Following on from Pope Benedict's reasonable appeal to the Pakistani Government to repeal their vicious anti blasphemy legislation, fundamentalist mobs have taken to the streets to protest and to burn an effigy of him.
Followers of the extremist group Jamaat -i-Islami marched in Lahore carrying banners demanding that the "Pop (sic) must behave" and completed their march by demanding a public apology from the Holy Father and withdrawal of his demand.
If such a statement is not received from the Vatican the leader of Jamaat-i-Islami, Liaquat Baloch, said that a massive demonstration would be held on 30th January "by all religious groups". He went on to state that: "they (Jamaat-i-Islami) would not leave Mumtaz Qadri (the assassin of Politician Salman Taseer) unsupported".
The Christian community in Pakistan is becoming increasingly isolated and the demonstration planned for 30th January is likely to produce violent attacks on churches and individuals.
Pray for the beleaguered Christians in Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan, India and many other places in the world. Persecution is rising throughout the world and these people are, largely, making a stand on their own.
PRAY THE ROSARY AS A NOVENA FOR OPPRESSED CHRISTIANS OF THE WORLD - STARTING FRIDAY 14 JANUARY
Will pray, and am tweeting in the hope that others will too.
ReplyDeleteThis could have been predicted after the Holy Father's (quite reasonable) request to Pakistan to repeal its blasphemy laws. Islam demands that society protect the Prophet and Islam. Any dishonour has to be avenged.
ReplyDeleteI certainly wouldn't like to be a Christian in Pakistan.
Pray especially for Asia Bibi, denounced by malicious "neighbours" for blasphemy and languishing in jail under sentence of death.
ReplyDeleteAlso for her husband and children who must be undergoing mental torture.
And yet the Pope would invite members of this barbaric faith to a prayer meeting in Assisi to call for "world peace"?!
ReplyDeleteThe mind boggles...