Posted on 08/02/2009 5:22:59 PM PDT by Cindy
Note: The following text is a quote:
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Eight Pakistani Christians burned to death as Muslims torched 50 houses
-- Local Christians have refused to bury dead until Punjab Chief Minister visits them -- Pakistan Provincial Law Minister blames violence and killings on Police apathy
By Dan Wooding and Sheraz Khurram Khan Special to ASSIST News Service GOJRA, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- In a fresh incident of violence by hardline Muslims against Pakistani Christians at least eight Christians have been burned alive and many others injured as a Muslim mob estimated to be over 1500 in number set ablaze some fifty houses in a Christian colony in district Gojra of the province Punjab of Pakistan over blasphemy accusations on Saturday, August 1.
ANS has discovered that Muslims were protesting in Gojra city against blasphemy committed by Talib Masih and his son Imran Masih. Gojra is Tehsil (administrative division) of district Toba Tek Singh.
The Muslim agitation took an ugly turn when the Muslim mob which was armed with firearms and chemical explosives started marching towards the Christian colony in Gojra.
The Christian residents of the colony fled to safety and some took to the rooftops. As on the attack that took place on July 30 in Korian the Muslim mob set ablaze fifty houses in the Christian colony by using petrol and chemical bombs. The fire engulfed eight Christians including four women, a man, a child and two other persons whose identities could not be ascertained by ANS.
Hameed Masih, Safia Bibi, Hanifa Bibi and Asia are among the eight killed.
ANS has also discovered that Muslims and Christians traded aerial firing of rifles after Muslims launched the attack on Christians of Gojra. The Muslim mob plundered and ransacked over a hundred Christian houses before setting them on fire. The attack created a serious law and order situation in the area, prompting closure of petrol pumps and train services.
Television footage showed baton-wielding crowds running through the streets, blocking traffic and a railway line. Ransacked furniture lay outside blackened and burning homes, while a group of people rushed a man with burn injuries on a wooden hand-pulled cart through the streets.
Sources told ANS that the Inspector General of Police, Commissioner Faisalabad, Tahir Hussain Regional Police Officer, Ahmad Raza Tahir arrived at the scene of incident. The Inspector General of Police Punjab has suspended the Deputy Superintendent of the Police for failing to prevent this attack. Tehsil (administrative division) Municipal Officer, Rana Muhammad Nawaz suffered injuries during August 1 violence. Five Police officials also sustained injuries during the attack. A TV cameraman, Rasheed Anjum of AAJ TV was allegedly beaten by the police when he refused to stop covering the ghastly scenes of violence on August 1.
Talking to ANS by phone Pakistan Federal Minister for Minorities, Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti has vehemently condemned the latest attack on Christians of Gojra. " This is a sad and condemnable act of violence. We equally share the grief and sorrow with Christian community who have been targeted by extremists.
" The inquiry would be held at the top level to unmask perpetrators of Gojra and Korian village violence. The culprits would be arrested.
" This is yet another example of how the blasphemy laws are playing havoc with the lives of innocent Christians of Pakistan. Blasphemy laws are against the inter-faith harmony and national unity as they are being used by religious extremists to persecute and victimize religious minorities.
" This violence could have been averted if the local administration had taken stringent measures to protect the lives and properties of Christians.
" An inquiry would also be held against the administration's negligence in this matter. Pakistani minorities should forge unity in their ranks. They should pursue justice while remaining peaceful," said Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti.
Mr. Bhatti termed the latest incident of violence against Pakistani Christians as an attempt to hamper the peace-building efforts to promote inter-faith harmony and national unity.
ANS has learned that the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, a leading umbrella representative organization of all religious minorities of Pakistan is going to stage protest demonstrations across the country to press the authorities to arrest perpetrators of Korian village and Gojra violence on July 31 and August 1 respectively. Protest demonstration against worst kind of attacks on innocent Pakistani Christians are going to be held in Pakistani cities of Lahore, Faisalabad and Sargodha on August 2 (Sunday). Sources in the APMA ranks confided in ANS that the protest demonstrations would continue until perpetrators of violence against Christians are arrested.
Catholic Bishop Joseph Coutts along with some Catholic priests including Director of Faisalabad Diocese's Commission for Interfaith Harmony, Fr. Aftab James Paul, Fr. Pascal Paulus and Fr. Nisar Barkat visited the affected Christians and expressed solidarity with them. Bishop Joseph Coutts condemned the incident and appealed to the government to bring the culprits to justice. Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani have also condemned fresh incident of violence against Christians of Gojra.
Pakistan Provincial Law Minister of Province Punjab, Rana Sanaullah also joined the chorus of condemnation. Condemning back-to-back incidents of violence against Pakistani Christians the Minister reportedly said that the police did not play proactive role to avert the attacks which they were supposed to do. He further said in his statement that the attacks against Muslims were launched after rumours that Christians have committed blasphemy. According to media reports Chief Minister Punjab Mr. Shahbaz Sharif has said that those who have taken law into their own hands would be meted out strict punishment. Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik has reportedly said that the Inquiry Commission would probe into the attacks against Christians.
ANS has discovered that the affected Christians are without food, water, electricity and shelter. The situation in the area is tense and the Christians are in a state of fear and uncertainty. Security of Churches across Province Punjab in General and in district Toba Tek Singh has been put on high alert to avert any further possible eventuality. Rangers have been called in to control the law and order situation.
Some 200 Christian families lived in the colony that came under fresh Muslim attack on August 1. Pakistan High Court has taken Suo Moto action in the wake of fresh attack on Christians.
