Such an episode represents yet again justice "in reverse", another human rights violation in Pakistan, where being part of a religious minority continues to be a serious risk factor for one's own safety and that of loved ones.

Roshani was taken from her family on 13 March. With the complicity of an imam, local authorities facilitated her conversion, falsely registering her as an 18-year-old, and renaming her Zehra Bibi.

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Last week, a Muslim mob wreaked havoc on the city of Jaranwala, targeting Christians and their properties. The alleged desecration of the Quran by a Christian man and his friend incited the rampage, resulting in the destruction of over 80 Christian homes and 19 churches.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar personally visited the area to meet with victims and distributed compensation to nearly 100 Christian families whose homes were damaged or destroyed.

Each household received 2 million rupees (NZ$11,200) to help rebuild their lives. Kakar expressed the government's commitment to safeguarding minority rights and vowed that none of the rioters would evade punishment, labelling them as "enemies of humanity."

Despite the compensation efforts, the Christian community remains traumatised, with fears of further violence and an uncertain sense of safety. Christians gathered for a Sunday service amid the wreckage of their church, praying for security and reflecting on their ordeal.

The attack on the churches and homes prompted hundreds to flee, leaving behind devastated properties and painful memories.

Protection of minority rights

The incident has drawn condemnation from across the country, sparking discussions about the need to address religious tensions and protect minority rights.

Pakistan's blasphemy laws, known for their contentious nature, have often resulted in mob violence and social upheaval. Unproven allegations of insulting Islam can lead to deadly consequences, prompting calls for reforms to prevent such violence.

Efforts to repair the damaged churches are underway, although concerns have been raised regarding the thoroughness of the reconstruction process.

The incident also raised questions about the security of religious minorities in Pakistan and their ability to practise their faith without fear.

As investigations continue, over 125 individuals have been arrested in connection with the violence, and two Christian brothers have been apprehended on charges of blasphemy.

Sources

AP News

UCA News

Aid to the Church

CathNews New Zealand

"Demolish it. Make them [Christians] flee," shouted the mob led by a cleric from the local madrasa (Islamic religious school). Pastor Yaqoob called the police.

"We used to worship in houses. The neighbors were informed about the construction of the house of God. There was no opposition," he told UCA News.

However, the mob began to gather as Christians started Sunday worship at 11am on Aug. 29. "I asked the madrasa official to discuss it later in the afternoon but they started stopping families from entering the building," Pastor Yaqoob recalled.

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While many Pakistani officials have celebrated the growing embrace for adhering to stronger religious ties among the population to unite the country, this increase has actually created further militancy and extremism.

This is evidenced by recent attacks from religious extremist cells against women's rights advocates and some military personnel.

In addition to these attacks, the country's religious minority communities (Christians, Shiite Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and others) are being oppressed by the country's controversial blasphemy law.

The law's intention is to safeguard the honor of religion, but in reality is used as a tool of oppression against the minority community.

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An increasingly beleaguered minority in an Islamic republic, they have become targets of harassment and violent attacks, often motivated by tensions and conflicts between Islamists and the West on the world stage.

This week, however, brings a notable exception.

On Saturday there will be a state funeral at St Patrick's Cathedral in Karachi for the German-born Catholic nun and doctor, Ruth Pfau, who died last week at the age of 87 after giving 50 years of her life to the service of patients with leprosy and other needs in Pakistan.

Announcing her death (and quoting a predecessor in office) Prime Minister Shahid Abbasi said:

"Dr Ruth came to Pakistan here at the dawn of a young nation, looking to make lives better for those afflicted by disease, and in doing so, found herself a home. [Although she] may have been born in Germany, her heart was always in Pakistan."

Dr Pfau was made an honorary citizen of Pakistan in 1988.

Like Mother Theresa of Calcutta, to whom she is often compared, Ruth Katharina Martha Pfau found her special vocation among the "poorest of the poor" in the post-independence era of the Indian sub-continent.

It happened, humanly speaking, by accident.

After converting to Catholicism while studying to be a doctor, she had joined a religious order in 1957. In 1960 she was on her way to a posting in southern India, when she found herself stuck in Karachi over a visa issue.

By chance, during the delay, she visited a leper colony in the city. The shock of the encounter moved her so much that she decided to dedicate herself to these souls. The BBC recalls:

"Well if it doesn't hit you the first time, I don't think it will ever hit you," she told the BBC in 2010.

"Actually the first patient who really made me decide was a young Pathan.

He must have been my age - I was at this time not yet 30 — and he crawled on hands and feet into this dispensary, acting as if this was quite as if this was quite normal, as if someone has to crawl there through that slime and dirt on hands and feet, like a dog." Continue reading

Sources

• MecatorNet article by Carolyn Moynihan
• Image: Tribal Network News

Archbishop Joseph Coutts led the protest which included about 70 priests, nuns and Christian politicians.

The marchers carried banners that called for equal rights for Christians in the wake of the attack on Saint Francis Catholic Church on Friday evening, a report by UCA News said.

About 100 Muslims pelted the doors and windows of the church with stones, damaging a Marian grotto and vehicles parked inside the church compound.

Franciscan Father Jamil Albert was quoted in the report as saying churchgoers hid in the dining hall of the parish house during the attack.

"We have canceled celebrations for the feast of St. Francis and the archbishop's pastoral visit to the area," the priest said, adding that only 30 percent of the congregation attended Mass on Sunday after the attack.

UCA News said local media reported that a Muslim group was originally protesting over power outages in Karachi before the attack. Police were quoted as saying that a heated argument resulted in a confrontation.

"We believe the incident was not religiously motivated," Inspector Aslam Gujjar was quoted as saying in Dawn newspaper on Saturday.

Bishop Coutts, however, said the attack was prompted by the film "Innocence of Muslims," which has prompted a number of violent incidents across the Islamic world.

"The Christian community will keep registering protests until the government ensures safety and security for religious minorities in the country," he said.

Friday's attack was the third time Muslims have attacked St. Francis Church since the video appeared on the internet.

Source

• UCA News
• Oman Tribune
• Image: UCA News