By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
LAHORE, Pakistan – An angry mob of Pakistani Muslims rampaged through the Christian neighborhood of Joseph Colony in eastern Lahore attacking the homes of innocent Christians, burning more than 100 homes.
The attack on innocent Christians was prompted by an argument between two friends of different religions. One friend, a Christian, allegedly made blasphemous comments regarding the prophet Mohammed to his Muslim friend while the two were conversing under the influence.
The police report states that a mob of angry Muslims went to the home of the Christian man, located in Joseph Colony, seeking revenge for the blasphemous comments. The police arrested the Christian man and held him in custody in hopes to appease and disperse the angry mob.
The crowd, however, was not appeased, and continued to move through Joseph Colony attacking innocent Christian homes and burning them to the ground. No reports have counted any casualties during the violent burning of the homes.
The Pakistani police have made a large number of arrests and are still investigating the inciters of the mass arsons against innocent Christians. Reports vary as to how many Muslim arsonists and rioters have been taken into custody. The numbers range from roughly 60 to 150 arrests.
Blasphemy is a sensitive issue and taken very seriously in Pakistan. 97% of the Pakistani population is observant Muslims and even blasphemy allegations that lack any shred of evidence can trigger violent, public outbreaks of violence.
After the burning of Christian homes in Joseph Colony, Christian protestors took to the streets in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and elsewhere to condemn the actions of the angry mob.
Jani Masih, a Christian man whose home was burned to the ground, questioned why all Christians in Pakistan were being punished for the alleged blasphemy of one man. Others believed that the incident was extremely cruel, and it was unjust to hold an entire community responsible for one man’s actions.
The Christian demonstrations in the streets of major Pakistani cities were largely peaceful. Some of the younger protestors, however, allowed their anger to bubble to the surface and attacked public and private citizens and property by throwing stones and other debris.
Preliminary reports suggest that the public consensus was that the innocent people affected by this tragedy should be compensated for having their homes destroyed. Pervez Rashid, an official spokesperson for the Punjab provincial government in Lahore, told a local news channel that the affected families would have their homes repaired and given 200,000 rupees (US $2,050).
For further information, please see:
Channel News Asia – Protests over Pakistan anti-Christian riot – 11 March 2013
International Herald Tribune – Joseph Colony tragedy: Outcry against arson attacks – 11 March 2013
BBC – Pakistan arrests scores over Lahore anti-Christian riot – 10 March 2013
Hurriyet News – ‘Drunken row’ sparked Pakistan anti-Christian riot – 10 March 2013