Dan Wooding, 68, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma of 46 years. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS); and US Bureau Chief for the Missionaries News Service (www.missionariesnews.tv) and Safe Worlds IPTV’s Faith, Hope and Charity channel. He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC., and now hosts the weekly "Front Page Radio" show on KWVE in Southern California and which is also carried on the Calvary Radio Network throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on UCB UK and Calvary Chapel Radio UK. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloidtotruth.com. E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com. ** You may republish this story with proper attribution. Send this story to a friend.
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They are a very peaceful people you know. That is why they are called the religion of peace.
A billion Hindus in India would find this incident not at all surprising...
More love from the “The Religion of Peace”. WAFJ/sarc
Previously...
Note: Photos included.
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2009/s09070226.htm
Friday, July 31, 2009
“60 Christian houses in Pakistan reduced to ashes by chemical bombs over blasphemy accusation
Pakistan Federal Minister for Minorities condemns violence, while some Christian villagers are missing after July 30 attack”
By Dan Wooding and Sheraz Khurram Khan
Special to ASSIST News Service
SNIPPET: “TOBA TEK SINGH, GOJRA, PAKISTAN (ANS) — In another shocking display of violence in Pakistan, Islamists set ablaze some 60 Christian houses in Korian village in Toba Tek Singh district on Thursday, July 30, 2009, at 9:00 pm Pakistan time after a blasphemy accusation was leveled against a young Christian boy, Imran Masih, and his father Talib Masih.
A house torched by Muslims
Eye-witnesses told ANS they could still see plumes of smoke rising from some houses of the village today (Friday, July 31.)
The trouble began for the Christian residents of Korian when Talib, a Christian vendor ignorantly brought home a piece of paper that had Quranic verses written on it, along with some other rough papers.
Talib’s children innocently ripped apart the paper not understanding its contents.
When some local Muslims found the torn pieces of paper, the anti-Christian hostility spread like a wildfire in the village.
Imran, one of the blasphemy-accused
Living up to their reputation of penalizing so-called “blasphemers”, local Muslim clerics accused the father and son of committing blasphemy and made inflammatory statements against the blasphemy-accused and incited Muslim residents of Korian and adjoining villages to attack the Christians of the village to avenge alleged blasphemy.
Some 500 Muslims from nearby villages of 95, 97 and 362 (J.B), who were armed with firearms and explosives, attacked the Christians of the village. The Christian residents fled to safety as Muslim clerics announced their verdict to “kill the blasphemers.”
The chemical used by the Muslim mob to set fire to Christian houses was so inflammable that it utterly destroyed the targeted houses. The Muslim mob also took away Christians’ cattle with them.”
Following in the footsteps of the murderous “prophet”.
"The chemical used by the Muslim mob to set fire to Christian houses was so inflammable that it utterly destroyed the targeted houses."
this will be happening in America if obamanation continues
Napalm?
I really don’t know Roger, but I do know the jihad is global so I am interested in finding out what these chemical bombs consist of.
Where is Obama, his silence is deafening. Maybe he is putting together another apology. I mean maybe if we say we are sorry and throw a few hundred billion more their way they will start to be nice.
My heart aches for their families. May God bless them and keep them. May the murdered receive Gods special blessing for standing strong in the faith of our Lord.
Too bad there doesn’t seem to be a way for Western countries to safeguard the Christian communities in cesspools like Pakistan.
Effing muslims make me sick.
Too bad someone didn’t decapitate their “prophet” before he started this cult. Would’ve saved the world a lot of trouble.
“My heart aches for their families. May God bless them and keep them. May the murdered receive Gods special blessing for standing strong in the faith of our Lord.”
YES, and may Jesus hear our prayers.
Amen.
I consider the American Press to be complicit in the perpetuation of these crimes. Not a word will be written about this in the MSM and they will one day be called before the judgment seat of Christ to answer for their deeds or lack thereof. If this were a Christian Leader that did these things, the world doesn't contain enough ink to print the words that would be penned describing the injustice. I hope that the press would one day realize they must account for their actions/inactions.
Note: Photos included.
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2009/s09080039.htm
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Pakistani Christian affectee of Gojra violence dies of heart attack
By Dan Wooding and Sheraz Khurram Khan
Special to ASSIST News Service
Muslims set ablaze some 50 houses in Gojra on August 1
GOJRA, PAKISTAN (ANS) — A Pakistani Christian affectee of Gojra violence has died of heart attack, ANS has learned.
According to the Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan (SLMP) Riaz, Masih, who the ministry interviewed on August 2 died of heart attack the other day.
Some eight Christians were killed in Gojra on August 1 when Muslim extremists set ablaze Christians’ houses.
Riaz, a retired government school teacher, has left behind three daughters and sons.
In an interview to the SLMP on August 2, Riaz had told the ministry that his house and shop were utterly destroyed during August 1 violence.
Sohail Johnson visits torched houses in Gojra
“He was very upset as he spoke about violence”, said the news release.
Riaz in his interview told the ministry that violent Muslims looted gold ornaments of his son’s wife.
The ministry claimed that Riaz suffered a fatal heart attack because Muslims had plundered his life-time savings, which, he thought he would be able to use to marry off one of his daughters.
The ministry claimed that it has a video recording of Riaz Masih’s interview in which he spoke about atrocious attack of Muslims.
Sohail Johnson, the Chief Coordinator of the SLMP directed two activists of the ministry to console Raiz Masih’s family and extend moral support to them.
The family members of the deceased are taking refuge at some their relative’s house in Christian colony Gojra.
The SLMP is deliberating to provide financial support to Riaz Masih’s daughters.
The ministry has urged its friends and prayer partners to pray for aggrieved family of Riaz Masih.
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