Thread: Pak churches Burn

From the Pakistani media:

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Desecration of Holy Quran: Mob burns down churches in Sangla Hill


Staff Report

SHEIKHUPURA: A crowd of about 1,500 protesters attacked and burned two churches on Saturday following reports that a Christian man had desecrated the Holy Quran, police said.

A school, a student hostel and the home of a priest were also torched in the incident near the town of Sangla Hill, said Ali Asghar Dogar, a police official.

The attacks came a day after a local Muslim resident accused Yousaf Masih, a Christian, of burning a one-room Islamic school along with copies of the Holy Quran. Dogar said that no one was injured in the attacks.

The Punjab Home Secretary said that Yousaf Masih had been arrested for the desecration, adding: “The police has also arrested almost 90 people involved in vandalising the churches.” Pervaiz said that it had been established that Yousaf had committed the offence, adding that the police will investigate into who provoked the youths to burn the churches.

Dogar had said earlier that police were also investigating the conflagration on Friday night. “Some people told us last night that it was carried out by Yousaf Masih, and we have registered a case against him,” he had said. Another police official, Pervez Rahim, confirmed that Masih had been arrested.

However, Dogar said that allegations against Masih were apparently levelled by people who had lost money while gambling with him on Friday. “We don’t know who is right and who is wrong, but the fact remains that hundreds of people today attacked two churches and burned them,” he said, adding that the situation was “now under control”.

Shahbaz Bhatti, head of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, condemned the attacks. “No Christian burned copies of the Holy Quran. No Christian can even think of doing it,” he said. “We have a lot of respect for the Holy Quran and Islam’s Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).”

Local Muslim leaders had used mosques to urge Muslims to attack the churches, Bhatti said.

Not related to Churches, but this blasphemy business.

Extaordinary is that every minority (and in this case a Moslem who is a non Moslem) is accused of burning the Quaran. Is there no other aspects of the blasphemy pizzazz that they can attach instead?

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Qadiani sentenced to life for blasphemy


HAFIZABAD: A Qadiani was sentenced to life imprisonment on Saturday for burning the Holy Quran. Hafizabad Additional District and Sessions Judge Qaisar Nazeer Butt announced the judgment of the case, in which two other Qadianis were acquitted. The case was registered a few months ago against Hafizur Rahman, a local Qadiani leader, Shahadat Mangat and Masoom for desecrating the Holy Quran in Mangat Uchha. Masoom was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment, while the other two were acquitted. Tight security measures were in place for the announcement of the judgment.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...11-2005_pg7_10

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Christians protest against destruction of churches


* Archbishop says the attacks were planned
* Qazalbash says lawlessness can affect foreign aid

By Anjum Herald Gill

LAHORE: Christians and civil society organisations protested against the destruction and setting ablaze of three churches, a school, a pastor’s house and a Sisters’ Convent and desecrated Holy Books at Sangla Hill on Saturday.

In a news conference at Lahore Press Club, Catholic Church body National Commission of Justice and Peace (NCJP) officials said that the incident took place after the alleged desecration of the Quran on November 11 by Cristian Yousaf Masih.

According to Catholic Archbishop Lawrence Saldanaha, a mob attacked and destroyed two churches (Catholic and Presbyterian), a Sisters’ Convent, St Mary’s School building and a Pator’s house at Sangla Hills. However, Christian resident of Sangla Hill Simon Sahotra said that another Protestant Church at Tariqabad (Machar Colony) had also been set on fire.

The archbishop said that one to two thousand men gathered at the venues for over an hour and vandalised these places. He said the attacks seemed to be planned and organised as the attackers came to the site on buses.

He said, “At the moment nothing is certain and investigations on the allegation of the Quran have not started. According to our initial information, the incidents started because of a monetary dispute between the accusers and the accused and had nothing to do with the alleged desecration.”

MNA Akram Gill said a Muslim cobbler and a Muslim goldsmith lost money to Yousaf while gambling but they refused to pay the money.

