Pakistani Christians Forced into Refugee Camps
— Christian Post reports:
— “Far away from Gojra, where a Muslim mob recently killed eight Christians, in the heart of Islamabad, about 2,000 Pakistani Christians are ‘forced to live in a refugee camp.'”
— “Their only crime is that they are Christians. Among the displaced Christians, two have already died due to poor hygiene.”
— “The displaced Christians told CNN correspondents, who visited them recently, that the government had kicked them off their land without warning only because they are Christian. However, the government has told a different story, saying that they were given plenty of warning. Moreover, the government said they will take care of this problem, which they claim they are well aware of.”
Category: Pakistan
Pakistan Celebrates Independence, While Ignoring Religious Persecution and Intolerance
Pakistan: Terrorism, extremism biggest national worries: PM Gilani
— Country facing terrorism due to wrong decisions of dictator: PM Gilani
— April 16, 2008 – Pakistan National Assembly passes resolution calling for U.N. to impose death penalty internationally for blasphemy
— “Information Minister Sherry Rehman and Sahibzada Fazle Karim moved the two resolutions.”
— “Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani… arrived moments after the passage of the resolutions”
Pakistan: New Poll Shows 78 Percent of Pakistanis Support Death Penalty for Leaving Islam
Pakistan Army Chief Kayani : We are against terrorism, not religion
— Kayani: “Islam is the soul and spirit of Pakistan. It is our strength and we will always be an Islamic republic.”
Pakistan: August 14 — a day to thank God for blessing us with freedom: Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer
— Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer: “Pakistan had come into existence to establish a society based on justice, tolerance and equality”
— July 4, 2009 – Muslims attack Christian homes in Punjab
— “A mob of some 600 people attacked about a hundred Christian homes in Bahmani, a village in Kasur district in Punjab”
— “A cleric in a local mosque accused the Christians of blasphemy inciting his fellow Muslims to attack the Christians.”
— March 13, 2009: Punjab’s Rawalpindi: Christian Faces ‘Blasphemy’ Abetting Charge, Dangers
— March 7, 2009: Punjab: One killed in attack on church in Pakistan
—- related report
Pakistan Human Rights Commission after Gojra attacks
— Asma Jahangir, the chairperson of the Human Rights Commission: “For too long the Pakistani state has protected people with extremist views… It is not just political parties. There are radicalised individuals, and supporters of militant groups within the judiciary, the education system, the bureaucracy and police as well.”
Pakistan: New Poll Shows 78 Percent of Pakistanis Support Death Penalty for Leaving Islam
— 83 percent support stoning adulterers
— Consistent with previous polls where 75 percent have called for implementation of strict Sharia law by Pakistan government
— Complete report
— Report page 3 — “The new poll finds broad support for harsh punishments: 78% favor death for those who leave Islam; 80% favor whippings and cutting off hands for crimes like theft and robbery; and 83% favor stoning adulterers.”
— Questions 62b, 62c, and 62d, page 17
— Page 18 – “only 16% of Pakistanis express a favorable view of the U.S.”
Pakistan: Human Rights leaders expect more attacks on Christians
More attacks on Christians feared
UCAN reports:
— “Peace activists predict that extremists may target more Christian communities unless the government changes its policies and laws.”
— “‘I am afraid to say it, but we may expect more attacks in areas where Christians are a sizeable number,’ said Father Emmanuel Yousaf Mani, national director of the Catholic Bishop’s National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP).”
— “According to advocate Mehboob Ahmed Khan of the HRCP, extremism is one of the major challenges facing the Muslim-dominated country. ‘More Christian settlements will be attacked, more blood will be spilled in coming months. The perpetrators will use the same old blasphemy laws as an excuse,’ he told the seminar participants.”
— “A press statement was also issued at the event in which the NCJP demanded the abolition of laws that provoke hatred, the amendment of discriminatory articles in the constitution, and the arrest of those who kill in the name of religion, among other matters.”
NYC: Protest at United Nations HQ against Extremist Religious Oppression and Blasphemy Laws
Reports on protests against religious oppression and blasphemy laws by Pakistan Christians and others at the United Nations HQ in NYC… as previously promoted — PLEASE SIGN online petition calling for end to Pakistan blasphemy laws and religious oppression
UPI report: “Pakistani Christians stage U.N. protest”
— UPI reports: “Pakistani Christians in New York demonstrated in front of the United Nations against the recent anti-Christian violence in Pakistan in which seven died.”
— “Protest leaders Wednesday condemned last week’s violence in Gojra district in the Punjab Province in which a Muslim mob, irate over alleged desecration of the Koran, attacked a Christian neighborhood. The Christians have denied the allegations.”
— “Besides seven Christians, three Muslims died in police firing to disperse the mob.”
