Pakistan: Christian leader threatened with death for Facebook post criticizing Islam

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A Christian lay leader in Pakistan was taken into police custody last month as hundreds of Muslims descended on his Lahore neighborhood threatening to kill him for sharing a post against Islam on his Facebook page, Morning Star News reports. The outraged mob also threatened to burn down homes in Raja Warris’ neighborhood in the Charar area of Lahore, causing Pakistani Christians in the community to flee for their lives.

In a statement to Morning Star News, Rev. Ayub Gujjar of the Raiwind Diocese of the Church of Pakistan said: “The incident took place after Warris shared a post on Facebook on Dec. 22, which was deemed blasphemous by local Muslims.”

Warris apologized to the Muslims, Gujjar said, and the issue appeared to have blown over. However, Gujjar continued: “On December 26 we were informed by our congregation members in Charar that a huge mob had gathered in the locality on the call of a cleric affiliated with the extremist religio-political outfit, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan [TLP], and were demanding the beheading of the catechist.”

“Fearing violence, hundreds of Christian residents fled their homes while around 400 anti-riot policemen were deployed in the area to thwart violence,” Gujjar added.

Most of those who were forced to flee their homes last month have now returned, International Christian Concern’s South Asia Regional Manager Will Stark told The Christian Post. Warris, however, remains in police custody. It is not clear whether the leader is being held for his protection or whether he is to be charged with blasphemy against Islam. “We’ve been looking to see if there was a First Information Report as to why he’s being held. We have not found one,” Stark said.

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