Pak Christians continue to receive threats by Muslim extremists

[dhj786]

Pakistan Christians celebrate Christmas in fear | ajc.com

GOJRA, Pakistan — No Christmas decorations brighten the tent camp sheltering Christians left homeless by the worst violence against minorities in Pakistan this year. Instead, there is a pervasive sense of fear.
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A Pakistani Christian boy has his hair cut prior to Christmas in Islamabad, Pakistan Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009. The Pakistani Christian leadership have decided to celebrate Christmas cautiously due to ongoing violence by alleged militants and attacks on the Christian community in Gojra left six people people dead and burned 40 houses in August 2009. (AP Photo/B.K.Bangash)

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Pakistani Christians prepare for Christmas in Islamabad, Pakistan Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009. The Pakistani Christian leadership have decided to celebrate Christmas cautiously due to ongoing violence by alleged militants and attacks on the Christian community in Gojra left six people people dead and burned 40 houses in August 2009. (AP Photo/B.K.Bangash)

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http://www.ajc.com/multimedia/dynamic/00357/Pakistan_Christmas__357438l.jpg
Pakistani Christians prepare for Christmas in Islamabad, Pakistan Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009. The Pakistani Christian leadership have decided to celebrate Christmas cautiously due to ongoing violence by alleged militants and attacks on the Christian community in Gojra left six people people dead and burned 40 houses in August 2009. (AP Photo/B.K.Bangash)

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In this photo taken Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009, Pakistani Christian children look on while playing at the Christian neighborhood in Gojra, Pakistan. There are no Christmas decorations among the tents housing dozens of Christian families left homeless by the worst violence against minorities in Pakistan this year. Instead, there isa pervasive sense of fear. They have been threatened with a “special Christmas present,” they say, and are terrified of their tents being torched or their Christmas services being bombed. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

The Christians have received cell phone text messages warning them to expect a “special Christmas present,” they say, and are terrified of their tents being torched or their church services being bombed.
“Last year I celebrated Christmas full of joy,” said Irfan Masih, cradling his young son among the canvas shelters and open ditches of the camp. But now "the fear that we may again be attacked is in our hearts.
“They are threatening us, (saying) ‘We will again attack you and will not let you out of homes, we will burn you inside this time,’” he said.
It was the fires that most traumatized Gojra’s Christian Colony, a neighborhood in the heart of this Punjabi city about 220 miles (354 kilometers) southwest of Islamabad. In early August, hundreds of Muslims rampaged through the dirt streets, looting and torching homes as panicked residents tried to flee and thick black smoke rose into the air.
Eight Christians died — seven of them from one family trapped in a burning home.
“We are going to celebrate Christmas in sorrow because the whole family is hurt by this,” said Almas Hameed, whose father was shot dead during the riots. His wife, two of his children and members of his brother’s family all burned to death.
The attack, which officials said was incited by a banned radical Islamist group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, followed rumors that Christians had torn pages of a Quran, an act considered sacrilegious by Muslims. The ensuing carnage drew condemnation from the Pope and Pakistan’s prime minister, and highlighted how religious extremism has left the country’s minority groups increasingly vulnerable.
Christians — Protestants and Catholics among them — make up less than 5 percent of Muslim-majority Pakistan’s 175 million people.
Christians say more than 100 homes were burned and looted in Gojra and the nearby village of Korian. While many homes have been rebuilt using state money, dozens of families are still living in tents, waiting for construction on their houses to finish.
Both those who have moved back into their homes and the ones still in the camp say they are still regularly threatened — phone calls telling them to stop pressing for those responsible to be convicted, or else; armed men turning up at their homes; text messages on their cell phones promising a “special Christmas present;” rocks thrown at the tents in the night.
“When we sleep at night the fear never leaves our heart,” said Safia Riaz, a 30-year-old whose father died of a heart attack during the riots. The violence “has stuck in our minds. Tension remains — God forbid that it will happen again.”
Strict security was being put into place during Christmas, said police officer Mohammed Tahir of the Faisalabad regional police headquarters, who rejected claims that authorities were unable to protect the minority.
Security has been ramped up across the country anyway, as this year Christmas falls during the Islamic month of Muharram, which is often marred by bombings and fighting between Pakistan’s Sunni Muslims and its Shiite minority.
But Gojra’s Christians have little faith in the police, who were accused of standing by during the worst of August’s violence.
“The police already didn’t save us before,” said Ashar Faras, a 33-year-old who works as a chef in an Islamabad guesthouse.
Pastor Safraz Sagar, a local clergyman who also lost his home in the riots, believes there is little authorities can do. “They are trying to protect us, but I think that when the terrorists want to harm us, they will.”
Many complain they see no justice, noting that there have been no convictions of anyone involved in the rioting. They say those who led the mob are well-known in the town, but are left untouched.
Extremists have increasingly targeted minority religious groups in Pakistan. Minority Rights Group International, a watchdog organization, lists Pakistan as seventh on the list of 10 most dangerous countries for minorities, after Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar and Congo.
The government stresses it is committed to minority rights.
“Today, more than ever, we need to rediscover the path of peaceful coexistence,” Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said in a Christmas message, adding that the government is “committed to working for the progress and prosperity of the minorities.”
But in Gojra, few feel festive.
Bishop John Samuel, the region’s senior clergyman, said Christmas services would still be held.
However, “people are afraid because of this incident also because of this tussle, this tension,” he said.
“And also people are afraid from terrorism.”

