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Jaranwala church arsons

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Jaranwala church arsons
Part of Violence against Christians in Pakistan
Date16 – 18 August 2023
Location
Jaranwala, Punjab, Pakistan
Parties
Muslim mobs
Casualties
Death(s)None
Damage26 churches set on fire

In the Jaranwala church arsons, 26 Christian churches in Jaranwala, Punjab, Pakistan were burnt down by acts of arson, and homes belonging to Christian families were looted and destroyed by rioters on August 16, 2023; Bible desecration was committed as well.[1][2] The attacks were carried out by mobs of Muslims who were enraged by allegations that a Christian man had desecrated the Quran.[3][4][5] No deaths were reported.[5] More than a hundred rioters, that included members of the far-right group Tehreek-e-Labbaik, have since been arrested.[6]

Background

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See also: Blasphemy law in Pakistan and Religious discrimination in Pakistan

In recent years, there have been a number of high-profile attacks on Christians in Pakistan. There have been a number of high-profile cases of Christians being accused of blasphemy. In 2013, a suicide bombing at a church in Peshawar killed 82 people.[7] In 2015, a mob attacked a Christian couple in Punjab, burning them alive. In 2014, a Christian couple was burned alive in a brick kiln after being accused of desecrating the Quran.[8] In 2018, a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, was sentenced to death for blasphemy.[9]

Events

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On 16 August 2023, reports of alleged Quran desecration by two Christian men began circulating on social media.[5] Torn pages of the Quran were allegedly found near the Christian quarter of the city. These were brought to a local Muslim religious leader, who urged local Muslims to protest and demand the culprits be brought to justice.[10] This incited a riot where hundreds of Muslim men armed with sticks and rocks attacked a Christian community in Jaranwala, Punjab, Pakistan.[11] The attack was triggered by an accusation that a local Christian family in the area has desecrated the Quran.[12] The alleged desecration of the Quran was shared among the locals, creating an uproar in the Muslim community. Videos had also appeared on social media sites showing local Muslim leaders using mosque loudspeakers encouraging Muslims to demonstrate against the Christians.[12] The rioters went on to attack at least 17 Christian churches within the city, as well as Christian homes and a Christian cemetery.[5][13] The attacked churches, which were either vandalized or set on fire, represented a variety of Christian denominations, including the Presbyterian church, the Salvation Army church, and the Roman Catholic church.[10][13] Christian residents reported that their homes were vandalized and looted, with some rioters burning their household items and furniture.[4][14][15] The rioters were recorded toppling a Christian cross off of a church steeple.[4] In another video "four other [Christian] churches are attacked, their windows broken as attackers threw pieces of furniture outside and set them on fire".[4] Bible desecration was also reported.[5] Some local mosques used their loudspeakers to further incite the violence.[16]

Some rioters also attacked the offices of a city administrator but were deterred by police and Muslim clerics.[4]

Christian residents fled as the events unfolded, moving to the eastern part of Jaranwala, nearby villages, and to the city of Faisalabad.[4][10] Some Christians were sheltered by their Muslim neighbors, who also attempted to stop the violence by pinning Quranic verses to the doors of Christian houses.[16] Some residents began to return to their homes on 17 August, while others continued to evacuate to stay with family outside the city.[4][16]

The Pakistani government condemned the attacks and dispatched police and Paramilitary Rangers to restore order to the affected areas.[10][12] 129 Muslims have been arrested by the police after the incident.[13] Two Christians that allegedly tore pages from the Quran and wrote insulting remarks on other pages have also been arrested.[11]

Aftermath

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The two Christian men cited in the original social media posts were arrested by the Punjab Police of Pakistan for alleged Quran desecration, a violation of the country's blasphemy law.[4]

Rizwan Khan, the regional police chief, said that 129 people in connection with the mob violence had been arrested.[4] These included members of the far-right group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan.[17] Government officials also promised to provide financial compensation for residents whose homes had been attacked, as well as assistance in rebuilding.[4]

Demonstrations condemning the violence and Pakistan's blasphemy laws took place in Karachi and Lahore on 17 August.[4]

Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need helped address the emergency needs of those whose livelihoods was destroyed, providing a support package for 464 families, including replacement rickshaws and motorcycles for drivers who had lost their vehicles.[18]

Reactions

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Pakistan's Interim Prime Minister, Anwar ul-Haq Kakar, criticized the rioters and called on them to stop the violence, posting on Twitter: “Stern action would be taken against those who violate the law and target minorities.”.[5][4]

US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel called for a full investigation into the events, stating that "we support peaceful freedom of expression and the right to freedom of religion and belief for everybody".[4]

Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch reacted: “The Faisalabad attack underscores the failings of Pakistan’s police to adequately protect religious minority communities and respond promptly to violence targeting them. The lack of prosecutions of those responsible for such crimes in the past emboldens those who commit violence in the name of religion.”

