Threatened with violence, hundreds of Christians in Pakistan fled from their homes and chose to celebrate Christmas in another place.
Hundreds of families in Charar, a neighborhood in Lahore fled their homes and sought shelter with friends and relatives. The group of believers left their homes after receiving threats of violence from a mob of Muslims.
According to a statement from a displaced Christian who spoke with the International Christian Concern, the threat broke out after a local pastor posted a faith-based post on social media which the Muslims did not like.
"Pastor Raja Waris published a faith-based post on Facebook on December 22, which Muslims claim hurt their religious sentiments," said Saleem Khokhar, one of the Christians who fled the neighborhood.
Khokhar added that the pastor apologized, took down the post and the issue was resolved the following day, as far as they know. However, after resolving the issue, Muslims continued to demand for Pastor Waris to be beheaded for his offending post and the mob continued to protest against the Christians in the community. Pastor Waris and his family are currently in hiding for safety.
Hearing the news that Muslims are planning to set the houses of Christians in Charar on fire, made the believers in the community decide to leave the place and stay somewhere else to ensure their safety as well as their families.
"This is supposed to be a time of joy and celebration," Khokhar said. "But we are out of our homes and begging our relatives and friends to protect and feed us. None of us are feeling good about this situation," he added.
The authorities deployed a group of policemen to secure the place and to make sure that no form of violence will arise. However, worried for their safety, residents in the community chose to leave and their comfort zones and chose to seek shelter somewhere far.
"We call on the Pakistani authorities to protect the homes of Charar's Christians," said William Stark, ICC Regional Manager. "Too often these laws have been a tool in the hands of extremists seeking to stir up religiously motivated violence against minority communities." he added appealing to the public not to misuse the blasphemy law.
Pakistan government earlier commanded the law enforcement to provide tight security in Christian churches and neighborhood. This was to ensure that Pakistani Christians will celebrate a secure Christmas amid the ongoing risk of attack from terrorists and extremists.
According to reports, Christian churches and communities often serve as target for extremist and terrorists for they represent the West. That is why these groups believe that attacking Christians makes a strong political statement.
In preparation for Christmas, the government deployed 5,000 police officers to ensure the order and safety in Lahore alone. Reports claim that Lahore lists a total of 623 Christian churches and settlements. Officers were also assigned to food outlets, parks and other recreational areas in the country.
Aside from deploying uniformed officers in Christian communities, government officials also reached out to believers by personally visiting them during the Christmas holiday. Rawalpindi Station Commander together with other government officials responded to the invitation from Reverend Samuel Titus, St. Paul's Church pastor for a church visit.
