Curfew follows anti-Christian rampage in Kashmir

Indian police patrolled the streets of Kashmir today, threatening to shoot anyone defying a curfew imposed on the region. The curfew was put in place a day after troops battled protesters in the streets in violence that killed 19 people.

A Catholic school was burned Monday night and two other Protestant schools were attacked in the province of Jammu and Kashmir, following the "Burn the Koran" campaign launched by the Rev. Terry Jones in the U.S.

The spokesperson for the Indian Catholic Bishops Conference, Fr Babu Joseph, says that up until now Muslims and Christians in Kashmir have enjoyed good relations: “The Church has been there for over 100 years and the Muslim community has benefitted from the Church run institutions”.

Fr Joseph adds that “unfortunately rumours spread that the threatened “Burn a Koran” campaign had gone ahead” in the United States, spreading a panic among certain sections of the Muslim community. Despite the fact that the Indian Bishops Conference had publically condemned the initiative, the violent reaction of some extremists has resulted in the death of innocent people.

Fr Joseph concludes that bishops have contacted leaders of other religious communities in Kashmir to try to restore a climate of peace and tolerance.