Muslim mob attacks Christians in Pakistan over blasphemy allegations

A Christian community was attacked by a violent Muslim mob in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province on Saturday. The violence was instigated by a local cleric who made accusations of blasphemy and resulted in significant violence and property damage. Social media videos showed scenes of chaos, including a mob surrounding a bloodied man and teenagers destroying furniture.

The mob in Mujahid Colony in the city of Sargodha claimed that a 70-year-old Christian had desecrated a copy of the Quran, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported, adding that the attack was carried out “at the instigation of a local cleric”.

As DW reported, the mob’s anger led to the man’s small shoe factory being burned down.

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Tehreek-e-Labbaik extremists vandalised Nazir Masih’s house and set fire to his shoe factory. His factory goods were also looted by Muslims who tried to break into his house. The situation is extremely tense. #Blasphemy#Sargodha#Pakistan#TLPpic.twitter.com/RwibjlIPWj

— Faraz Pervaiz (@FarazPervaiz3) May 25, 2024

Faraz Pervaiz shared footage of the unrest on X and said: “An extremist Muslim mob from Tehreek-e-Labbaik attacked Christians in Majaheed Colony Sargodha, vandalised several churches and set fire to dozens of houses after accusing a Christian of desecrating the Quran.”

The Christian Post could not confirm the authenticity of the footage shared on social media.

Sargodha police chief Sariq Khan was quoted as saying that at least five people were rescued from the violence and taken to hospital, noting that the rioters also pelted stones and bricks at the police.

District police chief Ijaz Malhi said the situation was finally brought under control. He added that the man accused of blasphemy was in custody and an investigation was underway. He added that police were deployed across Sargodha to protect the Christian community.

“Thanks to the timely intervention of the police, Sargodha was spared a major tragedy,” the police statement said. More than 2,000 officers were on security duty to ensure that no further violence occurred.

However, footage of the incident shared on social media showed a large fire outside a house. The police chief denied the authenticity of these videos, claiming they were “fake videos.” He insisted that no one was injured. A relative of an injured person contradicted this statement, saying that his uncle was in critical condition in the hospital and the family was not allowed to visit him.

A statement from the Minority Rights March pointed to videos showing a mob attacking a 70-year-old man at the instigation of a local cleric while setting fire to the man’s house and factory. They accused the Punjab police of being passive observers during the attack, suggesting tacit approval of the violence.

A Punjab Home Department official, Noor-ul-Amin Mengal, was quoted as saying, “Pakistan belongs to all of us. No injustice will be tolerated under the guise of religion. Action will be taken as per law after a thorough investigation.”

To assess the situation, the establishment of a District Peace Committee was announced, composed of officials and religious scholars from both Muslim and minority communities.

Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which can impose the death penalty for insulting Islam, have frequently led to mob violence.

In August 2023, attacks on Christians occurred in the town of Jaranwala, where churches and houses were set on fire after two local Christians were accused of blasphemy.

In December 2021, a mob killed a Sri Lankan man over blasphemy allegations. Although there were arrests, there were no changes to the law to curb false accusations.

Christians make up about 1.6% of Pakistan’s 241 million population.