Muslims Confess to Church Attack in Pakistan

by VOM Staff

Muslims have confessed and apologized for attacking a church in Pakistan’s Punjab region on June 17, but have offered no compensation for injuring Christians and damaging their church building.

According to Compass Direct News, seven Christians were wounded and Christian literature was destroyed at the Salvation Army church in Chak 248, a village 20 miles north of Faisalabad.

The perpetrators admitted that a Muslim resident had planned to burn a page of the Quran—punishable with life imprisonment under Pakistani law—and blame the Christian community.

Compass reports that a notarized affidavit from Faizur Rehman, one of the 41 Muslims originally accused in the attack stated, “We are sorry and promise that this will not happen in the future.”

The lawyer representing Christians told Compass both parties had dropped court cases which accused each other of violence. “The Christian people have forgiven them. This is called impunity,” he added.

The Muslim mob attacked Chak 248’s church with guns, axes and sticks before the start of an evangelistic meeting. As a result of the attack, several Christians were hit with blunt sides of axes and suffered broken bones, and Bibles and hymn books were destroyed.

The Voice of the Martyrs has supported Christians in Pakistan through VOM’s Families of Martyrs Fund. Families of martyred Christians who have been left without parents or spouses have been encouraged to relentlessly stand for Christ amidst volatile, uncertain conditions. Pray for the protection of believers in Pakistan. Pray that the forgiving example Christians have showed in this incident will draw Muslims into the knowledge of Jesus Christ.