Any Pakistani Muslims going to step up and protect them? I highly doubt it :rolleyes:

[CM]

Re: Pak Christians continue to receive threats by Muslim extremists

Political issue - please move to Pakistan Affairs.

[happyheart]

@dhj786

Pakistan Christians celebrate Christmas in fear | ajc.com

Any Pakistani Muslims going to step up and protect them? I highly doubt it

Oh thank God you are back i was worried you were kidnapped by Taliban.
Shukkar hai Allah ka you are save and back again at work and doing what you are good at:
spreading filthy lies about islam and pakistan.

well since its christmas i will be nice and ask you what are YOU doing to protect these people?
What concrete step did you take to protect these poor Pakistani Christians?

What i did? Well i have made many items for television wherein Pakistani christians can convey their worries. What did you do execpt whining here on gs??/

[dhj786]

@happyheart

Oh thank God you are back i was worried you were kidnapped by Taliban.
Shukkar hai Allah ka you are save and back again at work and doing what you are good at:
spreading filthy lies about islam and pakistan.

well since its christmas i will be nice and ask you what are YOU doing to protect these people?
What concrete step did you take to protect these poor Pakistani Christians?

What i did? Well i have made many items for television wherein Pakistani christians can convey their worries. What did you do execpt whining here on gs??/

There you go again with your notion that Pakistan “pure” and “perfect”. God, you are as bad as Americans who think America has done no wrong.

It is no surprise that Pakistan continues to rank low when it comes to religious freedom and the treatment of religious minorities. Once you admit to the fact that you have been deceived, then we can go somewhere.

So excuse me if I want to bring awareness to how Christians in Pakistan are being under threat by the same people most Pakistani Muslims REFUSE to condemn (simply because they are attacking “kaffirs”), while most here continue to claim the West is much worse

And yes, I know there are other countries that are guilty of oppressing religious minorities, but Muslim nations as a whole rank pretty low. Try being an Iraqi Christian celebrating Christmas or an Iraqi Shi’a celebrating Ashura under fear by extremists and the Muslim persecution complex involving European societies do not hold much water.

[dhj786]

@CM

Political issue - please move to Pakistan Affairs.

Where were you when Gaza threads were being made in ‘All Views’?

http://www.paklinks.com/gs/search.php?searchid=2560005

You’re offended just because you have a soft spot for these people.