Organizations that condemn the attack included Amnesty International[4] and Minorities Alliance Pakistan.[10] International Christian Concern, a Christian human rights NGO, said that it was "deeply saddened" by the events and "called on the international community to pressure Pakistan to repeal its blasphemy laws", which they stated "are often misused to settle personal scores or target religious minorities".[19]

Archbishop Joseph Arshad of the Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan stated: "Our places of worship and people are not safe in any way due to this. We demand a transparent investigation into this regrettable incident for the supremacy of law and justice so that a better society is established where religion and harmony are respected."[3] United Protestant bishop Azad Marshall of the Church of Pakistan, also took to social media to demand action by authorities.[5]

Justice

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In February, 2024, a Catholic bishop praised the fact that the Pakistani Supreme Court had rejected a Government report into the incident. Qazi Faez Isa, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, who headed the three-member bench of the Supreme Court, described the report, submitted by the Additional Advocate General of Punjab, as being worthy of “being thrown in the dustbin”. The court alleged the report lacked relevant information, including details of arrests and court cases and that the investigation agencies lacked determination to bring the perpetrators to justice. Catholic Bishop Samson Shukardin lauded the Supreme Court's reaction as the first time the justice system had taken Christian persecution so seriously. [20]

Less than two months later, however, another Catholic Bishop lamented the fact that nobody had yet been charged in the case of the attacks, and that those who had been arrested were gradually being released. Bishop Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad said: “More than 300 people were arrested [following the atrocity] but it is unlikely that they will face justice. Slowly, they have started releasing them. Nobody has been charged.” He was also critical of Government sponsored repairs, which he said were shoddy and had left the torched churches unsafe to enter.[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Aqeel, Asif; Jaranwala, Brian Isaac Asaph in (23 August 2023). "After 26 Churches Burned, Pakistan Christians Brace for More Blasphemy Accusations". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  2. ^ Farooq, Joseph (20 August 2023). "Pakistan: Arson Attack on the Christians Houses and the Churches in Jaranwala District of Faisalabad". OrthoChristian. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  3. ^ a b Chaudhry, Kamran. "Action sought against 21 church burnings in Pakistan - UCA News". Union of Catholic Asian News. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Chaudhry, K.M.; Ahmed, Munir (17 August 2023). "Pakistan arrests 129 Muslims after mob attacks on churches and homes of minority Christians". AP News. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Wright, George (16 August 2023). "Pakistan: Mob burns churches over blasphemy claims". BBC News. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  6. ^ Zulqernain, M. (17 August 2023). "Over 100 arrested for attacks on churches, Christian homes in Pakistan". Rediff. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  7. ^ Sherazi, Zahir Shah (22 September 2013). "Twin church blasts claim 80 lives in Peshawar". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 14 August 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Pakistan mob kills Christian couple over 'blasphemy'". BBC News. 4 November 2014. Archived from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  9. ^ AFP (16 October 2014). "LHC upholds blasphemy convict Asia Bibi's death penalty". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d e Hussain, Abid. "Mobs burn Christian churches, homes in Pakistan after blasphemy allegations". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  11. ^ a b Hussain, Abid. "Mobs burn Christian churches, homes in Pakistan after blasphemy allegations". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Staff (16 August 2023). "Mob attacks churches in eastern Pakistan after blasphemy claim". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 12 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  13. ^ a b c Gabol, Imran (16 August 2023). "Rangers called after churches vandalised in Faisalabad's Jaranwala over blasphemy allegations". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  14. ^ Haq, Sophia Saifi,Sana Noor (17 August 2023). "Pakistani authorities arrest more than 100 people in Punjab after church attacks". CNN. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "Pakistan arrests 129 Muslims after mob attacks on churches and homes of minority Christians". AP News. 17 August 2023. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  16. ^ a b c "Christians found shelter with Muslims during Jaranwala rampage". The Express Tribune. 17 August 2023. Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  17. ^ Zulqernain, M. (17 August 2023). "Over 100 arrested for attacks on churches, Christian homes in Pakistan". Rediff. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  18. ^ ACN (26 September 2023). "Pakistan: ACN to provide emergency relief for victims of Jaranwala riots". ACN International. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  19. ^ "US Urges Swift Probe into Church Attack in Pakistan". Eurasia Media. 17 August 2023. Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  20. ^ ACN (23 February 2024). "Pakistan: Bishop praises Supreme Court's commitment to justice for Jaranwala victims". ACN International. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  21. ^ ACN (10 April 2024). "Still no justice for Jaranwala victims – bishop". ACN International. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
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