An outrage reportedly sparks in a settlement in Pakistan after a Muslim man's attempts to rape a 10-year-old Christian girl.
The Union of Catholic Asian News reported that protesters clashed with local police in Pakistan after receiving news that a Muslim man attempted to rape the child in Karachi, a southern port city of Pakistan.
As per UCA News, the brother of the child's teacher molested her when she went to their house on Tuesday for tuition. The child, the youngest among six siblings, was able to escape and call for help.
"The culprit took advantage of his sister's absence and tried to rape my daughter. She ran out crying and shouting for help," the victim's mother told UCA News in an interview.
The girl's family and neighbors heard her call for help and surrounded the molester's house before alerting the police about the situation. Hundreds came to the rescue of the girl and beat the Muslim offender. There were so many people things went out of control such that a mob already gathered by the time the police came and the road was already blocked.
UCA News cited Station House Officer Haroon who said the mob threw "pelted stones at the police" and wounded at four of them such that "police resorted to aerial shots to disperse the mob."
Besides the police, the victim's family also had to be accompanied to the hospital for medical attention. A lawmaker then accompanied the family to the police station to file a formal complaint.
Legal aid would be provided to the victim and her family, as well as, other assistance they may need by Karachi Archdiocese's Commission for Justice and Peace Coordinator Kashif Anthony.
"We need to educate our people that protest and demonstration is their right but they must not do any harm to innocent people and must not take the law into their own hands," Anthony told UCA News in an interview.
Similarly, the Sindh Assembly through its Catholic member Anthony Naveed denounced the very violent outcome of the situation.
"We need to show restraint during the protest and desist from any violent activity. I am also thankful to the administration of the hospital and police for their cooperation," Naveed said, adding that the neighborhood has normalized after speaking to "higher authorities."
"I have spoken to higher authorities. The situation is getting back to normal now," he disclosed.
A local social activist explained to UCA News that the Christians rescuing the victim turned into a mob because Muslims now outnumber the area and because the suspect's family have been living in Essa Nagri, the name of the neighborhood, for a very long time.
"Now there are more than 1,000 houses of Christians where only 20-25 Muslim families are living in peace and harmony. The family of [the suspect] have been living in Essa Nagri for more than 30 years," Mission and Action for Social Services President Dr. Liaquat Munawar said.
Munawar went on to explain that 80 Christian families moved to Essa Nagri in 1962 in search for jobs. The said Christian families particularly chose Essa Nagri because Essa meant "Jesus" in Arabic.
