October 2023 Persecution Magazine

three long decades, painstakingly building our houses brick by
brick. Even if the government assists in rebuilding our houses,
how can we ever erase the memory of our beloved homes
reduced to ashes? Our lives in this area will never be the same
again; the scars from this ordeal will remain with us forever.”
Mahnoor recounted, “Among the individuals in the mob, a few
were riding motorcycles with drums of chemicals strapped to
the front. These chemicals were of such potent nature that
they could be easily tossed, igniting fires almost instantly.”
Amina said the mob was armed with a variety of weapons,
including rods, batons, pistols, axes, and hammers.
Oscar: One pastor said, “They disrespected us, the Bible, and
churches which is not a good thing at all. If there was such a
thing or accusation of blasphemy, that could have been solved
legally. The government has to control that type of fake things;
people use it against Christian like a weapon.”
Families were crying, and they said that when they burnt our
houses and churches no one came for our help. “We must flee
for our lives when we leave our homes, our girls didn’t even
have proper clothes. The government gives us relief checks,
but we didn’t cash.”
WHERE DID YOU SEE THE LORD WORKING; WHAT GAVE
YOU HOPE?
Ginger: I saw the resilience of faith when I visited the site on
Sunday, the very first Sunday following the tragic incident.
Despite the churches being vandalized and houses reduced to
ashes, the enduring love of God remained firmly rooted in the
hearts of the Christians in Jaranwala. In a remarkable display
of unwavering faith, they organized a large church gathering
right amidst those charred streets. There, they worshipped,
prayed, and conducted their Sunday service, undeterred by
fear or adversity.
Oscar: When God helps you, he makes your enemy your friends.
We saw there that some people from other communities were
helping our Christian community, and it gave us hope that God
never abandons his believer if we step forward to help them.
God is with us.
WHAT IS SOMETHING FROM THIS INCIDENT THAT WILL
STICK WITH YOU FOR A LONG TIME?
Ginger: Their resilience and unwavering faith. Despite the
persecution and the fact that they continue to live amidst
the very community that targeted them for their beliefs, they
stand firm in their faith. Instead of succumbing to adversity,
they praise their God with even greater enthusiasm.
Oscar: The burning of the Churches and holy Bibles, the
helpless faces of the survivors whose eyes were looking for
help; and they were unable to do anything even if they wanted
to. Their cries that they were crying and say no one came to
help us.
BRIEFLY DESCRIBE ICC’S ROLE IN THE RECOVERY; WHAT
DO YOU WANT OUR SUPPORTERS TO KNOW?
Ginger: We met people on a personal level and gave them
words of encouragement. We also listened to the stories of
how they survived, and this helps us better understand their
needs. By building relationships with survivors, we effectively
distributed resources where they were needed most.
By connecting directly with those affected by the violent act,
ICC gains deeper understanding about their individual contexts
which helps inform how best to meet their needs.
ICC improved and strengthened relationships with the
survivors through words of encouragement and our staff
together with the pastors and Catholic fathers sang psalms
and prayed in front of the burnt church. Meeting as a person
was also beneficial for us. We could visit those areas which
were burnt, but no one had access there and this gave us the
advantage that we could know all their needs in a better way,
and we could channel all our resources to them.
We took visited and distributed food aid to 75 families—that
was what they needed at that time.
IN WHAT WAYS ARE CHRISTIANS IN JARANWALA STILL
UNDERGOING PERSECUTION AND HARDSHIPS?
Ginger: Our supporters should know about the current
situation as blasphemy is a very complicated matter in Pakistan.
Following the incident of Jaranwala, there have been many
occurrences of blasphemy against minorities. The Christian
community is still under pressure from the majority as the
Muslims have started to hold a grudge against minorities and
accuse them of being involved with humiliating the Islamic
religion. Our supporters should condemn the incident and
request the state to take serious action.
Oscar: In Jaranwala, some pastors and many people are still
receiving threats. The two brothers who were accused are in
police custody and their family are still facing threats from the
Majority.
To spread fear, some people are picked up for investigation
and allegedly connected with this family without evidence. No
one knows where they are kept. Some people are suffering
from various diseases, diabetes, heart disease, and asthma.
Recently some unknown persons shot and injured a pastor.
Photos: Rubble and carnage in the aftermath of the mob
attack in Jaranwala.
14
Persecution | OCTOBER 2023