The archbishop said the Saddar station house officer was informed about the tension and requested for protection 12 hours before the incident. MNA Gill said that he had spoken to District Police Officer Tahir Alam Khan but he paid no attention to the incident.

The NCJP said the police were involved in the act of terror and were using religion for hatred against religious minorities. They demanded an immediate judicial enquiry to establish the causes and responsibility of the incidents and action against the policemen for their negligence.

The NCJP demanded that the judicial enquiry’s report in the carnage of Shanti Nagar in 1997 should be made public and the culprits should be penalised.

Joint Action Committee’s Convener Shahtaj Qazalbash said that this lawlessness was not needed at a time when Pakistan needed international donours’ help to rehabilitate the earthquake victims. She said that this could affect aid from foreign agencies.

Group Captain (r) Ceceil Chaudhry said that NCJP representatives had reached the spot and filed an application for the registration of a case under Terrorist Act 1997. He said that non-Muslims in Pakistan had always strived for unity and solidarity of the nation. However, there were elements which did not want to see the nation united and create hindrances in the path of progress, he added.

MNA Akram Gill said that some people did not want President General Pervez Musharraf’s enlightened moderation agenda and were these fundamentalists were trying to create this nuisance.

Observing that blasphemy laws have been a main source and tool for creating social, sectarian and inter-religious disharmony in the country, the NCJP demanded that it was ministries’ negligence that was resulting in such injustice.

It demanded that the government should take steps to educate people about tolerance and peace, remove religious biases and repeal discriminatory laws.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...11-2005_pg7_25

How conveniently a personal debt can be converted into blasphemy!

Ugh, attacking people for doing something that doesn't harm anyone, is just wrong.

The Blasphemy law must go.

It is being misused!

The sad part is that it is a mirage.

Zia has made the situation beyond repair.

Only a Kemal Attaturk can do it.

Much that he wishes to emulate, Musharraf is not one!

He is a Prisoner of Zenda!

And unlike the story, he cannot achieve what he wants.

Let in your mouth be clarified butter and sugar!

Tere munh men kio sakkar!

Neo,

I am a bit curious.

Are you a Punjabi Moslem of Pakistan?

I require the info to understand you!

Tuesday, November 15, 2005 E-Mail this article to a friend Printer Friendly Version

Fact-finding mission to Sangla Hill: City nazim accused of siding with extremists


By Mohammed Rizwan and Ali Waqar

LAHORE: The vandalism of three churches, two parish houses, one convent, a girls high school (including its hostel), staff residences, one dispensary and several houses in various areas of Sangla Hill was found to be instigated by extremists in collusion with City Nazim Azam Malik in a well-organised move, Daily Times observed during a fact-finding mission to the area on Monday.

“There was no one to stop them (the mob) because the four stick-wielding policemen deployed to protect the sacred buildings joined the unruly mob as they attacked one church after another,” mechanic Maqsood Khokhar, whose workshop is in front of the Presbyterian Church in the main bazaar, told Daily Times.

After setting fire to the Presbyterian Church, the mob comprising mainly of teenaged madrassa students attacked the Catholic Church forcing seven sisters and 27 students present in the adjacent convent to lock themselves in a room to save their lives. The mob tried to break the door and on failing, resorted to looting and destroying the chapel, the girl’s hostel and the school.

“It was a pre-meditated and organised attack because the night before the attack Jamia Masjid Imam Qari Zulfiqar continuously urged people to attack the Christians to avenge the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran,” said Catholic Priest Samson Dilawar. “We will not remove the rubble or rebuild the buildings until the president or the prime minister visit the area and ensure our security,” he added.

Fifty-year-old Yusaf Masih was accused of setting fire to Quran Mahal (a room used for dumping holy pages). It was learnt that allegations against Yusuf stemmed from a gambling deal gone sour. Reportedly, Yusuf, Lazir Masih and two others were gambling near the Quran Mahal when Yusuf demanded Rs 21,000 he had won in the stake.However, his colleagues refused to pay him and allegedly set fire to Quran Mahal and blamed Yusuf. The allegation angered certain clerics and they started inciting residents over the mosque loudspeakers.

