Takes Place Across Street from Police Station
By Jawad Mazhar
Special Correspondent for ANS, reporting from Pakistan
WAH CANT, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- About 18 unidentified suspected Islamists attacked a Roman Catholic Church situated just opposite a police station, on Monday, March 28, 2011, well-placed church sources told ANS in an online exclusive interview. But still, the police did nothing.
The astonishing attack on St. Thomas Catholic Church, Wah Cantonment, in the district of Rawalpindi, took place some 25 yards across the street from the local police station.
The Rev Nazir Nathaniel, assistant to the Rev. Fr. Yousaf Amanat, priest in-charge of the St Thomas Parish, recounted that on March 28th, about 18 Islamists attacked the church in broad daylight at 15:30 hours (Pakistani Time.
He went on to say to say that 10 of these "radical Muslim attackers" entered the church compound and hurled stones at and clubbed, the statue of Mary and also compound lights, while others remained outside and pelted the church gate with stones and badly damaged it.
“Fortunately, no one was hurt or killed in the attack,” said Rev. Nathaniel.
When ANS asked about the installation of a police case against the Muslim culprits, the assistant priest replied that Rev. Fr. Yousaf Amanat was of the view that there “should be some difference between them and us” and hence he did not take any legal action against the Muslim men “nor let anyone take to the streets to protest.”
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The assistant priest said that the church leadership had decided to pardon those that attacked their church and by so doing, “follow the teaching of Jesus Christ to forgive our enemies.”
On the other hand, the Rev. Nathaniel said, “it is sad that Muslim men were attacking a totally harmless Christian community of Pakistan, that was playing a key role in the building and development of Pakistan.
He appealed to the authorities to “eradicate such fundamentalist elements” and “beef up” security of churches, particularly on the heels of the assassinations of Minorities Minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, and Punjab Governor, Salman Taseer, both of whom dared to speak against the blasphemy laws and in favor of the religious minorities of Pakistan.
Jawad Mazhar is a Pakistani journalist specializing in writing about Christian
persecution. He was born on November 28, 1976 at Sargodha's village Chak and raised in Sargodha, a city in Pakistan’s Punjab province. He earned his Bachelors Degree from Allama Iqbal Open University majoring in computer sciences and has taught at various educational institutes in his country. He is also involved with “Rays of Development,” an organization working for minority rights in Pakistan. He says, “My aim is to help eradicate Christian persecution through my writing as I bring the plight of these brave people under the spotlight of the whole world.”
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