Jaranwala: One year after August attacks, Christians are still not safe
16/08/2024, Author: John Pontifex
One year on from violence described as the worst outbreak of anti-Christian persecution in Pakistan, Church leaders say people are both terrified of more attacks and furious that culprits have not been brought to justice. Leading clergy in the Diocese of Faisalabad reported that security services warned Christians in Jaranwala against holding outdoor events on Friday the 16th August to mark the first anniversary of atrocities.
A church and Christian homes destroyed after mob violence against Christians in Jaranwala last year.
Last year, in a single day, a mob of thousands torched and ransacked more than 25 churches and at least 85 Christian homes in what Pakistan’s bishops called “the worst incident against Christians” in the country’s 77-year history. Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the Catholic charity for persecuted Christians, Bishop Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad said: “People are frightened and feeling hopeless because so far justice has not been given to them. Some people are angry and want to agitate. They demand that we act for justice but what can we do? Justice can only be given by the government. The culprits are mostly out on bail and this is upsetting the community.” He added: “The extremist groups want to take revenge. They feel that after what happened in Jaranwala they lost their reputation as good citizens. They lost their credibility.”
The first Holy Mass celebrated on the ashes of brutally burnt Christian area in Jaranwala.
Father Yaqub Yousif, the parish priest of Jaranwala, said that on today’s anniversary services would be held in churches but that government security services have warned against people gathering outside. Father Yousif and Father Boniface ‘Bonnie’ Mendes, a senior priest of Faisalabad diocese, echoed Bishop Rehmat’s dismay at the failure to bring to justice those involved in the violence. Father Yousif said: “People are disturbed by the lack of justice. They feel very insecure. If the institutions responsible for providing justice cannot help what can the people do as weak minorities? They are scared.”
According to latest reports from the National (Catholic) Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), the Church’s human rights organisation, only five of the 305 people arrested following the 16th August 2023 atrocity are still behind bars. The only person sentenced is Christian man Ehsan Shan who is serving life for blasphemy after being found guilty of sharing on social media an image of the desecrated Qur’an which triggered the violence. Father Yousif said: “I would like to make it clear that Christians never have any thought of showing disrespect either to the Qur’an or the prophet and would see absolutely no value in acts of desecration.” As many as 17 of the 25 First Information Reports brought in connection with the Jaranwala atrocity were registered by Christians and Father Yousif said that the faithful had been gradually dropping charges in response to violent threats.
Christians in Jaranwala praying in thanksgiving for the aid supplied by Aid To The Church In Need earlier this year.
Speaking on a visit to ACN UK’s office, Father Mendes said: “Justice has not been served in the last 12 months. The right people should have been sentenced but this has not happened. The government has been so weak. It is afraid to act. We feel more and more that the government is helpless. It means the Christian community tends to be more and more inward-looking and want to leave the country.” NCJP executive director Naeem Youssif Gill said: “Justice should be implemented with a spirit of justice, equality and based on the law. Steps such as stopping provocation through loudspeakers, banning extremist outfits and seizing the hate-mongering literature must be intensified and evaluated, and their success must be ensured.”
The Pakistani government acted fast to compensate people affected by the attacks but the NCJP reports that only 26 of the 86 houses damaged in the attacks have been renovated. But Bishop Rehmat said early on he stopped the government-sponsored church repairs, saying contractors were doing a bad job and failing to repair rooves, leaving the buildings unsafe. Nineteen of the 26 churches targeted have been repaired, with the NCJP reporting that most of the renovation had been carried out by the Christian communities themselves. The Diocese of Faisalabad asked ACN to provide immediate aid to 464 families who had lost everything. They needed clothes, beds, cooking equipment, school supplies for 200 children and even 30 rickshaws and 50 motorbikes for the drivers and deliverymen whose vehicles had been destroyed in the attacks. These were all provided.
Some of the Christians in Jaranwala receiving aid, pictured alongside Bishop Joseph Indrias Rehmat.
Bishop Rehmat went on to praise ACN for providing emergency support for affected families returning home, including providing basic household items for kitchens and bathrooms, furniture, and autorickshaws and other transport for taxi drivers and others needing to restart their businesses. He said: “On behalf of the Jaranwala community – those who were victims on the day – and the whole diocese, I would like to thank ACN and the generous benefactors who have responded to our needs. They share our mission. From the core of my heart, I would like to thank each member of ACN. Through their continued help, may they go on to help more people in need.”