More than 100 Christian houses were burned and looted on Saturday in a rampage that lasted about eight hours by a crowd the authorities estimate was as large as 20,000 strong. In addition to the seven members of the Hameed family who were killed, about 20 people were wounded. Full Story »
Posted by Kaizar Campwala - via Pakistani News, New York Times (Most Emailed), Google News (Pakistan), Google News (World)
“We were afraid because the clerics had been railing against us in the mosques,” said Riaz Masih, a Christian and retired math teacher whose house was gutted. “They said, ‘Let’s teach them a lesson.’ ” Pakistan’s blasphemy law has been criticized as too broad, and many legal experts say it has been badly misused since its introduction in the 1980s by the military dictator Gen. Muhammad Zia ul-Haq. Anyone can file a charge, which is then often used to stir hatred ... More »
Excellent report about the recent outburst of violence against Christians in Gojra, Pakistan. This article is fair and factual, citing multiple sources and providing good context on the origins of this conflict. It also gives a moving account on the tragic killings of seven members of the Hameed family, assaulted by a Muslim mob over spurious claims that a Koran had been defiled. The report is informative, thoughtful, and very well written.
Today we're comparing how American papers, Pakistani papers, and Pakistani blogs are covering this weekend's attacks on Christian minorities in Gojra, Pakistan. I reviewed all three stories in our news comparison and found that this New York Times piece clearly provides the best coverage; but the local report from Dawn and the blog post from Mystified Justice both offer important details that I might not have picked up from traditional news channels. Can you help us find the ... More »
The actions described in this story were taken in a country that is an ally (?) in the struggle against fanatics (formerly the Global War on Terror)--incredible.
This is a lively and committed report about the most recent outburst of violence against Christians in an Islamic society. It describes what happened in some detail, but it abstains from mentioning similar cases of violence against Christians, e.g. in countries like Iraq or India.
There is a steady increase of violence against Christians in countries where they are a minority of the local population. Christian countries should grant asylum to those who are forced to flee from a more and more hostile social environment because of their faith. Many might simply hate Christians because these are identified with NATO and Western influence.
This is a very sad story. It simply demonstrates how intolerant world has become. This is the result of rise of Islamic fundamentalism and also to some extent a legacy of Pakistan's former miltary junta's legitimacy crisis.
It is the poor who suffer from intolerance of others. This is true everywhere in the world. Pakistan witnessed the rise of fundamentalism and these poor men were its victim.
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