Muslim mob attacks 3 churches after accusing Christian man of desecrating Quran in eastern Pakistan

From ABC News

MULTAN, Pakistan — A Muslim mob on Wednesday stormed a Christian locality in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, burning one church, damaging two others and demolishing the house of a man after accusing him of desecrating the pages of Islam’s holy book, police said.

The attack happened in the district of Faisalabad in eastern Punjab province, local police chief Rizwan Khan said. He said the mob attacked the Christian colony after some of the Muslims living nearby accused a local Christian, Raja Amir, and his friend of desecrating pages of the Quran.

Khan said the accusations angered Muslims who had begun gathering there, and the demonstrators then started attacking multiple churches before they were dispersed by police swinging batons.

According to Outlook India a fourth church was also damaged. 

According to Imran Bhatti, the pastor of the Jaranwala tehsil, as quoted by Pakistani media website Dawn.com, the Salvation Army Church, United Presbyterian Church, Allied Foundation Church and Shehroonwala Church in the Isa Nagri area in the Jaranwala district of Faisalabad were ransacked.

Videos and pictures were doing rounds on social media showing churches ransacked and torched by the angry mob. In one of the videos, an agitator was seen taking down the Christian cross from the roof of a church.

Punjab police chief Usman Anwar said the police were negotiating with the protesters and the area had been cordoned off. He said that they were engaging with peace committees to contain the situation and police across the province were activated. “The assistant commissioner of the area, a member of the Christian community, has also been evacuated after people turned against him,” the police chief added.

However, Christian leaders took to social media platforms alleging that police remained silent spectators.

“A church building is being burnt as I type this message. Bibles have been desecrated and Christians have been tortured and harassed having been falsely accused of violating the Holy Quran,” said President Bishop of the Church of Pakistan Azad Marshall in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We cry out for justice and action from law enforcement and those who dispense justice and the safety of all citizens to intervene immediately and assure us that our lives are valuable in our own homeland that has just celebrated independence and freedom,”