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Desecration of Holy Quran: Mob burns down churches in Sangla Hill

Staff Report

SHEIKHUPURA: A crowd of about 1,500 protesters attacked and burned two churches on Saturday following reports that a Christian man had desecrated the Holy Quran, police said.

A school, a student hostel and the home of a priest were also torched in the incident near the town of Sangla Hill, said Ali Asghar Dogar, a police official.

The attacks came a day after a local Muslim resident accused Yousaf Masih, a Christian, of burning a one-room Islamic school along with copies of the Holy Quran. Dogar said that no one was injured in the attacks.

The Punjab Home Secretary said that Yousaf Masih had been arrested for the desecration, adding: “The police has also arrested almost 90 people involved in vandalising the churches.” Pervaiz said that it had been established that Yousaf had committed the offence, adding that the police will investigate into who provoked the youths to burn the churches.

Dogar had said earlier that police were also investigating the conflagration on Friday night. “Some people told us last night that it was carried out by Yousaf Masih, and we have registered a case against him,” he had said. Another police official, Pervez Rahim, confirmed that Masih had been arrested.

However, Dogar said that allegations against Masih were apparently levelled by people who had lost money while gambling with him on Friday. “We don’t know who is right and who is wrong, but the fact remains that hundreds of people today attacked two churches and burned them,” he said, adding that the situation was “now under control”.

Shahbaz Bhatti, head of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, condemned the attacks. “No Christian burned copies of the Holy Quran. No Christian can even think of doing it,” he said. “We have a lot of respect for the Holy Quran and Islam’s Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).”

Local Muslim leaders had used mosques to urge Muslims to attack the churches, Bhatti said.

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