– Pakistani Christians Sunday Services Hold Despite Mob Action Against Churches
Pakistani Christians held services last week in churches vandalized by a vigilante mob after two Christian brothers were accused of desecrating the Koran.
Akmal Bhatti, a leader of the Christian community, said the few services which held were led by the bishop of the diocese in some churches in the eastern Pakistani city of Jaranwala on Sunday.
He attended one of the Pakistani Christians Sunday services, which attracted hundreds of Christians whose homes were partially or completely destroyed when mobs burned and looted them on Wednesday.
“My house is now in ashes. If the mob was so angry, why did they burn the houses and steal our belongings? Isn’t burning the Bible blasphemy? Rasikh Bibi, who was among those affected by the violence, said.
Bibi is currently living with her brothers in a nearby village, but has been returning every morning since the attacks in hopes of rescuing supplies.
“My husband had given me some jewelery but it was nowhere to be found,” she said.
Another victim, Kiran Masih, said she came to the church service to pray for “patience”.
“What else can we ask for? What else do we have left?” She asked.
The provincial government said in a statement on Sunday that compensation of two million rupees ($6,750) was approved for each of the families affected by the mob action.
Paramilitary forces are now guarding the sites of the arson attacks in Jaranwala, Punjab province, which include the historic Salvation Army Church and St Paul’s Catholic Church, three small churches and several houses.
A Christian cemetery was also desecrated, residents and community leaders said, as mobs armed with iron rods, sticks, bricks and daggers rampaged, there was no intervention from police and administration officials, who were there for more than 10 hours.
Police officials denied this, saying they prevented the situation from escalating.
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