Muslims apologize for Gojra horror attack in Punjab

(Aug. 03, 2011) Two Muslims have apologized for anti-Christian rampage in Pakistan's Punjab city of Gojra two years ago, that left 10 Catholics dead. At an interfaith seminar on Monday at the Sacred Heart Church in Gojra, to mark the second anniversary of the incident, the two Sufi masters expressed regret for the violence, saying it went against the “spirit of Islam.” In August 2009, more than 800 Muslims went on the rampage against Christian communities in Gojra and a nearby village, torching buildings and attacking inhabitants. The anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad in June, acquitted all 70 people arrested in connection with the attacks.
Fr. Aftab James Paul, director of Faisalabad ’s diocesan commission for inter-faith dialogue and ecumenism, described the apology as “hugely significant.” In an interview with the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, he said “Even though they were not in any way involved in what happened that day, the Sufi masters described Islam as a religion that does not condone killing and condemned the massacre.” The priest added that the bereaved community welcomed the remarks. But despite the apology, anger over the attacks, and that nobody has been punished for them, was still running high at the seminar.