Jaranwala Incident: Following the Accusations of Blasphemy What Happened to Christians and Their Churches in Pakistan, Who Said What Thereafter?

By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam 24 August 2023 In the False Allegations Cases of Blasphemy, We Must Go Beyond Condemnation Main Points 1. A Muslim Mob burned 19 churches, 86 homes, and Christian places of worship in Pakistan due to alleged blasphemy. 2. Pakistan Ulama Council demands government compensation for Christian community loss; Mohsin Naqvi promises restoration of government buildings and property in Jaranwala very soon. 3. Punjab's Inspector General confirms 3500 police stationed in Jaranwala, arresting 128 suspects accused of burning and vandalism, and ensuring law and order. 4. Rights organizations claim Pakistan's blasphemy laws are mostly exploited for private gain, with over 2,000 accusations made since 1987, resulting in 88 deaths. 5. UAE condemns Pakistani extremists' church burning, highlighting security, respect, and international cooperation. 6. Jamia Al-Azhar condemns church attacks in eastern Pakistan, promoting tolerance and dialogue. 7. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind condemns Pakistan's attack on Christians and destruction of churches, urging peace, restoration, and compensation for victims. 8. The Muslim Council of Elders condemns actions destroying the Holy Quran and assaulting Pakistani churches, promoting discourse, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence. 9. Pakistan Ulama Council chairman Ashrafi condemned the tragedy in Jaranwala, stating Pakistan and Islam are affected and expressing regret to Christian leaders. ------ Photo: The Print/(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023 ----- The occurrences of assaults and arson attacks against the Christian community in Jaranwala, Punjab Province, Pakistan, following claims of alleged blasphemy by two Christian residents, are still the subject of an ongoing investigation. According to the official report on the damage caused in this tragedy, an enraged mob in Jaranwala and its vicinity burned 19 churches. In addition to homes and Christian places of worship, 86 homes were vandalized and set on fire. The assaults took place after torn pages of the Quran were discovered near the Christian colony with alleged blasphemous content written on them. An order to investigate the assaults on the minority community and bring those responsible to justice was requested in the miscellaneous petition, which was submitted in a minority rights matter. The police have so far detained 128 suspects by filing a number of prosecutions under laws such as causing damage to public and private property and interfering with governmental actions. Mohsin Naqvi, the incumbent caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab, said in a statement on Thursday night that the two main suspects linked to the incident in Jaranwala had also been arrested and were in the custody of CTD. He praised the Punjab Chief Secretary, Police Chief, and Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar in a tweet for making "arrests in record time." The Anti-Terrorism Act and the Punjab Sound System Act were included in the complaint filed with the Jaranwala city police station regarding damage and arson in Jaranwala. The homes and places of worship of Christian community members are claimed to have been attacked, plundered, and broken into by 500 to 600 enraged protestors. A woman whose home was vandalised, in Jaranwala of Pakistan's Faisalabad district on August 17. | PTI ------ According to a report posted on the BBC Urdu News website, eight people, including two representatives of the religious groups Jamaat-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, are said to have organised and incited the rally. In response to the Pakistan Ulama Council's demand that the government compensate for the loss of the Christian community, Mohsin Naqvi stated at a meeting on Thursday that the government would pay for the restoration of the Christian community's government buildings and property in Jaranwala within three to four days. According to Mohsin Naqvi, Muslim scholars and Ulama have been tasked with coming up with a long-term plan that will educate people about “our religious teachings”. “We will foil any conspiracy because we are all Pakistanis together. These things are incompatible with religion”, he made clear. Cases involving harm to places of worship have been filed under "terrorism provisions." 128 individuals were detained following five complaints submitted in the Jardanwala Division under the laws against terrorism and arson, including the rules against insulting places of worship, according to a statement from Naveed Ahmed, the spokesman for the Faisalabad City Police. However, the Punjab government ordered the creation of a high-level inquiry committee to look into the incident, claiming it was a "systematic conspiracy" to undermine Pakistan's climate of peace and that those responsible would be brought to justice. Dr. Usman Anwar, the Inspector General of Police for Punjab, told BBC's Asia Ansar that 3500 police officers, including Rangers, had been stationed in Jaranwala to maintain law and order there. The arrest of 128 suspects accused of burning and vandalism has been confirmed by the IG of Punjab, who also stated that all necessary precautions have been taken to safeguard the Christian community. After this incident, Section 144 was imposed in Faisalabad district late on Wednesday night for the next seven days under which all kinds of protests and public gatherings were banned. After The Assaults, Who Said What? The Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State Vidant Patel made a comment about the persecution of Christians during a briefing. He said that we are really worried that Pakistani churches and residential areas have been targeted due to the alleged desecration of the Quran. The speaker said, "We support people's freedom to peaceful expression as well as their right to practise their faith and beliefs. Never use violence or make threats of using violence as a way of expression. We demand that the Pakistani authorities undertake a comprehensive investigation into this case and that all parties concerned receive advice on how to keep the peace. Rights organisations claimed that the blasphemy laws in Pakistan are frequently exploited for private gains. According to data provided by the Centre for Social Justice, a nongovernmental organisation that defends the rights of minorities, blasphemy accusations have been made against more than 2,000 persons in Pakistan since 1987. At least 88 people have perished as a result of these allegations. While the majority of Muslim countries have not yet expressed their condemnation of the recent attacks on churches, some Muslim states and organisations have. The UAE has condemned the burning of churches and homes by extremists in Pakistan and denounced the violence. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejects practices that undermine security and stability, stating that hate speech and extremism contradict international efforts to spread tolerance, coexistence, and peace. The UAE emphasized the need to respect religious symbols and avoid incitement, urging the international community to work together to uphold universal principles of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Jamia Al-Azhar, a prominent Sunni Islamic institution, denounced the assaults on multiple churches in eastern Pakistan on August 17, 2023. The institution emphasized that the Holy Quran, which is subject to attacks by criminal extremists, is the same scripture that enjoins the safeguarding of places of worship for Muslims and non-Muslims. The statement called for reason and dialogue, referring to divine laws that promote tolerance and human brotherhood, fostering a culture of peace among nations. (Summarized from: https://www.sis.gov.eg/Story/185250/Al-Azhar-condemns-church-attacks-in-Pakistan%2C-emphasizes-protection-of-Holy-Sites?lang=en-us) Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) also condemned the attack on Christians and the destruction of churches in Pakistan. The national secretary of the JIH, K. K. Suhail, stressed the horrible damage committed against local churches, Bibles, and residences while expressing his support for Christians. He highlighted that such behaviour is against Islam and that those who engage in it are strongly violating the faith. Suhail appealed for peace and demanded the restoration of the houses of worship and compensation for the victims. He urged everyone to avoid inciting hatred and to call the police if they come across something that offends their religious beliefs. (Summarized from: https://www.siasat.com/jamaat-e-islami-hind-condemns-attack-on-christians-in-pakistan-2672481/) The extremist mindset seems to be the same everywhere; when they raise their voice because of religion, the rule of law is overthrown, and the religious minority is often victimised by the violence perpetrated by thousands of extremists due to unproven accusations, according to Nader Shokri, who recently wrote a brief Arabic article condemning this incident. As a result of the alleged blasphemy, an extremist group in Pakistan's eastern province set fire to a number of churches and residences belonging to Christians. (Summarized from: https://www.copts-united.com/Article.php?I=5281&A=761193) The Muslim Council of Elders, chaired by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, denounces extremist actions that desecrate copies of the Holy Quran and retaliatory assaults on Pakistani churches. Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, the Secretary-General of the Council, contends that these actions are against divine rules, norms, and human values, which promote respect and forbid harming places of worship. The Holy Quran emphasises the value of protecting places of worship and refraining from violence. The Council calls on leaders and scholars to promote discourse, tolerance, peaceful coexistence, and human fraternity in order to address division and counter hate speech. (Summarized from: http://www.muslim-elders.com/en/MediaCenter/13079) Allama Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, the chairman of the Pakistan Ulama Council, said that we should feel humiliated in front of the Christian community for the catastrophe that took place in Jaranwala. The culprits of this tragedy targeted Pakistan and Islam while harming our name overseas. During a press conference in Lahore, he said that Pakistan as a whole is currently in mourning. The Christian community has not been the only one hurt by what occurred in Jaranwala; Pakistan and Islam have also been hurt. We have gone to this church in Lahore to express our regret to our Christian leaders. The majority of Pakistanis are Muslims, which, he said, should make us ashamed, but that doesn't mean we should deny Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, or other local minorities the right to exist. He said, “I wonder who the perpetrators of this horrific deed thought they were placating by doing it. The mosque of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) was accessible to Christians in Najran for worship.” According to him, those who committed the assaults on Churches in Pakistan allegedly broke the agreement made with the Christians of Najran in the presence of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which requires that in addition to the places of worship being preserved, the bells that are installed there must also be. Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi contends that Muslims and the government have a responsibility to protect the lives, property, honour, and dignity of minorities. Following the events in Jaranwala, he said, "We understand that as elder brothers we could not fulfil our responsibility, we are ashamed, and we seek forgiveness." Every two or three months, he allegedly said, I ought to ask who is behind these incidents and what their opinions and family ties were. “By Allah, it is neither the teaching of Islam nor the teaching of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), that you harm anyone”. (Summarized from: https://www.dawnnews.tv/news/1209927) Following supposed blasphemy accusations, Christian communities have previously faced discrimination in Pakistan. As a result of the attack and arson on Joseph Colony in Badami Bagh Lahore in 2013, hundreds of Christians were forced to flee their homes, and a severe problem with law and order developed in the neighbourhood. Prior to it, in August 2009, in District Faisalabad, Muslim-Christian rioting in Gojra Tehsil resulted in at least six deaths of Christians. The riots began when the Muslim residents of the community assaulted a Christian settlement and set roughly forty homes on fire because they were furious about the alleged violation of the Quran during a Christian wedding. Words of condemnation follow every attack in large numbers. We are aware that merely expressing condemnation will not effectively protect minorities. Beyond criticism, we must go on. It is concerning that incidences involving blasphemy have increased over the past several years and suggest trouble ahead. It is past time to devise a comprehensive strategy to address the underlying issues that cause this occurrence rather than only denouncing it. ------ A regular columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is a classical Islamic scholar [Aalim, Faazil and Mutakhassis Fi al-Adab al-Arabi wa al-Ulum al-Shariah] with a Sufi background and an English-Arabic-Urdu Translator. URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-society/jaranwala-blasphemy-christians-churches-pakistan/d/130515 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism