Christians massacred in Pakistan (CARE TO SAY ISLAM IS PEACEFUL AGAIN?)

BBC ^ | October 28, 2001 | BBC

[MadIvan]

Unidentified masked gunmen on motorcycles have opened fire indiscriminately on worshippers in a church in eastern Pakistan, killing at least 16 people.

Police say dozens more are seriously injured.

The attack took place during a service attended by over 100 people at a Roman Catholic church in the town of Bahawalpur, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of the city of Multan, in Punjab Province.

No one has so far said they carried out the attack, but officials said members of a banned Islamic group were under suspicion.

One witness said six men on three motorcycles rode up to Saint Dominic's Church and pulled out AK-47 assault rifles, shooting two police guards before entering the packed church.

"They were carrying bags and when they came they took out guns," the witness told Reuters news agency.

Survivors say the gunmen locked the church doors and sprayed fire at the Protestant congregation using the building at the time.

Terrified worshippers are said to have scrambled for cover, some taking shelter behind the altar.

Christians tense

The area has a history of tensions between Sunni and Shia Muslim extremists, and hundreds of Muslims have died in sectarian violence over the years.

But Sunday's shooting, police say, is the first such attack on Christians in the region, which is near the border with India.

Some Christians neighbourhoods had, however, already stepped their security.

The BBC's Susannah Price in Islamabad says there have been fears among the Christian community of a possible retaliation by Islamic extremists, following the US strikes on neighbouring Afghanistan.

Christians make up about 1% of Pakistan's 120 million population.

In 1997, Muslim rioters in southern Punjab burned and looted hundreds of Christians' homes and ransacked 13 churches and a school, accusing some Christians of committing blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed.

[MadIvan]

Similar things are occuring in Nigeria and Sudan. Anyone care to say how Islam is a religion of peace again? Bueller? Bueller?

Regards, Ivan

But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, "This was their finest hour."

Today is Trinity Sunday. Centuries ago words were written to be a call and a spur to the faithful servants of Truth and Justice: "Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour, and be in readiness for the conflict; for it is better for us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and our altar. As the Will of God is in Heaven, even so let it be." - Winston Churchill, 1940

This then, my lords and gentlemen, is the message which we send forth today to all states and nations, bound or free, to all the men in all the lands who care for freedom's cause. To our Allies and well-wishers in Europe, to our American friends and helpers drawing ever closer in their might across the ocean, this is the message-lift up your hearts, all will come right. Out of depths of sorrow and sacrifice will be born again the glory of mankind. - Winston Churchill, 1941

"What kind of a people do they think we are? Is it possible that they do not realize that we shall never cease to persevere against them until they have been taught a lesson which they and the world will never forget?" - Winston Churchill, 1941


LET US GO FORWARD TOGETHER - CLICK ABOVE!

[MadIvan]

Bump!

[GeronL]

I for one won't believe that anymore!

EDIC

[Hannie]

Oh, please! Just because there are a handful of incidents of some Muslims lashing out at Christians doesn't mean Islam is not a peaceful religion. There have been a handful of unfortunate Middle Easterners here in the U.S. that have been the victims of anti-Arab hatemongers. That certainly doesn't mean all Americans are anti-Arab! Same principle applies.

[GeronL]

Name one islamic arab nation that is a free and open society

[MadIvan]

Two weekends ago I went to Mass - the priest for that service had just come back from Nigeria. He told a harrowing tale of how Nigerian Christians had to literally stand in a ring around the church armed with spears to prevent a Muslim mob from burning it down.

If this were an isolated incident, you might have a point. But this sort of garbage is happening with a regular frequency that means you don't have a single bloody point.

Ivan

[randog]

But this sort of garbage is happening with a regular frequency that means you don't have a single bloody point.

When I was in the middle east (~10 years ago) I made the observation that religious intolerance was a sport over there. This is nothing new; it's just that the western press finally has an audience for it.

[Hannie]

So you're not taking into account the quite likely increased sensitivity and tension that exists between the two religions? I'm sure there are more of these incidents occuring now because of the war. To many people on the street over there it is presented as a war on Islam, and that's how some see it. So, statistically speaking, one would expect a rash of such incidents. I think. Just because a piece of fruit is an apple doesn't mean ALL fruits are apples.

[MadIvan]

Nonsense. This was happening throughout the Islamic world before the war. The war between the Christians and Muslims in Sudan, for example, has been raging for years. The intolerance in Nigeria is nothing new. Just our attention is drawn to it now. Islam is not a religion of peace. Maybe it says that it is, but the effect is the opposite of what it says.

Ivan

[tomkat]

just stumble upon FreeRepublic, did you ?

Hannie

member since October 9th, 2001

no accusations at this point, just healthy skepticism...

[Mr. Mulliner]

Agreed. At best, Islam is simply no deterrent to violence and war. It seems that wherever you find Islam and violence, the violence has a long history and Islam merely puts a new face on it. In parts of Africa where you find Muslims fighting Christians, you can go back and find a history of the same fights before any of the people involved were either Christian or Muslim. Arabs weren't real peaceful people before the prophet Mohammed came onto the scene.

On the other hand, many of the most peaceful nations on the earth were once terribly warlike until they became Christian. Scandinavia is a good example.

[Hannie]

skepticism concerning what?

[Mr. Mulliner]

Regarding post #10, my advice is to ignore it. Unfortunately there are some people here at FR who think they are part of the "un-welcome" committee. If you say something they disagree with, the first line of defense they will look for is your date of membership. If you're less than a month with us, they'll assume you're a disruptor. Ignore them. You're welcome here to speak freely.

[Hannie]

You state this as though Christians have always been peaceful! Whoa! Reread world history texts.

[Hannie]

Thank you for the explanation of post #10. I do appreciate it, and I blew it off. No biggie! :)

[twntaipan]

Oh please nothing...Muslims have been systematically slaughtering Christians (and others) in Sudan (to the tune of over a million dead Christians), Nigeria, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and now Pakistan.

Your moral equivalence reeks.

You are hereby awarded entrance to the Allah Apologists, a distinguished group of people whose heads remain in the sand about Islam, but who forever run off at the mouth about what they know nothing of.

[GeekDejure]

Christians massacred in Pakistan (CARE TO SAY ISLAM IS PEACEFUL AGAIN?)

Oak Hay . . . ISLAM IS PEACEFUL AGAIN

WAIT WAIT . . . PUT DOWN THOSE STONES . . . Geez . . . I wuz jus tryin tuh may kya happeee !!!

[Mr. Mulliner]

Good point about Nigeria. Right now we have a guy from Nigeria staying with us. He said that Christians for a long time were seen as passive and easy to harass. Who knows how many Christians were massacred by Muslims in the past? But more recently churches have taken to arms in an effort to protect themselves ("protect" being the operative word here). Of course, the way our press works, if one Christian uses those weapons against Muslims, that's more newsworthy than Muslims killing hundreds of Christians.

[Hannie]

Your argument is quite one-sided. Look through world history and you see many, many incidences and entire wars initiated by Christians in the attempt to spread "the word of God." Again, same thing applies to this Islam thing. Oh, and thank you for the name-calling and sarcasm. Duely noted.