Pakistani Mob Destroys Churches
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SANGLA HILL, Pakistan – A mob destroyed Christian churches and schools close to the venue of the next cricket Test between England and Pakistan, giving rise to fears yesterday about the English players’ safety.
The violence broke out in Sangla Hill in Punjab on Saturday when Muslim preachers urged people to “take revenge” after a Christian allegedly burned pages of the Koran.
Hundreds of Christians fled the town as a crowd thousands strong, wielding axes and sticks, set fire to five churches, a dozen houses, three schools, a dispensary, a convent, and two parsonages.
The attacks were the worst on Pakistan’s Christian community since 2002, when Muslim fanatics led an assault on a church with grenades on Christmas Day. Three young girls were killed in that attack, at Chianwala, 40 miles north of Lahore.
The England team, which is in the middle of the first Test in Multan, is due to start the second in Faisalabad, 30 miles from Sangla Hill, next Sunday.
Pakistan’s Cricket Board said there were no plans at present to change the venue.
“We have been assured by the gov ernment that the situation in Sangla Hill is under control and that it was an isolated incident that does not affect Faisalabad,” it said.
Christian leaders from across Pakistan gathered in Sangla Hill to show support for victims of the attacks and criticized the government for lack of action.
The chairman of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, Shahbaz Bhatti, denied the Koran burning claim.
“This was a blatant act of religious terrorism,” he said. “It was organized by an Islamist extremist group who had designs of destroying the Christian community.
“The police stood by and ignored pleas for help, meaning that they too are culprits in this conspiracy.”
The police said they had arrested about 90 people for rioting, violence, and vandalizing Christian property.
A Christian accused of desecrating the Koran, Yousaf Masih, was detained. Under blasphemy law, the crime carries the death sentence.
President Musharraf has pledged to crack down on Islamic extremists who have strong links with radicals sympathetic to Al Qaeda.
