Punjab, Christians hunted for blasphemy: fireworks wrapped in Koran pages
Islamabad (
AsiaNews) - Two Pakistani Christians and their families are fleeing for their
lives after being accused of blasphemy against the Koran. The two
proclaim their innocence and fear for their lives.
Arif
Masih and Tariq Masih are owners of a store where they sell fireworks in Thatta
Faqirullah (Wazirabad , Punjab ) . On
October 27 they sold Muhammad Zahid a set of fireworks for his wedding party. Since
some of them failed to go off, some of the wedding guests opened them to see why
they did not work and found that the powders were wrapped in pages containing verses
of the Koran. The
discovery shocked the newlyweds and their guests who immediately destroyed the
store of both Christians and denounced the two to the police.
Tariq
Masih tells AsiaNews : "We do not manufacture fireworks, we buy them from
a factory near Gujranwala and we do not know what materials they use. Moreover,
these factories are owned by Muslims and no Christian works inside there."
Tariq
adds : "We have not even touched the pages of the Koran. The idea of using
these pages for fireworks is beyond all imagination because we are well aware
of the consequences."
The
people of Thatta Faqirullah did not believe the two Christians and called on
the police to arrest them and an exemplary punishment for those who insult
Islam. Several
have threatened that if the police do not act, they will hunt and kill them to
the two blasphemers themselves.
Arif
Masih and Tariq Masih, along with their families, fled from the area, fearing
for their lives.
Fr. George
James, of the Diocese of Sialkot, comments: "This is a sad incident that the
marginalized are being victimized, a poor vendor is being targeted for
something he has not done, the violent and aggressive mobs are hunting them
down to kill them. For how long will the minorities have to face the abuse of
the law? The concerned authorities should act responsibly and ensure that the
law and order situation remains in control and no innocent has to suffer".
In
Pakistan, the blasphemy law is often used against Christian minorities , Sikhs,
Ahmadis, but also against Muslims in order to pursue personal vendettas . Last
month a Christian was beheaded in Karachi, accused of blasphemy, for reasons
related to professional rivalry .
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