Scottish Catholic Observer

Christians in Pakistan face an increasingly desperate situation after a church was bombed and another Christian arrested on questionable blasphemy charges.

Last Saturday, the Sarhadi Lutheran Church in Mardan, Khyberpakhtunkhwa province, was targeted in a bomb attack. It is believed that Islamic militants planted the bomb that caused considerable damage to the building. Despite people being present at the church at the time, no one was killed or injured in the explosion, according to Assist news.

Attacks

“It appears that the militants only wanted to demolish the church, but not to injure any of our people,” Rev Ghulam Shad, the church’s pastor said:  “All we can do is to pray for them as we are taught by Our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Faisalabad police also arrested a Christian man, Imran Masih for ‘burning pages of the Quran’ earlier this year.

Just before his arrest, Imran Masih, who is a shopkeeper by profession, was brutally tortured by a group of Muslim men.

The day before, a Muslim man entered a church in Lahore and tore the Bible. He was reportedly detained by police and is awaiting trial.

According to Assist News, Lahore Archdiocesan vicar general Andrew Nisari  (above) urged Christians not to seek revenge.

“Promise me you won’t riot,” he said during Mass at Lahore’s Sacred Heart Cathedral. “Promise me you won’t fight. It is another trial for Christianity in Pakistan. Be patient in suffering and follow the passion of Christ.”

“The state will deal with the criminal,” retired Lahore Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha added. “Pursuing the matter will invite more trouble. However, we are deeply concerned with growing anti-Christian sentiments.”

Vulnerability

Fides, the Vatican evangelical arm has also said forced conversions to Islam, rape and forced marriages are on the rise in Pakistan. The victims are mostly Hindu and Christian girls.

A religious sister spoke to Fides anonymously so as not to compromise her work.

“The Christian girls are the weakest and most vulnerable, because their communities are poor, defenceless and marginalised, therefore easily exposed to harassment and threats,” she said. “Often they do not even have the courage to denounce the violence. The trend is worrying: There are hundreds of cases a year registered and those that come to light are only a fraction.”

The nun hides and assists girls who have managed to escape.

Solidarity

The British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) is appealing to Christians in Britain to stand by their brothers and sisters in Pakistan. It is planning to hold a protest on July 2 to call for reform of the blasphemy laws and the Pakistani constitution.

Wilson Chowdhry, of the BPCA, said many of the atrocities faced by Christians in Pakistan had ‘gone rather unnoticed’ by the world.

“Historically in the UK, the largest protest we have managed to organise through our community has been limited to around 250 people,” he said.  “Without wider Christian support, we are doomed to failure.”