100 Muslims arrested for attacking 2 Christian men over Quran desecration allegations in Pakistan

LAHORE, Pakistan — Police in eastern Pakistan have arrested more than 100 Muslim men and charged them under anti-terrorism laws for attacking a Christian father and son, accused of desecrating pages of the holy book of 'Islam, officials said Monday.

Crowds went wild on Saturday after residents said they saw pages of the Quran burned outside the two Christian men's home and accused the son of being behind it, burning down their home and manufacturing plant shoes in the town of Sargodha in Punjab province, said senior police officer Assad Ijaz Malhi. They also attacked the son.

Malhi said police forces rescued the two injured men and transported them to a hospital where they were in stable condition, and at least 100 men were arrested following several police raids. Authorities were pursuing other people who may have been involved in the attack, he said.

The fire completely incinerated the factory and parts of the house, residents and police said.

Punjab police said they had beefed up security at churches.

Police released details of the incident in a statement on Monday, saying officers received a distress call from Sargodha town informing them that a person from a Christian community had desecrated the Quran and that a crowd had laid siege to his house to harm him and his family.

The district police chief, accompanied by others, arrived at the Mujahideen settlement, where the incident occurred, and “the situation was very volatile, with the crowd demanding that the alleged blasphemer be handed over to them for face their anger,” the statement said. .

Police rescued 10 Christians who had been surrounded by a crowd and transported them to a safe place, the statement said.

Several police officers were injured while rescuing the accused and his family, police said.

Malhi said investigations were underway to determine the extent of the damage.

Blasphemy accusations are common in Pakistan, and under the country's blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or Islamic religious figures can be sentenced to death. Although no one has been executed for such charges, a simple accusation can often cause riots and incite mobs to violence, lynchings, and murder.

The latest violence recalled one of the worst attacks on Christians in Pakistan in August 2023, when thousands of people burned churches and Christian homes in Jaranwala, a district in Punjab province.

Muslim residents at the time also claimed to have seen two men desecrating the Quran.

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Ahmed reported from Islamabad.