Parish Priest Fr Samson Dilawar informed the police on Friday night, 12 hours before the attack, and a few policemen were deployed in the area. However, the few policemen deployed in the area to maintain law and order vanished at the time of the attacks. The police came in with full force three hours after the crowd had reduced the sacred buildings to ashes and dispersed.

Daily Times visited the Quran Mahal to ascertain the destruction allegedly caused by Yusuf. The locked room was filled with sacks containing destroyed holy pages and material. It was hardly five percent burnt and the organising body of that place – Al-Mustafa Society and Daawat-e-Islami group – had gone away.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...11-2005_pg7_19

There is no doubt that this Blasphemy Law has to go.

It is just a neat weapon in the hands of wierd folks who are Moslems to balckmail non Moslems.

I believe the media is at some sort of way to go hammer and tongs against this draconian law.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005 E-Mail this article to a friend Printer Friendly Version

Govt will compensate affected Christians, PA told


LAHORE: The Punjab government would compensate the Christians affected by the Sangla Hill incident and the culprits involved in fanning religious hatred and damaging the sacred places of Christians would be dealt with sternly, Punjab Law Minister Basharat Raja told the Punjab Assembly on Monday. Raja said that Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had directed the authorities to assess the damage to Christian property in Sangla Hill so that the government could compensate church authorities accordingly. He said that the Nankana Sahib district nazim and the district coordination officer had been directed to ensure law and order and religious harmony in the area. Raja was responding to a point of order raised by minority member Kamran Michael of the PML-N. The law minister said the police had arrested 80 people involved in vandalising the churches and Yusuf Masih, the alleged desecrator of the Holy Quran. Raja urged the minority and Muslim members not to propagate the issue because the government was making serious efforts to avoid similar incidents in future. Michel had demanded setting up of a judicial commission to investigate the incident and urged the chief minister to visit the area and express solidarity with the Christian community. staff report

A silver lining in a black cloud.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005 E-Mail this article to a friend Printer Friendly Version

‘Trained terrorists behind burning of churches, school’


ISLAMABAD: A top Pakistani Christian leader on Monday claimed that “trained terrorists” were behind the weekend attacks on churches, a school and a student hostel sparked by rumours that a local Christian had desecrated the Holy Quran.

Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian who heads the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance in Pakistan, said the chemicals used to burn down the buildings were the same as those used in previous attacks blamed on extremist Muslim groups. “Normally kerosene or petrol is used by protesters for burning cars and homes, but in this case, they used highly flammable chemicals, which caught fire quickly, burning the churches, melting iron rods and fans,” he told The Associated Press.

He said the attacks were “well coordinated,” leading investigators to believe that “trained terrorists” were involved. Bhatti has been in the village of Sangla Hill investigating and interviewing witnesses. He said copies of charred Bibles would be presented by a priest at a news conference in Islamabad later on Monday.

Bhatti said no one was killed or injured in the attacks only because Christians either locked themselves in their homes or fled.

Christians were returning home on Monday after police arrested around 90 Muslims in connection with the attacks, police said. The trouble began on Saturday morning when local clerics using mosque public-address systems accused Christians of burning the Holy Quran in a one-room Islamic school in the area and demanded that Muslims exact punishment.

Bhatti said local Muslims accused a Christian man, Yousaf Masih, of desecrating the Holy Quran on Friday, but Christians in the area said the allegations were made by Muslims who lost heavily in gambling with Masih on Friday. A Protestant and Roman Catholic Church were burned.

Priest Tajammal Masih said a week of mourning would be observed beginning on Monday to condemn the attacks. He asked Christians to wear black armbands and hoist black flags at homes.

Tahir Alam, an area police chief, said Christians were returning home after Saturday’s attacks.

“Of course, they are coming back, and we will protect them,” Alam said.

He said Muslims were also visiting their Christian neighbours to offer their support. ap

It may have been coordinated.

However, trained terrorists?