A STATEMENT BY THE CHURCH OF PAKISTAN

November 11, 2009

APN Newsletter

The recent tragedy where nine Pakistani Christians were burnt to death by a frenzied mob, has raised yet again the whole issue of the security of the religious minorities in Islamic countries. The incident highlighted in a very painful way, the experiences of Pakistani Christians, who so often are victimized under the false pretext of either having desecrated the Quran or insulted the Prophet of Islam. Such cases have become rampant during recent decades as Pakistani society has become increasingly intolerant of those of different religious identity.  

This attitude has been sharply accentuated by new Blasphemy Laws, which are being blatantly and maliciously abused for the harassment and marginalization of Christians. It is overwhelmingly evident that almost all such cases arise out of personal disputes and malice or to gain some political points or even for some sinister covert operations. All this of course has created a deep sense of insecurity, anxiety and fear amongst the Christian community, especially in vulnerable places like remote villages and 'bastis'.  

Christians are now acquiring personal firearms for self-protection which shows the extreme tension under which these communities are living. The motivation and the impetus for such actions come from the exploitation of faith and thus religion is used as a 'red rag' to incite the masses. Unfortunately, it seems that the 'genie' is out of the bottle and the bull is on the rampage. The challenge before us is as to how do we contain this situation and lead it towards its healing and restoration.  

We the Church of Pakistan on behalf of all the Christians of Pakistan:

* Call upon the Government of Pakistan to implement and introduce effective legislative and administrative measures, which would contain and control the situation. This concerns especially the repeal of the Blasphemy Law which seems to have become a tool for ultimate abuse of any civil law and even a curse for the religious minorities.

* We urge the Authorities to legislate such positive and affirmative actions which would redress the prevailing inequality being experienced by the Christians of Pakistan, especially in the job market and the public sector at large.

* We strongly demand that our Political Parties resist all temptations to use the 'religion card' for political gain and instead use their influence and network to foster peace and harmony among all communities. We invite all who believe in equality, justice and equal opportunities for all, to join us to eliminate discriminatory practices and help in building bridges with the majority community, leading towards a harmonious society.

* We finally challenge ourselves and our allies in approaching the militants/extremists groups and challenge them for the redeeming of this unfortunate situation by realizing that we hold so much in common. We need to join hands in bringing peace and harmony for the good of us all as citizens of Pakistan.

Source: Press release from the Church of Pakistan