— “The U.N. protest leaders urged the Pakistani government to institute special measures to protect minorities in the country, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported. They called for the repeal of Pakistan’s stringent blasphemy law, which can result in death for those insulting Islam.”
— “In a memorandum to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the protesters representing the Pakistan Christian Association in North America and the Christian Community in New York called for greater security for Christians and the release of those detained under the blasphemy law.”
— “The Pakistan Christian Post reported Canadians of Pakistani origin held a similar demonstration in front of the Islamic Foundation Center in Toronto, while Pakistani Christians in London held a day of mourning for those killed.”
— “The Catholic Leader reported Pope Benedict XVI deplored the killings of Christians and encouraged the minority community not be deterred by the attacks in efforts to help build a society that is marked by mutual respect among all its members.”
— Pakistani Christian rally by the UN — photos — Google web folder – Human Rights Coalition Against Radical Islam
HRCARI report: In addition to this report, we are told by HRCARI that about 50 Pakistan Christians and others attended this event.
— Pakistani Christian rally by the UN — photos — Google web folder
Selected photos from NYC U.N. Rally by Pakistan Christians and their supporters taken by Human Rights Coalition Against Radical Islam
Please also sign ONLINE PETITION showing your solidarity with protesters calling for an end to Pakistan’s blasphemy laws!
DC: “Black Day observation: Christians call upon the US & the EU to act against Pakistan Blasphemy Law” – Tejinder Singh
— Tejinder Singh’s report in the Examiner on “Black Day observation: Christians call upon the US & the EU to act against Pakistan Blasphemy Law” – on the August 10, 2009 Press Conference regarding Pakistan’s blasphemy law and religious discrimination and oppression of Christians
— Tejinder Singh: “August 11 was observed around the world as a ‘black day,’ a day of protest for some 20 million Christians in Pakistan and around the world who want the country’s blasphemy laws repealed for being a virtual ‘constitutional genocide'”
Pakistan: Some 20 million Christians to mark ‘black day’ against persecution in Pakistan
Pakistan’s Lahore: Christians took out protests and hoisted black flags to observe “Black Day”
— Petition Calling for End of “Blasphemy Laws” in Pakistan
— Amnesty International “urges govt to amend or abolish blasphemy laws”
— Govt may re-visit blasphemy law to prevent misuse
— State Minister for Interior Tasneem Ahmed Qureshi to call for “inquiry”
— April 21, 2009 – “Federal Shariat Court (FSC) ruling that the death penalty is the only punishment that Islamic law provides for blasphemy”
— April 16, 2008 – Pakistan National Assembly passes resolution calling for U.N. to impose death penalty internationally for blasphemy
Pakistan: Ahmedi Muslim Murdered
Pakistan: “Ahmediyya Community Murder in Pakistan”
— “Another member of the Ahmediyya community, Rana Ata-ul Karim (36) was killed on 6 August 2009 in Multan, Pakistan. He was murdered simply for being an Ahmedi, a minority sect of Islam. Mr Karim, a well educated agriculturist, left his home for a few minutes in the afternoon and returned to find that his wife had been locked in their bedroom by three young men who had forcibly entered his house. Mr Karim was shot 3 times and died on the spot. The assailants immediately fled the scene. Mr Karim is survived by his wife and two young daughters.”
Pakistan: Christians rally on ‘black day’ against Gojra killings
Pakistan Daily Times reports:
— “Christians took out a protest rally on Tuesday, as they observed a ‘black day’ against the Gojra killings, and demonstrated against the police for not arresting the accused.”
— “Different minority groups and leaders, including the Pakistan Christian National Party (PCNP), the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), Father Morris Jalal, Father Joseph Francis and a large number of minority representatives took part in the march. PCNP and CLAAS members marched from the Lahore Press Club to the Punjab Assembly (PA). The protesters chanted slogans condemning the Gojra killings, and demanded that the accused be arrested.”
— “Francis said the state had failed to protect the minorities and he would raise the issue in the human rights conferences of the European Union and United Nations. He said August 11 was a significant day, as the Quaid-e-Azam had delivered a speech on the day saying the minorities would be protected. He said the government had failed the minorities. He said the minorities demanded that the local district coordination officer (DCO) and the Gojra district police officer (DPO) be arrested for failing to protect the Christians. CLAAS Programme Officer Katherine Sapna said clauses like 295(b) and (c) were not only discriminatory against the Christians, but were also used against Muslims, and the government should look into the matter immediately.”
— “Another protest of the minorities, led by Father Morris Jalal started from Bihar Colony and reached the Press Club. The protesters held placards and banners, and chanted slogans against the government for failing to protect the minorities. The protesters said they would continue to protest if the government did not arrest the accused. Later, a special prayer was held in memory of the victims of Gojra.”
Pakistan Christian Post reports: Pakistani Christians Protest Violence with ‘Black Day’