Church burned in Pakistan between Christmas and New Year

Church burned in Pakistan between Christmas and New Year

By Michael Ireland, Senior Reporter, ASSIST News Service answritermike@gmail.com

(ANS – RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN, Feb.1, 2015) -- A church in Mazharabad, Rawalpindi, in Pakistan, was completely destroyed in a fire on December 29, 2014, according to Barnabas Aid (www.barnabasfund.org).

The fire occurred during a busy week of Christmas and New Year celebrations. This is a time of year when Christian minorities often experience greater violence from other religions.

Barnabas Aid says that although the police believe the fire to have been the result of a short circuit, the pastor and church members say that the fire was started intentionally. Stains on the walls suggest that a chemical was used to set the church alight.

Mrs Ghazal Saleem, a church member who lives in the neighborhood, reported that she heard noise around 2:30 a.m. and saw heavy smoke around the church building. Although they called the emergency services, no help arrived, but local people managed to put the fire out after an hour.

Built in 2006, the church is set in a Muslim-majority community with around 300 to 400 Christian families among the population. Church members are surprised by the incident as there are good relations between the Muslims and Christians living in the community.

Although police arrived on site at 5 a.m., they have so far failed to draw up an incident report. According to Pastor Tariq Masih, the police also did not register an incident report after a robbery at the church in 2012, when musical instruments, speakers and microphones were stolen.

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