Pakistan church attack: Christian man sentenced to death for posting hateful content against Muslims

A Christian man in Pakistan has been sentenced to death for allegedly sharing content on social media deemed hateful to Muslims, according to his lawyer on Monday. This sentencing follows a severe mob attack targeting Christians in the eastern Punjab province last year.

In August 2023, violence erupted in Faisalabad's Jaranwala when some local Muslims claimed to have seen a Christian, Raja Amir, and his friend tearing pages from a Quran, throwing them on the ground, and writing insulting remarks on other pages.

Police chief Rizwan Khan said the alleged act angered the local Muslims, who attacked multiple churches and several Christian homes, burning furniture and other household items. Some members of the Christian community fled their homes to escape the mob.

Ehsan Shan, who was not directly involved in the alleged desecration, was accused of reposting the defaced Quranic pages on his TikTok account, according to his lawyer, Khurram Shahzad. Shahzad also stated his intention to appeal the death sentence, which was handed down on Saturday by a court in Sahiwal, Punjab province.

Amir Farooq, the police officer responsible for Shan's arrest, said the man shared “the hateful content at a sensitive time when authorities were already struggling to contain the violence.”

Naveed Kashif, a local priest in Sahiwal, questioned “why the court ordered such an extreme verdict when those linked to the attacks are yet to be punished,” while admitting that he did not condone Shan's actions, AP reported.

In Pakistan, a country with a Muslim majority – Blasphemy is a burning issue. Even mere claims of disrespect towards Islam and its Prophet Mohammed can incite violent and deadly responses from vigilante groups.

Ever since 2011, when Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was assassinated by his own bodyguard for advocating the reform of blasphemy laws, there has been little to no deliberations on this issue.

Earlier this month, 72-year-old Nazir Masih succumbed to injuries sustained during an attack by an angry mob in May, following accusations of blasphemy.