Pakistan: Three Girls Killed in Deadly Christmas Attack, Page 2

Pakistan: Three Girls Killed in Deadly Christmas Attack

This woman's feet were severely burned.

     Punjab Province, Pakistan, a United Presbyterian Church was attacked by armed assailants on December 25, 2002 around 8pm. The attackers threw grenades into the church, killing three girls: Razia Bibi (15), daughter of Ashiq Masih, Najma (10) and Shamila (8), daughters of Amanat Masih. Seventeen other people were injured, several of them seriously.

     Qari Afzal, a local Muslim cleric, and at least four others believed to be connected with the Jaish-e-Mohammed, an outlawed Islamic extremist group, were arrested in connection with the attack. A few weeks prior to the murderous assault on the church Afzal had encouraged members of his mosque to attack Christians. The Muttahida Majlis-I-Amal (MMA), a political Islamist coalition which recently gained power in the North West Frontier Province and Balochistan, is calling for the release of Afzal. The MMA also claims that the Christian community was responsible for the attack and has named three Christians as suspects. One of the accused Christians, Aslam Pervaiz Masih, filed the FIR (First Information Report) against Afzal three hours after the attack. Aslam suffered a severe eye injury as did one of the other accused men (See Blaming the Victims below for commentary).

     The federal government pledged 150,000 rupees ($ 2,500) in compensation to the families of the murdered girls and 50,000 rupees ($ 1,000) to the injured. The Punjab Provincial Government also announced compensation packages. However, no funds were
delivered until the families complained publicly during a press conference on January 20. Furthermore, a prime suspect in the attack, Rashid Mohammad, has yet to be arrested despite testimony of his involvement from several people.

     Currently, the Christian community is being threatened by militant organizations to stop pursuing justice. One pastor received a note saying, "Shut your mouth or we will shut your mouth." Some Christians have resisted being released from the hospital for fear of returning to their village. Reports also indicate that some Muslim vendors have refused to sell goods to Christians in Chianwali where there are approximately 20 Christian families living among 300 Muslim families.

Blaming the Victims

     While it seems ridiculous and incomprehensible that Christian victims could be blamed for violence against their own people, this accusation is not limited to Pakistan. In a similar case in Indonesia, Rev. Rinaldy Damanik of Tentena was arrested on September 9, 2002 on the charges of possessing weapons and provoking violent attacks in Central Sulawesi during August of 2002. However, the attacks in question were all carried out against Christian villages with Islamic jihad warriors as the recognized assailants. Astoundingly, instead of arresting the true culprits, Indonesian police arrested Rev. Damanik on trumped up charges. Adding insult to injury, they have continued to hold Rev. Damanik without any solid evidence of his participation in any violent acts. As if that were not sufficient, unknown parties poisoned Damanik while he was in police custody in Palu.

     Islamic extremists and those under their influence will go to any means to shift blame away from themselves and attempt to silence those who seek justice. As Christian believers we ought to follow the word of God: "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.' " (Zechariah 7:9) Our prayer is that ICC will be effective in speaking for persecuted believers who cannot speak for themselves in order that true justice will prevail. We also pray that you will be effective in carrying this message to your church, relatives and friends.

(Click here for more information on Pakistan.)

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POSTED:  February 26, 2003