islamic world.
Meanwhile, demonstrations continued yesterday in Pakistan, which already on 21 September, coinciding with the International Day of Peace, caused deaths, injuries and destruction. An Anglican church in Mardan, in the Province of North-West Frontier (NWFP) was targeted by Taliban groups that damaged the building and desecrated copies of the Bible.
On 21 September, while the world was celebrating peace, Pakistani Muslims launched demonstrations across the country for “love of the Prophet Muhammad.” However, the demonstrations took a turn violent, derailed by the participation of extremist movements and Taliban groups banned by the government. In Peshawar, at least six people were killed, 45 wounded, three cinemas, two banks and three buildings set on fire. In the capital Islamabad 45 people were reported injured, two banks and a gas station set on fire. Damage to personal property and people was also registered in Lahore and Karachi, where two churches were attacked as well.
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Several leading members of the Muslim community in Pakistan have also expressed disapproval and condemnation of attacks against Christian targets. Allama Riaz Ahmed Sharifi, Islamist leader in Punjab, said that “insults to the Prophet Muhammad can not be tolerated,” but “the way in which the Muslims showed their anger is unjustifiable.” He makes it clear that the government and religious leaders “have a role in the educational process” that should teach people “that it is legitimate protest, but at the same time is completely wrong to damage places of worship, property, or terrorize people.” The Muslim lawyer Ejaz Ahmed adds that “Pakistani Christians are peaceful people” and “have never insulted Islam”, but “a small fringe of extremists persecute them for their own interests.”
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