http://news.yahoo.com/mob-pakistani-city-torches-christian-homes-110658171.htmlMob in Pakistani city torches Christian homes
By ZAHEER BABAR and K.M. CHAUDHRY
March 9, 2013
A Pakistani man, part of an angry mob, throws items taken from Christian houses into a fire in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 9, 2013.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Hundreds of people in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore attacked a Christian neighborhood Saturday and set fire to homes after hearing accusations that a Christian man had committed blasphemy against Islam's prophet, said a police officer.
Blasphemy is a serious crime in Pakistan that can carry the death penalty but sometimes outraged residents exact their own retribution for perceived insults of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. Pakistan is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim and people of other faiths, including the nation's small Christian community, are often viewed with suspicion.
The incident started Friday when a young Muslim man accused a Christian man of committing blasphemy by making offensive comments about the prophet, according to Multan Khan, a senior police officer in Lahore.
A large crowd from a nearby mosque went to the Christian man's home on Friday night, and Khan said police took him into custody to try to pacify the crowd. Fearing for their safety, hundreds of Christian families fled the area overnight.
Khan said the mob returned on Saturday and began ransacking Christian homes and setting them ablaze. He said no one in the Christian community was hurt, but several policemen were injured when they were hit with stones as they tried to keep the crowd from storming the area.
The scene was chaotic. An Associated Press photographer on the scene said roughly 50 homes and a small church were set on fire. One man was seen carrying a dog and some puppies from a burning house. Refrigerators, washing and sewing machines, cooking pots, beds and other household goods were ripped from homes, smashed and torched in the streets.
One Christian couple from the neighborhood said they went to their Muslim neighbors' house on Friday night after people came looking for the Christian man accused of blasphemy. Ishaq Masih said the Muslim neighbors sheltered the couple for the night and then gave them money to leave the area in the morning.
Such accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan can prompt huge crowds to take the law into their own hands. Once an accusation is made it's extremely difficult to get it reversed, partly because law enforcement officials do not want to be seen as being soft on blasphemers.
Also on Saturday, four people were killed and 25 were wounded when a bomb exploded inside a mosque of the Sunni Barelvi sect in the northwestern city of Peshawar. The bomb was planted in a bookshelf inside the mosque and was detonated by remote control when noon prayers started, said senior police officer Imtiaz Khan.
Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa province, has been the site of several terrorist attacks in recent months. The city is surrounded by lawless tribal regions where al-Qaeda and Pakistani Taliban have hideouts.
The Pakistani military has carried out several operations in the area, but intermittent terrorist attacks continue.
Cobra • 1 hr 42 mins ago
But, when Al Qaeda detonates a bomb in their mosques, they don't run out and retaliate against them. These cowards only attack the weak Christians on accusations. Actually, I think they deserve to be subjugated by Al Qaeda and the Taliban or sent to meet Allah in person.
5 Replies
Dash Rendar 7 mins ago
Its because they are all cowards. Suicide bomb- cowardly way to attack. Burn homes of families who just happen to believe differently than you-cowardly. Use women and children as cover-Cowardly. All in all they're a bunch of fa(gg)ot pu(ssies)
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Elbarto • 3 hrs ago
Nothing like Islam showing its love.
6 Replies
SoWhat! • 1 hr 47 mins ago
Can you imagine the reaction from Muslims world wide if this happened to Muslim homes in America? I have zero trust in those people.
12 Replies
Don • 2 hrs 5 mins ago
If you are naive enfough to think Islam is a peacful religion than you need to know about Islam. Read the Koran it tells Muslims to fight and kill an conqure the world for Islam. Then read History it shows that Islam was always an evil barbic religion. Then read the news and every single day... More
4 Replies
Marillion • 2 hrs 26 mins ago
They like to attack others on hearsay. Yet no condemnation from their twofaced,basket case regime,clerics,Imams and scholars....
Yet when one reciprocates against their boldfacedness in the EU or US they whine and cry to their islamist loving OIC. ... More
5 Replies
Teluka • 2 hrs 21 mins ago
These same muslims if given a chance to stay in a Christian dominant country will apply in droves.Canada,England,Australia and the USA are classic examples.In spite of their behavior against the Christians in their country, These countries welcome them with open arms.Something is not right here.
8 Replies
Eric • 1 hr 58 mins ago
Showing their "peaceful and tolerant" sides once more! Their prophet was a child molester, a rapist, a liar, thief and murder. Come get me now devil-worshipping muslims
4 Replies
Stuart • 1 hr 28 mins ago
And we give these people money while cutting help to our own citizens ?
3 Replies
Squirt Me Baby! • 4 hrs ago
Muslims want what Christians have huh? why else would they steal what they own.
'ransacking Christian homes'
I would be so ashamed to be a muslim.
3 Replies
Squirt Me Baby! • 4 hrs ago
I don't think I ever heard of Christians burning Muslims Homes.
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