Several churches were set on fire and a cemetery was vandalized on Wednesday in eastern Pakistan by several hundred Muslim religious men, following allegations of a Christian family committing alleged blasphemy, as stated by the police and emergency services.
The attack was triggered when a group of religious extremists accused a local Christian family of desecrating the Quran. “Photos and videos of burned Quran pages were shared among residents, which caused an outcry,” said Rana Imran Jamil, spokesperson for the city’s emergency services, over the phone.
Armed with sticks and stones, men stormed the predominantly Christian neighborhood in the city of Faisalabad, the police in the area told AFP. In videos posted on social media, local Muslim leaders can be seen using loudspeakers to call for their followers’ assistance.
“The Christians desecrated the Quran. All the religious, all the Muslims must unite and gather in front of the mosque. It is better to die if you do not care about Islam,” a religious figure declares. In another video, the crowd demands that the alleged blasphemers be punished, while a cross is torn down from the top of a building.
Images also show smoke billowing from the church and furniture like beds and chairs being set on fire in the street. Four churches were set on fire, and no injuries have been reported, Rana Imran Jamil informed AFP.
