Government provides response following mob attack resulting in destruction of more than 80 Christian residences

Police officials and residents stand amid debris outside the torched Saint John Church in Jaranwala on the outskirts of Faisalabad on August 17, 2023, a day after an attack by Muslim men following the spread of false accusations that Christians had desecrated a copy of the Quran, the Islamic holy book. Police were guarding a Christian neighborhood in central Pakistan on August 17, after hundreds of Muslim men rampaged through its streets, setting fire to churches and ransacking homes over accusations of blasphemy a day earlier. | Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images

The Voice of the Martyrs is helping displaced Christians hit by mob violence last month in Jaranwala, Pakistan, where 25 churches and at least 80 homes in the minority community were destroyed.

In Jaranwala city in Pakistan’s Punjab province, thousands of Muslims armed with batons and sticks destroyed churches, looted homes and desecrated a Christian cemetery in a violent attack lasting over 10 hours on Aug. 16, sparked by an allegation of blasphemy against two local Christians.

After the attack, the Christian ministry’s contacts in Pakistan “went to Jaranwala to encourage Christians affected by this violent attack and assess the best ways VOM could provide help and assistance,” the group announced in a statement sent to The Christian Post.

The contacts helped “Christians and pastors who had lost their homes find food and shelter.”

“Pray for front-line workers ministering to families who have lost everything in this attack,” VOM spokesperson Todd Nettleton said in a statement. “Pray God will meet the needs of Christians affected by the violence. Pray that government leaders will intervene to protect Christians and that the attackers will be held accountable.”

The incident was triggered by allegations that torn and defaced pages of the Quran were found. Local mosques amplified calls for revenge through loudspeakers and social media.

Two Christian brothers — Rocky Masih and Raja Masih — were arrested on blasphemy charges, and over 140 people have been detained for participating in the violence.

Witnesses claim that police watched the violence unfold without intervening. Many Christian families, having been warned in advance, fled their homes to seek shelter with friends or relatives. Police have denied these allegations, stating they prevented a worse situation.

Under Pakistan’s blasphemy law, the arrested Christian brothers could face the death penalty, although no one has been executed for blasphemy in the country.

Since 1990, at least 65 people have been killed extrajudicially over blasphemy allegations, according to the Centre for Social Justice.

Pakistan carries a “restricted nation” designation in VOM’s Global Prayer Guide, indicating government-sanctioned harassment or anti-Christian laws.

About 98% of Pakistanis are Sunni and Sufi Muslims, while the remaining 2% are Christians living in closed neighborhoods known as colonies.

Most victims are sanitary workers living in cramped homes. Some are now sheltering in a government school or with relatives.

Clerics from the far-right Islamist political party Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan allegedly led the campaign, resulting in the violence. The party has denied these claims.

The violence followed the passage of two bills that have raised concerns among Christian and civil society groups. The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act 2023 increases punishment for blasphemy offenses.

Rights organizations criticize Pakistan’s blasphemy laws as they are often abused against religious minorities for personal gain. Between 2020 and 2022, at least 463 people were accused of blasphemy in Pakistan, according to the Centre for Social Justice.

The blasphemy ban was expanded in the 1980s under military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq. The British government enacted the original laws in the late 19th-century colonial era to prevent interfaith conflicts.