PLEASE PRAY FOR PAKISTANI CHRISTIANS

Rioting Claims Six Christians In Pakistan
Sunday Times Of India, Pune
August 2, 2009
Islamabad: Days of rioting between Christian and Muslims in eastern Pakistan following allegations that a Quran was defiled escalated on Saturday, leaving six Christian dead ,including a child , authority said.
Members of a banned Muslim organization began torching Christian homes in the Punjabi city of Gorja on Thursday after accusing them of desecrating pages from Islam’s holy book, federal minister for minorities Shahbaz Bhatti said.
“ There is no truth in the allegation” , he said , adding that he had himself visited Gorja on Friday and asked police to provide Protection to Christians . He accused the police of ignoring his instructions and said hundreds of radical Muslims on Saturday burned more Christians homes and killed six, including four women and a child .Television footage from the scene showed houses burning and streets strewn with debris and blackened furniture as mobs ran each other .
Local media also reported gunfights had broken out between Christian and Muslim communities and that rioters had blocked local railway line . Pakistan is predominantly a Sunni Muslim state where Christians are a tiny minority . Although the two sides generally live peacefully , since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the US, pro Taliban militants have periodically targeted Churches and Christians , suspecting them of sympathizing with Washington .
Bhatti said the attackers belonged to the banned Sipah-e- Sahaba group , which is accused of launching attacks against the security forces and carrying out bombs attacks at the public places in the country in recent years . Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah said authorities had investigated the allegation of a Quran being defaced “and our initial reports say that there has not been any incident of desecration”.
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