Several churches in Pakistan burned after blasphemy accusations against a Christian

In the city of Faisalabad, in northeast Pakistan, several churches were burned down in response to accusations of blasphemy leveled against a young member of the Christian minority.

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This serious accusation, amplified from some local mosques, triggered a series of acts of violence.

The angry mob rampaged through places of worship, a spokesman for the Jaranwala area police, Mohammed Naveed, told EFE. In addition, he also assaulted and vandalized the houses of Christians, forcing many members of this minority to flee their homes.

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The Christian community in Pakistan constitutes about 1.27 percent of the total population, approximately 2.6 million people, according to the latest census.

The accusations against the young Christian revolve around the alleged desecration of the Holy Qur’an and the writing of blasphemous words against the Prophet Muhammad.

Amid the inability of the Police to control the mobs, authorities called in the militarized Rangers police unit to contain the escalating violence.

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The scene of furniture burned in front of a modest church, watched by dozens of young people, has become a symbol of the day of violence that has affected the Christian population.

Bishop Azad Marshall, president of the church in Pakistan, expressed his anguish on Twitter, stating that they were “deeply hurt and grieved.” In addition to the above, he condemned the actions of the mobs, describing how they desecrated Bibles and tormented falsely accused Christians.

The unrest prompted an urgent call from the Pakistani leader for immediate intervention by the authorities to stop the escalation of violence. For their part, the Police registered a case against two young Christians for damaging the Koran and insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

The crime of blasphemy, which carries the death penalty in Pakistan, has sparked riots and lynchings in response to accusations of insulting Islam. Although no execution has ever been carried out for this reason in the country, these accusations continue to be a source of instability and violence.

The incident is reminiscent of one of the most notorious cases of blasphemy accusations in Pakistan: that of Asia Bibi. In 2010, she was sentenced to death, but her sentence was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court in 2018, sparking mass protests across the country.

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*This content was made with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on information published in the EFE agency, and was reviewed by a journalist and an editor.

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