An allegation of desecration of the Quran that spread on social media prompted Muslims living in the town of Jaranwala to take the law into their own hands.
More than a hundred people have been arrested in Pakistan, after thousands of Muslims participated in the destruction of Christian churches and homes.
According to the BBC riots that broke out early Wednesday in the town of Jaranwala after two Christian men allegedly tore out pages of the Koran.
According to local authorities, the information about the desecration of the Muslim holy book had spread quickly on social media and among the locals. According to the claims, pages torn out of the Koran had been found in the area where Christians lived and blasphemous markings had been made on the pages.
Among other things, the historic Salvation Army church in Jaranwala was completely destroyed in the riots. Those who took part in the riots also broke into the homes of Christians and dragged their furniture into the streets to be burned.
– They broke doors and windows. They also dragged refrigerators, sofas, chairs and other furniture and piled them in front of the churches to be burned, Yassir Bhatti tells AFP.
– They also burned and desecrated bibles. They were completely ruthless, he continues.
31-year-old Bhatti is just one of the Christians who fled their homes due to the riots.
– We didn’t even have time to get dressed. We lifted the small children in our arms and just ran, also fleeing the riots Sonam a woman named tells the BBC.
The situation is still tense
The situation in Pakistan continued to be tense on Thursday. Several ruined buildings are isolated with barbed wire.
– When I saw my house, I felt a tremor in my heart. I thought I would fall, having lost my house in the riots Saleem Qasim Masih says.
– We have not committed any crime. This is a blatant injustice towards all of us, he continues.
In the Faisalabad region of northeastern Pakistan, where the city of Jaranwala is also located, public gatherings have been banned for a week.
According to the BBC, the men suspected of destroying the Koran have not yet been arrested, but they have been charged with blasphemy. In Pakistan, blasphemy is punishable by death.
Although blasphemy charges have so far not resulted in death sentences, the mere suspicion can spark violent and even deadly riots in Pakistan.
About 96 percent of Pakistan’s population is Muslim. Religion-based violence has reared its head in Pakistan since the death penalty was introduced in blasphemy cases, researcher interviewed by BBC Iftekharul Bashar says.
– The appearance of certain extremist movements has also contributed to the generalization of this unfortunate trend, he states.
A source close to the Pakistani government tells Reuters that the majority of those who participated in Wednesday’s riots were supporters of the Islamist Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).