[ehsan]

@dhj786

Pakistan Christians celebrate Christmas in fear | ajc.com

Any Pakistani Muslims going to step up and protect them? I highly doubt it

Pakistani Muslims are being threatened and killed daily by these terrorists. i don’t see you opening threads about them. Any voilence against any Pakistani is despicable and perpetrators should be dealt with accordingly. However equally condemnable are people who try to take advantage of such situations and flame hatred.

[happyheart]

@dhj786

There you go again with your notion that Pakistan “pure” and “perfect”. God, you are as bad as Americans who think America has done no wrong.

It is no surprise that Pakistan continues to rank low when it comes to religious freedom and the treatment of religious minorities. Once you admit to the fact that you have been deceived, then we can go somewhere.

So excuse me if I want to bring awareness to how Christians in Pakistan are being under threat by the same people most Pakistani Muslims REFUSE to condemn (simply because they are attacking “kaffirs”), while most here continue to claim the West is much worse

And yes, I know there are other countries that are guilty of oppressing religious minorities, but Muslim nations as a whole rank pretty low. Try being an Iraqi Christian celebrating Christmas or an Iraqi Shi’a celebrating Ashura under fear by extremists and the Muslim persecution complex involving European societies do not hold much water.

Well excuuuse me i asked you something and you did not anwser me
what did you do in REAL/Practically to solve the problem?

we all know what problems pakistanis and pakistani christians are facing in Pakistan. we dont need YOU to tell us that.

Again what are u doing to protect the Christians? Instead of copy paste on gs??

[CM]

Re: Pak Christians continue to receive threats by Muslim extremists

Err...I was enjoying life. Regardless political issue, move to Pakistan Affairs.

[AzJaKa]

@dhj786

Where were you when Gaza threads were being made in ‘All Views’?

http://www.paklinks.com/gs/search.php?searchid=2560005

You’re offended just because you have a soft spot for these people.

He here goes again with accusing other of having soft corner for THESE people.
Thats all you have to add to the discussion? Your not very intelligent are you?

[dhj786]

@AzJaKa

He here goes again with accusing other of having soft corner for THESE people.
Thats all you have to add to the discussion? Your not very intelligent are you?

CM is one of those delusional people who thinks the Pak Taliban is sponsored by Indians while ignoring the fact that mosques in Iraq have been bombed by those who are deemed ‘mujahideen’. Christians are routinely persecuted and murdered by Muslim extremists. But hey, since they are ‘oppressed’ by the 'kuffar, it is perfectly acceptable to kill these ‘agents of Crusaders’, some might argue.

Try spending some time on Islamic extremist sites such as IslamicAwakening to see what they think. There are Pakistanis on those sites who refer to the Pakistani Army as the “Na-Pak” army, yet these naive Pakistanis would want to side with them as long as they don’t attack Pakistan

[dhj786]

Well excuuuse me i asked you something and you did not anwser me what did you do in REAL/Practically to solve the problem?

*we all know what problems pakistanis and pakistani christians are facing in Pakistan. we dont need YOU to tell us that. *

Again what are u doing to protect the Christians? Instead of copy paste on gs??

Then what the HELL are you doing about it? Pakistanis protest in droves over Gaza yet turn around and allow its minorities to be slaughtered without any outrage.

How about you acknowledge the fact that Pakistan has a lot of problems with religious tolerance, especially at the societal level?

[happyheart]

@dhj786

CM is one of those delusional people who thinks the Pak Taliban is sponsored by Indians while ignoring the fact that mosques in Iraq have been bombed by those who are deemed ‘mujahideen’. Christians are routinely persecuted and murdered by Muslim extremists. But hey, since they are ‘oppressed’ by the 'kuffar, it is perfectly acceptable to kill these ‘agents of Crusaders’, some might argue.

Try spending some time on Islamic extremist sites such as IslamicAwakening to see what they think. There are Pakistanis on those sites who refer to the Pakistani Army as the “Na-Pak” army, yet these naive Pakistanis would want to side with them as long as they don’t attack Pakistan

No you are one of those delusional people who thinks all Pakistanis are pro Taliban or against Pakistani Christians.

