Subscribe to our news RSS feed 
Aid to the Church in Need UK's Ipadio channel
For the latest from the UK office's project trips, events and pilgrimages
Tagged with
Related country profiles
PAKISTAN: Hope rises from the ashes of despair
By John Pontifex
A map of Pakistan
Unparalleled public outrage has greeted attacks in Pakistan which left eight Christians dead – and has prompted new hopes of urgent changes needed to protect minority groups, the bishop at the centre of the crisis has told Aid to the Church in Need.
Since the violence in Punjab Province’s Gojra city, Pakistan’s media networks have given unprecedented coverage of public protests, strikes, prayer-meetings and visits to the affected region by some of Pakistan’s most important political and religious figures.
On a visit to Gojra last Thursday (6th August), Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced a review of laws relating to the treatment of religious minorities.
The move prompted some commentators to suggest that he may be considering a review of the Blasphemy Laws, which are widely seen as inciting hatred and bigotry.
In the latest incident, a 3,000-strong mob rampaged through Gojra’s Christian quarter on 1st August, in response to reports that children had cut up pages containing verses of the Qu‘ran.
The children were accused of inadvertently breaking Article 295-B of the Blasphemy Laws, which imposes the death sentence on people defiling the Muslim holy book.
After 10 days in the media spotlight, Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faisalabad – the diocese where the attacks took place – told Aid to the Church in Need that this was a rare opportunity for the Pakistan government to introduce changes to the laws.
He said: "This is exactly the right time for the government to review the Blasphemy Laws.
"At any other time, there would be a reaction against it on account of the need to protect the honour of Islam and the Prophet [Mohammad] but now people can see only too clearly the problems the laws cause – especially when they are misused."
The bishop added: "Of course by itself, changing the law is not enough. We need a sea-change in attitudes so people no longer react so emotionally when they feel their religion is not being shown the respect it is due.
"What we have witnessed over these past days could encourage people to think differently so that they don’t react so emotionally and so quickly and instead give time so that the legal authorities can investigate allegations."
The bishop underlined the struggle in bringing about "attitude change", especially after another spate of Blasphemy Law-related attacks over the past few days, including the killing of two workers at a leather factory in Muridke town, Punjab.
It was quickly followed by another accusation in nearby Sindh province where the house of a 60-year-old Muslim woman was attacked after a shopkeeper accused her of defiling the Qu‘ran.
Bishop Coutts's comments come as Pakistan prepared for its first Day for Minorities planned for today (Tuesday, 11th August). Since the attacks in Gojra the day has been designated for prayer and peaceful protests to encourage solidarity with Christians.
The bishop said: "There has been a tremendous response over all – in terms of solidarity and condolence – and this renews our hopes of finding a better future to protect minority groups."
The bishop has underlined the need to redouble efforts towards inter-faith cooperation, stressing that the ring-leaders for the attacks were extremists, many of them imported from other parts of the country.
It follows reports that among the 200 arrests following the attacks, five were from outside Punjab, including from the Swat Valley in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province, which has become a target for Taliban insurgency.
Meantime, bishops from Lahore, Multan and Karachi as well as Faisalabad have called for the repeal of Pakistan's Blasphemy Laws, backed up by the country's National Council of Peace and Justice, which has organised a petition for them to be overturned.
NGOs, charities and other organisations, including Aid to the Church in Need, have also called for the law to be overturned.
Aid to the Church in Need's statement about Pakistan's blasphemy laws said: "As long as these laws are in existence, Pakistan is trapped in an ever-deepening cycle of violence, misery and community breakdown.
"The laws’ misuse has meant that they have become an instrument of oppression, a club to beat those who are vulnerable."
Meantime, Christian schools across the country were closed for several days in an act of mourning and solidarity following the attacks in Gojra.
Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faisalabad, Pakistan, is the guest-of-honour at Aid to the Church in Need’s Westminster Event on Saturday, 17th October.
Find out more about Aid to the Church in Need’s Westminster Event.