Pakistan's Jaranwala violence: Gov't must root out cause of anti-Christian attacks

By Khurram Joseph, Op-ed contributor Sunday, August 27, 2023

Police officials and residents stand amid debris outside the torched Saint John Church in Jaranwala on the outskirts of Faisalabad on August 17, 2023, a day after an attack by Muslim men following the spread of false accusations that Christians had desecrated a copy of the Quran, the Islamic holy book. Police were guarding a Christian neighborhood in central Pakistan on August 17, after hundreds of Muslim men rampaged through its streets setting fire to churches and ransacking homes over accusations of blasphemy a day earlier. | Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images

I live in Australia, a blessed country where everyone, including Muslims, enjoys the freedom to practice their religion without any fear of oppression. I feel truly heartbroken as a Pakistani Christian to see the ongoing persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan.

Radical Muslims once again targeted the already oppressed Christian minority on August 16, 2023, by burning their churches and houses in an Eastern Pakistani town called Jaranwala. As per reports of this incident, around 19 churches and 87 houses have been destroyed. Hundreds of Christians living in that area, leaving behind all the possessions that they had spent a lifetime building, had to flee barefoot in order to save their lives from the enraged mob.

The reason for this brutal mob attack? A mere false and baseless blasphemy accusation against several poor Christian boys.

This is not the first time that blasphemy against Islam has been used as an excuse to settle personal vendettas. Unfortunately, this is a very common occurrence. Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, which carries a death sentence, is usually the main driver of these meaningless crusades. Ayub Masih, Rimsha Masih, Shama Bibi, Shezad Masih, and Asia Bibi are some of the many who have fallen victim to blasphemy allegations.

Over the years, numerous victims and human rights organizations have raised their voices in an attempt to get this law abolished, but all their efforts have been in vain. The blasphemy law still prevails in its full form and continues to claim more blood of innocent Christian minorities in Pakistan.

The sad aftermath of the Jaranwala incident, like previous ones, is that hundreds of people have been left homeless. The trauma of these incidents will haunt them for the rest of their lives, and many will be forced to move from that region and settle somewhere else to start anew.

History tells us that in a few weeks, the media will forget about this incident, the Pakistani government will forget its promises, the money allocated for the persecuted Christians' support will magically vanish, and these hapless people whose lives have been turned upside down will all be forgotten. Little by little, on their own, they will start to rebuild their lives in the hopes of a better future – somewhere, somehow.

The vicious cycle will continue until and unless the root cause of this issue is addressed proactively by the Pakistani government, and concrete actions are taken for the protection of Christian minority rights in Pakistan.

Khurram Josepth is a Pakistani Christian residing in Australia.