Pakistan: Over 100 Arrested Following Church Burnings

Facts

• Pakistani authorities have arrested 129 Muslims for participating in mob violence after a group of Muslims attacked churches and the homes of Christians in the eastern Pakistani city of Jaranwala on Wednesday. The attacks followed accusations that two Christian men — who've also been arrested — had desecrated a copy of the Quran.¹
• The two Christians, who fled their homes alongside their families, were accused of blasphemy, an extremely serious allegation in Pakistan. The police stated that they found pages of the Quran with derogatory comments written in red that were connected to the Christian suspects.²
• According to a Christian leader, local clerics incited the mob by saying that Muslims needed to defend their faith, after which police and rangers reportedly intervened to keep the crowds at bay.³
• The groups eventually dispersed after authorities allegedly promised that the men who desecrated the Quran would soon be arrested. A number of top Pakistani politicians, including Caretaker PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar and former PM Shahbaz Sharif, condemned the mob violence, while a delegation of Muslim clerics went to Jaranwala to express solidarity with Christians.⁴
• Blasphemy is technically punishable by death in Pakistan, but no one has ever been executed for the crime. However, numerous people accused of blasphemy have been lynched by outraged crowds.²

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²Reuters, ³The Guardian, and ⁴NPR Online News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by VOA. This attack on Christians is completely unacceptable. Pakistan must reel in Islamic extremists who seek to spread their dangerous ideology. Minorities are constantly under threat in contemporary Pakistan, which for decades has become an increasingly hostile place for those who are not Sunni Muslims. Officials must do more to promote religious tolerance.
• Narrative B, as provided by Reuters. Mobs incited by accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan are almost always a product of personal scores or attempts to acquire increased political clout. Though the ranks of these mobs are filled with extremists, religion is not necessarily the inciting factor. In order to address these conflicts, authorities must consider the motives of individuals or groups who believe they can acquire political or social gains via mob incitement.