Pakistani president condemns attack on church

(September 24, 2012) The burning of a church, adjacent school and bishop’s house in the northwest Pakistan on Friday as the backlash over a film ridiculing the Prophet Mohammad, has been severely denounced by President Asif Ali Zardari. Describing the near-destruction of Sarhadi Lutheran Church in Mardan as “unfortunate and reprehensible,” Zardari on Sunday called on provincial authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to protect Christian churches from extremist Islamic groups. Violence erupted throughout Pakistan on Friday, amidst continuing worldwide protests against the blasphemous American-made internet film, “Innocence of Muslims,” which ridicules the Prophet Muhammad. Zardari said that “ransacking public and private property, particularly the places of worship of other religions, was itself un-Islamic and highly condemnable.” Christians on Sunday held their service on the site of the 75-year-old church, singing hymns opposite a charred bronze cross placed on the altar while the congregation wore black armbands in protest. The walls of the church were still covered with slogans spray-painted by the attackers including ‘Allah Akbar’ and ‘love of prophet.’
Pastor Ghulam Shaad, vice-chairman of the Northern diocese, said the mob that attacked the church, school and bishop’s house also stole a laptop and an air-conditioning unit. Government engineers have said that the church and school can be repaired but that the bishop’s house must be rebuilt. “As humans we ask what have they done? As Christians we forgive them,” said Pastor Shaad. Samson Simon Sharaf, a political and defence analyst, said that the attackers had also burned copies of the Qu’ran that were in the school and called for a blasphemy case against those responsible. Sarhadi Lutheran Church was bombed last year and attacked with grenades in 2010.