[dhj786]

Pakistani Muslims are being threatened and killed daily by these terrorists. i don't see you opening threads about them. Any voilence against any Pakistani is despicable and perpetrators should be dealt with accordingly. However equally condemnable are people who try to take advantage of such situations and flame hatred.

Actually, I have.

But they are not dealt with accordingly, that's the problem. The police are so corrupt and some Pakistanis have a soft spot for these people who are also killing other Pakistani Muslims. They have a soft spot for them because they share the same goals of implementing their draconian version of Islam on the country.

[dhj786]

@happyheart

No you are one of those delusional people who thinks all Pakistanis are pro Taliban or against Pakistani Christians.

If they aren’t, then explain this:

Pakistan: New Poll Shows 78 Percent of Pakistanis Support Death Penalty for Leaving Islam :: Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)

And if they are not against Pak Christians, then how come very little outrage is stemmed from Muslims? Where’s your beloved Zaid Hamid or Ahmed Quraishi out to speak out against attacks on Christians and Shi’as? The only form of sympathy Christians received were from Shi’as after the Bahawalpur killings a few years back. What does that tell you?

[happyheart]

Actually, I have.

But they are not dealt with accordingly, that's the problem. The police are so corrupt and some Pakistanis have a soft spot for these people who are also killing other Pakistani Muslims. They have a soft spot for them because they share the same goals of implementing their draconian version of Islam on the country.

Well you are Pakistani also arent you?
Just think before you write something please you said it yourself SOME ... there will also be SOME in every society who will be backing evil people.

But it seems you are deliberately haunting Pakistan and Islam what is your probleM? Any deep deep issues when you were child? No joke i mean it seriously aise hota hai sometimes when koye trauma ho bachpan mein then it has effect when u get older. Share it with us please we might help you.

[dhj786]

@happyheart

Well you are Pakistani also arent you?
Just think before you write something please you said it yourself SOME … there will also be SOME in every society who will be backing evil people.

But it seems you are deliberately haunting Pakistan and Islam what is your probleM? Any deep deep issues when you were child? No joke i mean it seriously aise hota hai sometimes when koye trauma ho bachpan mein then it has effect when u get older. Share it with us please we might help you.

Honest question: why are you so allergic to discussing the problems that plague Muslim societies? Should we just sweep them under the rug so no one knows about them?

I don’t get your types, always mired in denial. Like I said earlier, you’re as bad as gung-ho Americans who think America is perfect and never do any wrong.

Most Muslims don’t like Pakistan either (and I’m not talking Afghan or Indian Muslims either), what do you say to them? Why is it that Pakistan has become a hub, a global epicenter, of Islamic extremism? Are you PROUD of that status? Be honest, do you enjoy the fact that so many terrorist attacks and plots are always pointed to Pakistan? There are even a few people here who think the FATA foreign fighters are our “brothers”.

[happyheart]

@dhj786

Honest question: why are you so allergic to discussing the problems that plague Muslim societies? Should we just sweep them under the rug so no one knows about them?

I don’t get your types, always mired in denial. Like I said earlier, you’re as bad as gung-ho Americans who think America is perfect and never do any wrong.

Most Muslims don’t like Pakistan either (and I’m not talking Afghan or Indian Muslims either), what do you say to them? Why is it that Pakistan has become a hub, a global epicenter, of Islamic extremism? Are you PROUD of that status? Be honest, do you enjoy the fact that so many terrorist attacks and plots are always pointed to Pakistan? There are even a few people here who think the FATA foreign fighters are our “brothers”.

You will never get my type a people because you don’t want to understand us. Its not your objective to solve problems but only create problems.
You never come up with solutions only copy paste your problemse and you want others to solve it FOR you.

You love Taliban so much and you get so much satisfaction out of talking about Taliban and Extremists that i wonder if you are not one of them.

