Displaying items by tag: churches burned

Over 100 people were arrested in Jaranwala after thousands of Muslims burned churches and vandalised homes. The unrest was sparked by claims that two Christian men tore pages from the Quran. The historic Salvation Army Church was still smouldering on 17 August, one day after the riot. The ruins are surrounded with barbed wire, The situation remains tense. Public gatherings have been restricted for seven days. The men accused of damaging the Quran have been charged with blasphemy, punishable by death. An accusation of blasphemy can result in widespread riots, lynchings and killings. Yassir Bhatti, a 31-year-old Christian, was one of those forced to flee their homes. ‘They broke the windows, doors and took out fridges, sofas, chairs and other household items to pile them up in front of the church to be burnt. They also burnt and desecrated Bibles, they were ruthless.’ Videos on social media show protesters destroying Christian buildings while police appear to look on.

Over a hundred churches have been burned down in Manipur. The number of dead and injured is difficult to verify. The BBC reported 60 dead, 200 injured, and tens of thousands displaced. 53% of Manipur’s population are Meitei (Hindus with some Christians). Two tribal groups are Naga and Kuki - Christians with ‘scheduled tribe’ status, which grants access to forests, government jobs, and education. Last week the Meitei demanded access to the status. Violence broke out between Kuki and Meitei. Thousands of troops have been deployed, and thousands moved to safety. The Riverside Christian Mission sent the following request: ‘Riverside has partnered with various ministries in Manipur for many peaceful years. Suddenly, terrible violence erupted between Meitei and Christian hill people. 80% of the people who have been killed are Christians. Everything which had a Christian identity or Christian mark was attacked by the majority community in Manipur. Many have fled. Please pray for God’s protection over these dear people, and that the soldiers stop the violence.’

An ongoing anti-Christian campaign in Canada has resulted in churches being attacked and burnt down. Those responsible include far-left terrorists with a Marxist ideology whose sole purpose is to strike fear in Canadians for practising their faith. Most of the churches burnt and defaced serve indigenous Christians. ‘Burning down churches is not in solidarity with us indigenous people. We do not destroy people's places of worship,’ said Jenn Allan-Riley, assistant Pentecostal minister at Living Waters Church. Seventeen of the 45 buildings, across six provinces and the Northwest Territories, have suffered fire damage or been completely burned to the ground. The terrorism began following discoveries of unmarked graves of indigenous children on the sites of Catholic boarding schools. Terrorists also targeted non-Catholic churches. Calgary’s House of Prayer Alliance Church was torched, leaving 230 Vietnamese refugees with nowhere to meet. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating the terrorism.

On 23 July the Catholic bishop of Pemba spoke out deploring the world’s indifference to escalating extremist violence in northern Mozambique, where multiple churches have been burnt, people beheaded, young girls kidnapped, and over 200,000 people displaced by the violent insurgency. Parliamentarian Paulo Rangel said. There are reports of insurgents beheading fifteen people in a week. Pray for the Church as it works with families who have suffered attacks and have lost everything. Also there is coronavirus in nine out of Mozambique’s ten provinces. Pray for organisations focusing on preventing contagion by disseminating information and raising awareness. Pray for those distributing essential aid to meet families’ immediate needs, including food, seeds, and hygiene kits. See https://www.actionaid.org.uk/about-us/where-we-work/mozambique 

A church leader in Mali reports, ‘Our churches and chapels are now being targeted by extremists, who have told Christians not to gather to pray’. In September and October, extremists ransacked and burned several churches in Mopti region. One congregation who were driven out of the building were told they would be killed if they were seen praying. In 2012, Tuareg separatists and Islamist groups linked to Al Qaeda seized control of northern Mali and declared the region an Islamic state. The new regime imposed sharia law in Timbuktu, including punishments such as amputations for theft. France deployed soldiers to assist the government against advancing Islamists, and a UN force of 13,000 military personnel is now stationed there. Violence continues despite a peace deal with rebel groups. In the first half of 2017 over 42,000 civilians joined those already internally displaced in Mali.