Church attack

If one thought that religious intolerance and desecration of places of worship of minorities was something more common to the Taliban-infested northern parts of the country, then that notion is quickly laid to rest when one considers the religion-based violence that a cosmopolitan city like Karachi is suffering from. From sectarian violence that has plagued Karachi for decades to the targeting of Ahmadis to the highly worrying recent trend of vandalising temples and churches, the pluralistic ethos of Pakistan’s largest city are under attack like never before. The latest in this chain of condemnable acts is the attack on a church situated in the Essa Nagri locality. Armed men broke into the church, smashed its windows, threw Bibles on the floor and even took away cash donations.

This was the second such attack on a church in Karachi inside 10 days. More worryingly, at least six churches in the city have been vandalised since the start of 2012. “They desecrate churches on purpose knowing that it will hurt us the most” is the heartrending lament of one of the Christians living in the area and should put to shame all those Pakistanis who are quick to raise a hue and cry over what they consider to be discriminatory behaviour against Muslims in other countries but stay mum over similar despicable behaviour by their co-religionists in their own country.

Another facet of this development is its political aspect. Activists of various political parties are also said to be involved in the targeting of Christians in a bid to pressure them into joining their parties. The obvious religious bigotry at display, as well as its political undertones, must not be ignored. The leadership of the major political parties of Karachi — all claiming to have liberal leanings and a pluralistic vision for Pakistan — must put a stop to this menace. If any of their activists are found involved in harassing minorities, they must be taken to task and those guilty of this and other such acts must be apprehended by the authorities. However, at the moment, it seems that it will be a long time before Karachi — and, indeed, the whole country — is able to rid itself of religious bigotry.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2012.