wfn.org | Statement by the Church of Pakistan on Gojra Tragedy

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> A statement by the Church of Pakistan

Posted On : November 2, 2009 4:59 PM | Posted By : Webmaster
ACNS: http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2009/11/2/ACNS4665
Related Categories: Pakistan

Adopted by the Executive Committee of the Synod: Church of Pakistan, at
its meeting on 21 October, 2009, at Murree

The recent tragedy of Gojra, where nine Pakistani Christians were burnt
to death by a frenzied mob, has raised yet again the whole issue of the
status and security of the religious minorities in an overwhelmingly
Islamic country like Pakistan. This incident has highlighted in a very
painful and tragic way, the experiences of Pakistani Christians, who so
often are victimized under the false pretext of either having desecrated
the Holy Quran or insulting the holy Prophet of Islam. Such cases have
become rampant during the recent decades as the Pakistani society has
become increasingly intolerant of fellow Pakistanis, based on their
religious identity. This attitude has been sharply accentuated by the
new clauses into the Blasphemy Law, which is 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'. The most alarming whisper that is going around within these
communities is the acquisition of some personal firearms for
self-protection. This of course cannot be encouraged or supported under
any conditions, but it does show the extreme tension under which these
communities are living and of course it falls upon all of us to redeem
their situation.

It is very sad to say that 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. These incidents have almost become a
continuum and sadly almost all such cases are decided by the 'lynch
mobs' which results in the burning of properties and public killing of
victims. 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.

*	The Policing of such incidents is invariably high-handed and
malicious regarding the victims and very often prejudicial in favor of
the majority community (Ref: the killing of Christian youth in judicial
custody in Sumbrial case), The administration of Justice in such cases
especially in the lower Courts also requires strict monitoring and
accountability procedures, as they often succumb to outside influences.

*	We further 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 of the Political Parties to resist all
temptations to use the 'religion card' for political gains and instead
use their influence and network to foster peace and harmony among all
communities. We are deeply hurt to find that it seems the political
parties had an active role to play in the incitement of the mobs in such
cases, This was very self evident in the recent events of Gojra,
Sumbrial and Kasur.

*	We invite all our allies in Civil Society 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 are all inheritors of
Abrahamic faiths and 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.

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