More attacks on Christians feared in Pakistan

(August 13, 2009) Peace activists predict that extremists may target more Christian communities unless the government changes its policies and laws. "I am afraid to say it, but we may expect more attacks in areas where Christians are a sizeable number," said Father Emmanuel Yousaf Mani, national director of the Catholic Bishop's National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP). "We have never believed in guns," he said, adding that "it is time to bring about a peaceful revolution."Father Mani was speaking at an NCJP seminar on August 12, titled "Extremism and Law," at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) auditorium. The program started with a minute's silence in memory of 10 Catholics killed in rioting in the Punjab city of Gojra and the nearby village of Korian on July 30^th and August 1^st. Blasphemy laws make an insult to the Qur'an an offense punishable by up to life imprisonment, while giving the death penalty for anyone convicted of insulting Prophet Muhammad. A press statement was also issued at the event in which the NCJP demanded the abolition of laws that provoke hatred, the amendment of discriminatory articles in the constitution, and the arrest of those who kill in the name of religion, among other matters.According to the commission, 25 Christians have been killed for their faith since 1972. Earlier, special prayers were held in churches and protest rallies organized throughout the country to mark Aug. 11, Minorities' Day, as a day of mourning. The government has set up two medical stations in the affected areas where 1,847 Christian patients have been treated so far. It has promised to reconstruct the damaged houses in the affected area.