This thread was about Christians in Pakistan and you still did not reply to me what i asked you. Always ducking questions and never anwsering is one of your habbits i am afraid. If you want a dialogue then start talking and stop complaining and generalising. Come up with solutions.

What did you do in your life time to help Pakistani Christians? Any prove …besides copy pasting here on gs? Give references what have you done lately to help the poor Christian society who is being harrasses by extremist Muslims in Pakistan.

Moi? oh well i just come back from dinner with only Pakistani-christian Padri in Netherlands and i did spend 2 hours with the family talking about Christmas and how they will celebrate it and what they miss about Christmast celebration in Pakistan …etc.

I do that every year and i meet them many times a year to discuss the on going issues and we try to figure out how we can solve the problems peacefully.

What did you do in your lifetime but nagging non stop like a baby??!!!

[Nosherwan]

This is disguisting and brings shame and dishonour to our country Pakistan and to our religion Islam.

Terrorist scum will burn in Hell, they deserve the worst possible punishment, they target not only Christians but also Muslims, all Pakistanis regardless of religion should stand united against them.

I don’t agree with the sacrilege of any religious scripture whether it be the Noble Quran or the Holy Bible but in Islam you can’t hold someone responsible for a crime without evidence (even then it’s the bussiness of the state and not for the people to take the law into their own hands) and you can’t punish an entire group for the actions of a few people.

dhj786 can be a bit annoying at times, and half the time he chats bull feces just to annoy us all but now and then he raises some important points, we Pakistanis (like other South-Asians) do have a problem, it’s time we acknowledged it, if we don’t only we will suffer, we are so emotional about our religion that we end up actually going against it in our emotions. Instead of following our emotions we should follow Quran and Sunnah.

Our Prophet who was sent as the Rehmat Al-Aalameen (Mercy to the Universes) said:

“He who hurts a Dhimmi hurts me, and he who hurts me annoys Allah.”

**“Whoever hurts a Dhimmi, I am his adversary, and I shall be an adversary to him on the Day of Resurrection” **

**“On the Day of Judgment, I will dispute with anyone who oppresses a person from among the People of the Covenant, or infringes upon his right, or puts a responsibility on him which is beyond his strength, or takes something from him against his will” **

“Whoever makes a snide comment to a Dhimmi has earned Hell.”

“Whoever makes a snide comment to a Jew or a Christian deserves Hell.”

“Whoever killed a mu’aahid (person under peace covenant) will not smell the fragrance of Paradise, although its fragrance may be detected from a distance of forty years’ travel.”

Dhimmi = Protected Person: Non-Muslim citizen of the Islamic state

Nobody deserves to live in fear (I was reading passages from the Anne Frank diary last night and it makes you cry)…

We know how awful it is to be a hated minority with so much Islamaphobia, we western Pakistanis should do something to tackle this kind of thing in the country of our origin because we feel their pain…

Pakistani Christians are not responsible for America’s colonist agendas, in Islam no soul shall bare the burden of another.

Just as we Western Muslims don’t like it when we are made to bare the brunt for the actions of terrorists, Pakistani Christians shouldn’t have to bare the brunt for America’s foreign policieies and its colonist agendas.

Minorities can have it really hard whether it’s Muslims in Russia, Muslims in India (Gujarat etc.), Non-Muslims in Muslim countries… As Muslims it’s our duty to condemn the bad even if it’s committed by those of our religion.

[Xenophanez]

Re: Pak Christians continue to receive threats by Muslim extremists

Dhj786, from your past record on GS it seems like you are obsessed with Muslim extremism. There are many issues in Pakistan and world & many are discussed here, but all your contribution is limited to either maligning muslims or Pakistan, covertly and openly.
I am closing this thread now. You are welcome to contribute in other issues but if you continue with your this obsession then I will have no other choice than restricting your access to forums.

Froum policy clearly says that Paklinks will not support persistent targeting of a religion or group based on personal hate/disliking.