Violence, fear and death in Gojra
On Saturday, 1st August 2009, one of the bloodiest attacks against Christians in Pakistan’s history swept through the city of Gojra in the Punjab Province of the country.
A 3,000-strong mob rampaged through the Christian quarter of the city. which lies 30 miles from Faisalabad. Carrying sticks, clubs and a small number of firearms, they set fire to property including more than 150 homes and two churches. Many of the houses were burnt to the ground.
The attack was sparked by Muslim outrage at reports that children had cut up pages from an old school book to use as wedding confetti. They had not realised that the pages contained verses from the Qu‘ran.
Eight people lost their lives in the attack, including seven members of one family, two of whom were young children. More than 20 people were also injured in the violence.
Speaking at the time, Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faisalabad told Aid to the Church in Need: “This is undoubtedly one of the worst attacks we have faced.”
Police response “half-hearted”
Despite well-publicised threats against Gojra, and a similiar attack two days earlier in the nearby village of Korian, where gangs set fire to more than 70 Christian homes and two small churches, the police response was “half-hearted and ineffective,” added the bishop.
“In all these cases, the police did almost nothing to stop the rampaging mobs,” he continued. “Condolences, apologies and assurances [always] pour in from officials and other citizens after the event, but the timely action required to prevent such incidents has always been missing.”
At a Memorial Mass held to mark the first anniversary of the attacks, a senior police official admitted that security forces had failed in their duty to protect the victims.
Read more about the Gojra Memorial Mass
Christians mourn loved ones who died in anti-Christian violence in Pakistan
Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faisalabad marks the first anniversary of anti-Christian violence in Gojra by lighting candles for the eight victims
Christians protest against the Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan
A man returns to find his home in ruins after extremist attacks in Gojra, Pakistan
Devastated Christians in their ruined home in Gojra, Pakistan
Grief-stricken Christians following violent attacks in Punjab province, Pakistan, that left eight dead
Christians in mourning after eight people died in anti-Christian violence in Pakistan
Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faisalabad gives an interview after violence swept through Gojra, Pakistan
Christians at a memorial Mass to mark the first anniversary of anti-Christian violence in Gojra, Pakistan
Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faislabad presides at a Memorial Mass to mark the first anniversary of anti-Christian violence in Gojra
Militant group blamed for violence
Bishop Coutts alleged that a banned militant religious group was behind the attacks. The group wanted to carry out “a sort of religious cleansing” to turn Pakistan into an Islamic theocratic state where non-Muslims were told to convert or leave, he said.
The bishop added that this was the first time in recent memory that Christians had been killed in an act of religious hatred.
The Gojra violence is one of dozens of cases in which extremists refuse to wait for the police and legal authorities to intervene. Instead they abuse Pakistan’s notorious Blasphemy Laws by using them as a pretext for violence.
Find out more about the Blasphemy Laws