By Alishba I. Kassim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Last week Muslim protestors in Gojra, Pakistan set fire to Christian houses, resulting in seven dead, and over twenty injured. The cause of this outbreak of violence in the province of Punjab was an allegation against Christians, who had supposedly desecrated the pages of the Quran at a wedding. Over forty houses were burnt during the outbreak, and around 100 were looted, as the two religious groups engaged in gunfire.

The Federal Minister of Minorities, Shehbaz Bhatti, declared that no such desecration of the Islamic text had occurred. The minister claimed the allegations were “baseless”. In light of the violence and unfortunate deaths of the two men, four women, and one child, all of whom were Christian, over a thousand Christians would not acknowledge the dead until the government held the demonstrators responsible. Now, two hundred people have been arrested.

The provincial minister of human rights and foreign affairs in Punjab, Kamran Michael, called for three days of mourning for the victims, causing all Christian institutions to close down. The leader also denounced the current Pakistani “law of offenses relating to religion” which strictly prohibits any debasement of the Quran, possibly leading to life imprisonment or the death penalty. The minister called for a change in the law, helping to protect minorities against the predominantly Muslim societal structure.

For more information, please see:

The Hindu – Communal Clashes in Pakistan – August   5, 2009 

CNN – 200 Arrested in Violence against Christians in Pakistan – August 3, 20 09 

CNN – Pakistani Police Patrol Streets after Christians Murdered – August 2, 2009