By BosNewsLife Asia Service
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)– A Pentecostal church in Pakistan’s largest city Karachi was vandalized by Islamists still irate from a threat to burn Korans by an American pastor, Christians said Thursday, September 23.
Nine Bibles, three hymn books and three wooden crosses were found burnt last week at the Nasri Pentecostal Church in Shah Latif Town, Karachi, which is home to about 120 Christian families.
The attack is the latest in ongoing protests in Pakistan against Pastor Terry Jones, although he cancelled widely publicized plans to burn Korans, seen as holy books by Muslims, during the recent anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks against the United States.
“The church gates were open and the locks broken,” recalled Pastor Peter Shahzad in a statement obtained by BosNewsLife. “The attackers broke open a cupboard and vandalized religious items at around midnight.”
Shahzad added that he has urged the government to punish the vandals under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. He said his congregation has already held a protest rally at the Karachi Press Club.
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The attack in Karachi was the second incident within one week: previously a Lutheran Church was attacked with grenades in Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Muslims want the US government to hand Jones over to them,” said priest Thomas Gulfam, general secretary of the Heralds of Peace. “There are many people poorly educated in Islamic teachings that are still causing tension.”
“It makes no difference whether the perpetrators of recent church attacks are arrested or not,” cautioned another priest, Aftab James Paul, director of Faisalabad diocese’s Commission for Interfaith Dialogue. “Nothing will happen (so) there may be more attacks.”
